August 26, 2020

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                       

Contact: Sara Floor, Communications Manager
916-926-8769; email: sfloor@counties.org 

SACRAMENTO – California State Association of Counties (CSAC), the County Health Executives Association of California and the Health Officers Association of California issue the following reaction to Governor Newsom’s announcement about expanded COVID-19 testing capacity.

California’s Counties applaud California Governor Newsom’s announcement today of the state’s  exclusive contract with PerkinElmer to provide up to 150,000 additional COVID-19 tests a day for a fraction of the current testing cost.

“Governor Newsom managed to double the state’s testing capacity today in a very cost-effective way, which counties desperately need in their continued battle against COVID-19,” said CSAC President and Orange County Supervisor Lisa Bartlett. “Counties are eager to partner with the state on strategies to facilitate specimen collection in diverse settings in order to quickly and efficiently identify cases, conduct contact tracing, and provide information and services to those affected,” she said. 

The agreement with PerkinElmer also requires test results within 24 to 48 hours and reduces the per-test cost to $31.78, nearly 60 percent less than the Medicare and Medicaid rate of $100 and nearly 80 percent less than the average COVID-19 test cost of $150. 

“We can’t thank the Governor enough for securing this contract for timely and cost-effective testing,” CSAC Executive Director Graham Knaus said. “Counties appreciate the state’s commitment to increasing testing while keeping an eye on the bottom line. This contract is a win-win for all Californians,” he said. 

The state will work to ensure private insurers and other entities pay their fair share for testing, and seek FEMA reimbursement and other mechanisms to help cover the costs of testing up to 250,000 Californians a day. Counties will assist in specimen collection and coordination efforts, as well as follow up as test results are reported.

California State Association of Counties (CSAC) is the voice of California’s 58 counties at the state and federal level.                                                                                 # # #