Last updated: 03/24/2020
Underwriting Questions
- How are we underwriting COVID cases? Applicants positive for COVID 19 will be postponed. We will reconsider coverage 3 months after a negative test for COVID 19.
- Is Thrivent waiving underwriting requirements due to COVID 19?We are not waiving any underwriting requirements at this time.
- Are we taking any precautions around COVID for our members with exams? Each of the vendors (APPS, EMSI, and ExamOne) have put additional protocols in place to safeguard our members as well as themselves. Prior to any appointment, the applicant will receive a call with additional questions around their overall health at the time, whether or not they have traveled, if they have been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19, or have experienced any of the COVID symptoms. Each vendor is following the guidelines of the CDC as well as local governments and will continue to monitor the situation.
- What happens if the paramed vendors are no longer offering exams? Some states and municipalities have issued Emergency Declarations in order to protect citizens from further outbreak. This has impacted our paramed vendors ability to see our members. For applicants impacted by this situation the case managers are putting cases on hold and will continue to monitor as things change. Please contact your case manager with questions on a specific case. The following updates were provided directly from our vendors and are accurate as of 3/24/2020:
- APPS No exams are being done in the following areas:
- California: Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Benito, Sonoma, and Napa counties. The city of San Luis Obispo.
- Puerto Rico
- PennsylvaniaThey are continuing to schedule exams, just scheduling them out for the future.
- ExamOne No exams are being done in the following areas:
- California: San Francisco, San Jose, Oakland, and any surrounding counties
- Puerto Rico
- Pennsylvania They are continuing to schedule exams, just scheduling them out for the future.
- EMSI EMSI is now operational in all states. Please note the state specific details below:
- Wisconsin: the Eau Claire and La Crosse offices have suspended in home exams. Applicants can go into the branch office to complete the exams by appointment only.
- Will our labs have capacity to perform BCP/Urinalysis Tests during the outbreak? CRL is the only lab we use, and all 3 vendors send the samples to CRL for testing. They test all the blood, urine, and oral fluid samples, then send the results to us. CRL is currently conducting the testing of all labs as normal.
- Will we pay out claims on COVID if the application has a conditional receipt on it? There have been no changes to providing coverage on a temporary basis through conditional receipt. Please review the requirements for obtaining a conditional receipt.