Consumer Data Partners LP (CDP) is working with nonprofit EASE Alliance to provide healthcare coverage for gig economy employees still working on the ground during the coronavirus pandemic.
In an exclusive interview with the Daily Caller, EASE Alliance Executive Director Tracey Schmitt Lintott explained that the current state of Obamacare has left thousands unable to qualify or afford healthcare coverage.
“Everyone knows that the nurses and the doctors and the E.R. paramedics are really today’s heroes, but a lot of people haven’t thought about those that are on the front lines of keeping America fed and moving,” Lintott said.
“The reality is that couriers and food delivery workers, uber drivers – those that are so vital today in ways we can’t even imagine, they’re just nearly as likely to come into contact with the virus.”
“The gig economy is the fastest growing population of America’s workforce,” Lintott continued.
Since the coronavirus pandemic began, there has been a surge in the demand for delivery drivers. Instacart, a delivery grocery service, announced in late March that they would hire an additional 300,000 drivers to fill the demand.
The initiative known as 2020 Plan that launched this week offers full or supplemental coverage to all gig economy workers and family members, receiving testing of or treatment for the COVID-19 virus.
“It’s the first national health plan designed for those directly affected by COVID-19, both covering their testing and treatment if infected.” (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: 15,000 Nurses Wait To Come To US, Blocked By Travel Restrictions)
Though the Families First Coronavirus Response Act passed by Congress mandates that health insurance plans provide free coronavirus testing, some patients can likely expect to receive a bill.
Any test taken that is outside of a patient’s healthcare coverage may be charged to the patient. This is because the law does not prohibit health insurance companies from charging out-of-network patients.
“Unfortunately, there are bureaucrats in the Department of Labor that are committed to preserving the status quo of Obamacare and are opposing these plans,” Lintott told the Daily Caller.
Tune in to see more about how the gig economy can receive additional aid.