Tennessee’s biggest health insurer is supporting efforts in its hometown to provide testing and treatment for the coronavirus to those without health insurance.
The BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee Foundation, the philanthropic nonprofit established and funded by the Chattanooga-based BlueCross plan, is giving a $50,000 grant to support testing and treatment for uninsured persons in Hamilton County for COVID-19 or other related services. The funds will be managed through the Community Foundation of Greater Chattanooga and support the expansion of free COVID-19 testing for local residents.
The grant supports the expansion of free COVID-19 testing for local residents who do not have health insurance. Residents do not need a physician referral to receive testing, but must go through the Hamilton County Health Department’s screening process. They should call their Coronavirus Information Hotline at (423) 209-8383 for more information.
BlueCross previously announced that it was waiving any co-pays and deductibles for its own members to receive COVID-19 tests or treatment to help encourage more people to be tested for the virus. Such tests help identify those in need of treatment and isolation to better control its spread.
(READ MORE: These are the Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama COVID-19 cases and deaths by county)