Covid “Surcharge”? Has anyone had this happen to them?

I imagine this is to cover PPE and perhaps cover employees lost days due to their inability to go from a covid positive home into the home of another vulnerable client. If it were me I'd just postpone the service until he tests negative.

How long do they anticipate charging this extra fee? If he tests negative will they drop the charge? If so I am sure it is for the extra precautions that they agency takes in providing extra PPE.
If they do not drop the fee when he tests negative I would have a "discussion" with the agency. (read that as looking for another agency)
Talking about extra fees due to COVID, my daughter purchased a car recently and there was an extra fee added due to COVID, I was at a restaurant a few weeks ago and they had an added % on the bill due to COVID, it did mention in fine print that it would be removed upon request, so I would think that this is an across the board fee structure a lot of places are adding or going to add.

I would say you have a pretty good case not to pay it if it’s not in the contract you signed.

Keep fighting it. I’m sure it is to cover the PPE and other precautions that they have to take, but if they aren’t smart enough to put it in their contract, then that expense falls on them.

I believe this falls under the category of “price gouging”. I seems illegal to me. I should think the justice department would have a real problem with this.

Send a certified letter to the president of them company and demand immediate removal of the charges. In addition, still call the justice department and turn them in. They are not doing this only to you but everyone.

Lastly, call the local news stations. They would love this story!

What justification is the company giving you for this - whopping! - surcharge?

I think CW's suggestions are probably on the right lines, except that all home care workers should be wearing full PPE and practising infection prevention and control at all calls anyway, regardless of the client's Covid status; and if the company claims that workers are not sent to Covid negative or shielding clients if they're also supporting Covid positive ones I hope they can prove it (and privately I'll eat my hat).

If you're in mischievous mood, you could also ask what the company's vaccination policy is - whether they're making it mandatory and if so are they also paying for workers' vaccinations, for example.

I agree this sounds illegal to me particularly without any warning prior to him testing positive. I can appreciate the extra cost of PPE when caring for a patient who has tested positive but $18 an hour worth? That sounds closer to gouging and while personally I probably would accept $18 a visit until he either tests negative or the 10 days has past I would fight what seems like gouging at $18 per hr too. Have they given you any explanation/ validation other than simply a COVID surcharge? How do they know he didn’t get it from one of their employees? Unless there has been some legality passed in some states about this that I’m not aware of I would think that the Home Care company will back down when you challenge it knowing they are way over stepping!

Go look up P eggy h all. That sounds illegal. Besides they are all supposed to be j abbed sev times. So why the extra pay?
I would ask do they charge extra for the flu? For m-s-r-a, for diabetes, for heart attack, for shingles, or pneumonia?

The addition of a "COVID Surchatge" is becoming common, but a 60% increase is unreasonable. The Agency may feel you are at their mercy, b/c Home Health is becoming harder to find due to COVID shortages and precautions. Do you have any other options for your father's care?

You could say you refuse to pay it. Your father is in the nursing home. He is not out shopping and going out to bars, restaurants and shopping. He is in 1 place.
Do they charge extra for pneumonia, gastroenteritis, clostridium difficile, influenza, skin and soft tissue conditions, mrsa? Therefore the jabbed staff gave it to him. Are they charging them $18 per pos+ person for spreading it, or docking them per hour bc they have to stay home and quarentine?
It is THEIR FAULT he came up positive. Therefore they pay.

Sounds totally illegal to me as well! My Mom’s home care agency did increase their hourly wage a few months back citing covid as the reason, however, increase was only $2.00 per hour and they informed us a month or two before it went into effect. Also, they were passing that $2 right to the caregivers and not taking any of it as profit for themselves. If I were you I wouldn’t pay! No legal document was signed agreeing to the increase nor were you given written notice. I’m not a lawyer but that is a ton of money that most people don’t have. I mean home care is expensive to begin with! Keep fighting! Best of luck to you!

There's a website with Covid legal information, but I can't find the URL right now.

This does offer some information, but it's not entirely on point:

https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic

I searched also on "workers' rights", assuming that the facility is basing its surcharge on that issue. This doesn't address your concern from the other side, but it might provide some insight into dealing with the admins and asking/demanding for detail on how the surcharge was calculated. (I'm assuming it's based on worker safety, not medicine costs.)

https://www.findlaw.com/employment/workplace-safety/my-work-is-unsafe-because-of-covid-19--what-are-my-rights-.html

Also, if you go to the top of the findlaw page, you'll find a help bar. You can enter your data and get responses from attorneys, who really are the only ones who can address your question on the basis of your legal rights.

This also might help:

Healthcare Workers: Information on COVID-19 | CDC

You'll want to search for a health care attorney (not a medical malpractice one).

I can't search for you as I don't know the state in which you live.

Or, you could call one of your state or federal representatives' offices and ask them; as elected people they SHOULD have answers or references to this kind of question.

Grandma54, did the auto dealer explain why it would feel a surcharge would be necessary for COVID, i.e., such as special cleaning after a car was test driven by a potential buyer?

I'm going to be buying a car in the next month or so and I'd like to be prepared with legal background if I run into this issue.

https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/debt-management/negotiate-medical-bills/

Some are reasoning that perhaps the home health nurse is only seeing covid positive patients, not going between positive and negative. I really can't think that would be possible with staffing. My RN daughter who works in the hospital, goes between both.

Did you ask them why? I'm guessing it has to do with paying for PPE - it is part of the pandemic consequences. Try this site too: https://www.benefits.gov/benefit-finder

Ask if they will stop charging that additional fee once he tests negative.

First off, who told you to get him tested? They know you are at their mercy. So they tack on a fee. I feel for you. What a horrible thing to do to you. Home health and hospice make tons of money and obviously they are now using COVID to up their profit margin even more.

Is your father under Medicare? If so, the Home Care Company, if they accept Medicare patients, must abide by the Medicare rules and payments requirements.

This is out and out robbery! I never heard of such a thing! Did you know these tests are not even accurate. There are many false positives and the current test they are using can not even tell the difference between Covid or the flu! There is a new test that has been developed, but is not out yet. They are talking about having it available in a few months! The tests have become a JOKE! People have tested things like fruit and water and gotten a positive result!

Tell them to explain the reason for this increase? Simply stating because he has Covid is B.S. How will his care change in any way?

Blueheron12: Perchance do you possess Medicare Supplemental Insurance?

My sitter service did not require it, but suggested I do so in order to get more people to commit. So, I'm paying 25.00 per hour, instead of 20.00 until she gets out of quarantine.

Thats horrible! They gave it to him. I wish I could help you out, but I'm just like you, flabbergasted. I hope it's a mild case and he's symptom free. Will they still charge even if he is lucky enough to be symptom free? That's ridiculous. What next, 25.00 an hour more just in case the patient develops bed sores? Wow. Good luck with this:)

I find it hilarious that people on this post are so outraged about a covid surcharge.

Ironic since many commenting here are so callous about unvaccinated people being denied medical care or access to a skilled nursing facility if they won't get forcibly vaccinated.

So covid surcharges are bad but denying medical care to unvaccinated people is good. You just can't make this stuff up.

Not much help for you, I just wanted to mention my mothers past AL has been charging an extra $100 a month since Covid started…and is listed on bill as such….the money they are making off of this ….

Covid surcharges are compensations for the extra money providers have to spend to protect patients and staff from Covid-19. Expenses related to the pandemic were not included before original fees were calculated.