‘CARES Act covers COVID-19 treatment’

If you ever get sick from the coronavirus, your treatment will be covered by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, according to Esther Muña, chief executive officer of the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp.

And even if the CARES Act didn’t exist to foot the bill for your treatment, CHCC still provides inpatient services whether a patient is insured or not, Muña assured, adding that this is what uncompensated care is for.

Uncompensated care is health care or services provided by hospitals or health care providers that don’t get reimbursed. Often, uncompensated care occurs in places when people don’t have insurance and cannot afford to pay the cost of care.

“The difference between then and now is not because you can get the service without paying, but it is that now we can actually file a claim and get paid for it,” said Muña.

In related news, TanHoldings and its charitable arm, the Tan Siu Lin Foundation, donated and delivered 585 care packages to CHCC last May 1.

The packages were delivered to CHCC, Emergency Operations Center, Department of Fire and Emergency Medical Services, Department of Public Safety, and friends who are contract workers.

Through Tan Holdings, CHCC also received 15,000 face masks and 5,000 face masks from Northern Mariana Islands Football Association.

Quarantine procedures

According to Beth Kohnen, deputy chief medical officer of CHCC, the Commonwealth Office of Transit Authority escort all passengers arriving on Saipan to the Pacific Islands Clubs in San Antonio, where they will undergo the mandatory quarantine.

Once the passengers are at PIC, they will then receive their luggage, then proceed to go through customs and quarantine. The passengers will get their temperatures screened.

“If they’re doing well, they get sent to their room at PIC,” said Kohnen.

According to Kohnen, the passengers have two choices: they can stay 14 days in quarantine, or they can get tested for the virus and, once their results are in and they’re negative, they can leave quarantine early.

“We are anticipating that most people will be able to leave within five days, instead of 14 days,” said Kohnen.

Additionally, those with Guam health department certificates stating they have tested negative for COVID-19 within the last 72 hours are released as well.
To date, there are 38 people quarantined at PIC.