Over the course of the pandemic, many New Yorkers and New Jerseyans flocked to the nearest CityMD to get a COVID-19 test whenever they started to feel sick or wanted to be safe before visiting family. But some of those who braved the long lines at the urgent care chain earlier in the pandemic are now getting billed hundreds of dollars for a service they thought would be free.
CityMD patients have taken to Twitter this summer to decry the recent charges, some of which are for tests that took place as far back as 2020. Some say they are specifically being billed for an “office visit” associated with a COVID-19 test, rather than the test itself. It’s unclear how many people are affected by the charges, but CityMD has become ubiquitous in the New York City area, with more than 135 locations across the five boroughs and Long Island as well as in Westchester and Rockland counties and New Jersey.
One of those hit by the “office visit” charge was Paige Perry, an Astoria resident who said she received a $300 bill from CityMD last month. “At first when I got the email, I was like, ‘Is this a scam?” Perry said. “I didn’t know for sure if it was actually from CityMD because I hadn’t been in forever.” Upon closer examination, Perry saw that the bill was for a visit on Dec. 16, 2020, when she remembers getting tested before flying home to Texas to see her family for the holidays.