Florida A&M University recently sent an email out to all students and staff about Bragg Stadium’s COVID-19 testing site’s new protocol, which will require health insurance information or a driver’s license for anyone wanting to be tested.
Testing is still available Monday through Saturday from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m. and testing is still free. Walk-ins will also still be available, but appointments and pre-registrations are still recommended.
The state’s vendor site, Curative, has instructed the testing site to collect health insurance information, but individuals will not have to worry about being billed for testing.
By gathering this information, it will possibly allow the labs and testing sites to get some form of reimbursement or compensation for the tests that are being done.
If one cannot provide health insurance information, they will be asked to provide their driver’s license.
In this case, where there is no insurance coverage, or where an insurance company does not pay, the company will try to get paid through state or federal funds.
Some students do not think the additional information is really necessary.
“I have health insurance, but it’s just an extra step I didn’t want to include in my testing information,” Dean Verret, a music education major, said.
The process of getting tested will be a little longer at Bragg, but the health care workers will continue to do their best with making visits as quick as possible, as well as getting their results back in a timely manner.
“It actually takes a couple more minutes to provide the new information that is being requested. However, if they can recoup some of the cost for testing, that should put the company in a financial position to offer more testing,” Director of Student Health Services Tanya Tatum said.
Anyone can still get tested at the site, and it is highly encouraged that the community continues to do so.
“We really do not want this change, asking for insurance information, to discourage anyone from being tested. No one will be turned away,” Tatum added.
With Leon County having 26,838 confirmed cases, Florida still remains a hotspot.
Bragg Stadium is one of Tallahassee’s most popular testing locations that has seen a rise in positive cases.
The email sent out to the university stated, “As of Feb.2, the site has conducted 230,307 tests.”
It is still necessary and important to follow guidelines provided by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention by wearing a mask at all times in public and remaining socially distanced.
For more information on the state’s COVID-19 updates, visit floridahealth.gov.