(Adds details on Anthem’s plans)
June 4 (Reuters) - Anthem Inc said on Thursday it will give customers $2.5 billion in discounts as the health insurer waived costs and offered premium credits following a steep drop in some medical services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Insurers have gained financially as Americans have cut back on medical appointments under stay-at-home orders designed to help slow the spread of the virus and allow hospitals and doctors to focus on COVID-19 patients.
Anthem said delays to routine care and elective procedures, combined with shelter-in-place orders across the country, resulted in lower volumes of healthcare claims for its health plans.
The company said it would provide one-month premium credit of 10% to 15% to certain individual plan members and fully insured employers.
Anthem’s move comes a month after larger rival UnitedHealth Group Inc said it planned to spend $1.5 billion on its customers, in part by issuing credits against some commercial health insurance premiums.
Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta
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