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3 Payers Rank Among the Top 25 Employers for COVID-19 Response

The companies were ranked based on policies such as sick leave adaptations and community relief donations to determine their coronavirus response.

Kelsey Waddill
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Published: 04 Dec 2020

In an assessment of American employers across industries, three payers stood out as performing excellently in their corporate coronavirus response, according to a ranking by Forbes and JustCapital.

The ranking analyzed 22 categories of corporate policies in response to the coronavirus pandemic, using data from March through early May 2020. The policies included changes to sick leave and community relief funds.

Each category of the company’s policies received a score on a scale of one to five, with five representing an excellent response. The average of these categorical scores determined the composite score.

“These companies are not free of controversies,” the ranking acknowledged.

“Some have been criticized for ending policies, such as ‘hero’ pay, too soon. Others are facing lawsuits for wrongful death of workers or allegedly failing to safeguard the health of staff and customers. Perhaps a bigger question is whether the policy changes brought out by Covid-19 will be temporary or have a lasting impact on corporate America. Only time will tell.”

The companies with the best corporate responses came from a mix of industries. Verizon Communications achieved the highest score of all—a 3.87 out of 5.00. Companies such as Target, AT&T, and Walmart quickly followed.

Three major payers made it into the top 25 corporate responders.

Centene

In fourteenth place, Centene received a score of 3.60 out of 5.00.

The ranking noted that Centene delivered 50,000 gift cards of $35 each for essential care and living products. The company also donated enough funds to Feeding America to cover a million meals per month for a full year, leveraging previous partnership experience.

Additionally, Centene worked to distribute 25,000 coronavirus testing kits to healthcare locations across ten states on a weekly basis.

Like many payers, Centene committed early on in the crisis to cover coronavirus treatments for beneficiaries in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act exchanges, in addition to screening and treatment.

For their own workforce, the payer allowed providers to go on leave for up to three months in order to serve the growing demand for volunteer healthcare workers. Some states requested volunteers to support coronavirus response efforts. At Centene, providers who answered the call continued to receive pay and benefits for their service.

Staffers were offered another ten days of paid leave. Those who chose not to take the additional time were offered a payment of $750.

Anthem

Following closely behind Centene, Anthem came in fifteenth place for its corporate coronavirus response. The payer received a score of 3.59 out of 5.00.

This payer set aside $50 million for relief funds. These funds have been directed towards food insecurity, mental health and social support services, disaster relief, and protective equipment and medical supplies for providers on the front lines. These efforts addressed a couple of the social determinants of health that many payers have pivoted to meet during the pandemic.

The company’s chief executive officer, Gail Koziara Boudreaux, dedicated two months’ worth of her wages toward employee relief, food banks, and providing protective equipment to local healthcare workers.

Anthem, too, waived coronavirus testing and treatment costs for members.

For Anthem employees, the company offered 80 hours of paid leave and reimbursed hourly workers’ internet fees. Employees also received expanded healthcare benefits.

Any donations that employees made to select charities, Anthem offered to match at 200 percent.

Cigna

In twenty-first place, Cigna received a score of 3.55 out of 5.00.

Through its prescription benefit plan provider, Express Scripts, Cigna offered prescription drug spending relief for those who recently lost their healthcare coverage. Individuals could pay $25 for 30 days of a generic drug, $75 for brand-name.

Members could receive free home delivery for their prescription medications and zero costs for coronavirus tests.

Additionally, Cigna worked with Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri to find coronavirus treatment solutions.

US employees who were required to work onsite received a 20 percent increase in pay.

Cigna workers also received 10 days of coronavirus-related paid leave.

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