Coronavirus Information for Employers
Frequently Asked Questions
Updated January 8, 2021
Quick Links
COVID-19 Vaccine
A. Priority for vaccines has been determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Hawaii State Department of Health. As of now, a draft plan from October is available online at hawaiicovid19.com.
The Hawaii State Department of Health has outlined its draft vaccine distribution priority groups as follows:
Sources: State of Hawai‘i’s draft COVID-19 draft vaccination distribution plan go to: hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine-plan
Hawaii COVID-19 Vaccination Plan - Draft Version 1.0
For the most detailed and up-to-date information, please see hawaiicovid19.com.
A. Those who meet the criteria for each phase will be able to get the vaccine through any approved COVID-19 vaccine provider, as supplies allow. As the vaccine has only just arrived in Hawaii, the details will become clearer in the coming weeks.
A. For more information, please contact your own legal counsel.
A. No. There is no co-pay to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, even from an out-of-network provider. As with the flu shot, this critical vaccine will be provided at $0 co-pay.
A. As of this time, we do not anticipate setting up vaccine clinics in our members’ place of business because of a number of unprecedented challenges, including requirements for storage and temperature monitoring equipment, as well as other issues.
A. The FDA has approved the COVID-19 vaccines. For more information, please see cdc.gov.
A. For the most comprehensive and up-to-date information, please see the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at cdc.gov.
A. Please see the Hawaii State Department of Health at hawaiicovid19.com/vaccine.
An executive summary of the State of Hawai‘i’s draft COVID-19 vaccination plan is available here or view the full draft plan here.
COVID-19 Testing
A1. No. Testing requested by employers or testing to screen for general workplace health and safety (such as an employee “return to work” program), or testing for employment purposes are not covered by UHA plans. This aligns with UHA’s Medical Benefits Guide (MBG) and the guidance recently issued by the federal tri-agencies (U.S. departments of: Labor, Health and Human Services, and Treasury).
A2. UHA members who show no COVID-19 symptoms (asymptomatic) must meet current Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for close contact with an infected person, which the CDC defines as any individual who’s been within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes of repeated face-to-face contact within a 24-hour period with a laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient.
A UHA member’s attending health care provider will determine if testing is medically appropriate for the individual in accordance with current accepted medical standards of CDC guidelines. Please also refer to UHA COVID FAQ: How do I get tested?
A3. Employees in “close contact” means they must meet current Hawaii Department of Health (DOH) as well as Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines for close contact with an infected person, which the CDC defines as any individual who’s been within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes of repeated face-to-face contact within a 24-hour period with a laboratory-confirmed or probable COVID-19 patient.
For those who do not have symptoms (asymptomatic) and do meet the above close contact criteria, an employee’s attending health care provider will determine if a test is medically appropriate for the employee in adherence to Hawaii DOH and CDC guidelines.
UHA members who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms should call their doctor and can also refer to UHA COVID FAQ: How do I get tested?
Eligibility and Premiums
One-Time COVID-19 Premium Discount in 2020
For more information on the questions in this section, please contact:
Client Services
P: (808) 532-4000, ext. 358, Toll free: (800) 458-4600, ext. 358