Health insurance or personal ID information now required for Hayward no-fee COVID-19 testing

HAYWARD, Calif., Nov. 23, 2020—The City of Hayward COVID-19 Testing Center is now requiring people to provide health insurance or other identifying information to allow the Center to seek third-party reimbursement for its testing costs.

The change has been made so Hayward can continue to afford providing COVID-19 testing for everyone 12 years of age and older, regardless of place of residence or immigration status and without charging a fee.

Insurance and other identifying information collected by the Center—a driver’s license or California ID card number or Social Security number—will be used only for seeking test cost reimbursement from private health plans or public health insurance systems, such as Medicare and Medi-Cal.

As a Sanctuary City, the City of Hayward does not gather, maintain or share any information with other governmental agencies for or participate in the enforcement of U.S. immigration laws.

The City of Hayward COVID-19 Testing Center, now located at 1401 Golf Course Road in Hayward, has provided more than 43,000 COVID-19 tests since it opened on March 23.  The Center operates 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday through Friday except holidays.  It will be closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, and Friday, Nov. 27.

The Testing Center is part of a comprehensive coronavirus response by the City that also has included mask distribution; food and rent assistance; grants and other support to local businesses; and local residential and commercial eviction protections.

Advance registration and appointments for COVID-19 testing at the Hayward Testing Center are available here through the City’s testing partner, Avellino Labs of Menlo Park.  For more information, visit the Testing Center webpage on the City of Hayward website.

On March 5, Gov. Gavin Newsom and Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara directed insurance companies in California to eliminate co-pays, deductibles and other costs related to screening and other testing for COVID-19.

For more information on health insurance coverage and COVID-19, go online here to the State of California COVID-19 website, www.covid19.ca.gov.

While the City of Hayward Testing Center does not require a physician referral or private health insurance coverage to be tested, it does recommend conferring with health insurance plan administrators regarding individual plan requirements prior to making a COVID-19 test appointment.