Helping You Get Back to Work Safely

To help ensure a safe workplace, you should consider developing processes for screening your employees for illness and tracking results. Here are some things to consider:

• Develop a plan for prescreening your employees before they return to work and then continue daily screenings for known COVID-19 exposure, COVID-19 risk and current symptoms. This can be done via a questionnaire or digital app. Any record or log of symptoms should be considered confidential medical information.
• Document employees’ temperatures using:
1. onsite screening or
2. employee self-measurement and attestation
• To avoid large groups of employees waiting for temperature tests, stagger shift start times or set up multiple temperature screening locations.
• Develop guidelines for supporting employees who have a higher health risk.
• Create a process for responding to ill employees at work (e.g. isolation, referral to testing site). This includes those who may become ill on the job.
• Track employees’ test results and isolation periods.
• Make sure you’ve also considered a plan for how employees who have been sent home or test positive for COVID-19 will re-enter the workplace once they’ve recovered.

Employees who test positive should self-isolate at home, continue to monitor symptoms and make their doctor aware. Isolation is an important tool to slow the spread of COVID-19.

Another important aspect to help slow the spread of COVID-19 is contact tracing. This process is used to help rapidly identify close contacts of those who are COVID-19 positive or other employees they may have come in close contact with who could become ill as a result. This can help you and your employees stay safer at work, with their families at home and in our communities.

Here are some resources to help you if you plan to develop a contact tracing plan:

• CDC – Contact Tracing
• Florida Department of Health

If you plan to manage contact tracing on your own, we recommend you take advantage of training available from Johns Hopkins University at no cost.

Important: After an employee has tested positive and self-isolated, make sure you have a process for an employee to return to the worksite based upon when the employee tested positive of when symptoms began.

Testing is best used to identify infection in those with COVID-19 symptoms or at-risk exposure. If you plan to require testing for employees returning to work, here are some things to consider.

Types of COVID-19 testing include:

• PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests: Most common form of diagnostic testing that can be used to diagnose COVID-19. PCR tests can determine whether an employee with symptoms has the current infection or whether there is an asymptomatic infection.
• Antigen testing: A newer type of test used to diagnose COVID-19, results are typically available faster than PCR tests.
• Antibody (serology) testing: Detect antibodies in the blood when the body is fighting an infection. This test does not detect the actual virus; rather it detects the body’s immune response to the virus.
  Good to know: Data on serology testing is limited and use of these tests to confirm immunity is not supported at this time. The FDA and CDC advise that serology tests not be used as the only means of diagnosing COVID-19.

If a doctor says it’s medically necessary based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for your employee to be tested for COVID-19, we want to make it as simple as possible. An FDA-approved COVID-19 test is $0 for any member who:

1. Is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms or
2. Has been within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more with someone who was diagnosed with COVID-19

Keep in mind that not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19. If your employee is not experiencing any symptoms or has not been exposed to someone who recently tested positive, Florida Blue will not cover the test. The employee will be responsible for the entire cost share. There must be a medically necessary reason for the test to be covered.

Please note: It can take up to 14 days to receive a result depending upon the lab location and type of test used. Employees who are tested because of symptoms or exposure risk must isolate themselves to avoid transmission while waiting for test results.

• Although we will cover the cost of the test if there are COVID-19 symptoms or exposure, Florida Blue does not cover the cost if you are requesting your employee to be tested as a screening step in your return to work plan (i.e. screening asymptomatic employees for infection). You may want to consider paying for the test if you are requiring it for employees. Otherwise, for employer-requested testing, members are responsible for 100% of the COVID-19 test and office visit cost out of their pocket. Their copay or coinsurance will not apply to employer-ordered testing for back-to-work screening. This means it will not apply toward the member’s deductible. And the provider will not bill it through Florida Blue.

Antibody Testing:

• We will cover an FDA-approved antibody test if your employee has seen their doctor and the doctor believes it’s medically necessary for your employee to be tested. The doctor must include the reason for the test and the results in the member’s medical record. The antibody test will be $0 cost share for your employee.
• While Florida Blue will cover the cost of antibody testing based on medical necessity, if you’re requesting your employee have an antibody test as part of their return to work, it is not covered under your health plan. You may want to consider paying for the antibody test if you’re requiring it for employees. Otherwise, for employer-requested testing, it will be the member’s responsibility to pay for the test out of their pocket. Their copay or coinsurance will not apply to employer-ordered testing for back-to-work screening. This means it will not apply toward the member’s deductible. And the provider will not bill it through Florida Blue.

For more information on testing site locations click here.

COVID-19 Vaccine: There are currently two vaccines that have been approved for emergency use authorization from the FDA. For more information on these vaccines and what you need to know, click here.

Please note: For self-funded ASO groups, we’re here to support you. Please reach out to your Florida Blue sales representative if you have any questions or need more information.