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Committee approves DPH testing contract with Color Health as amended
Summary
The committee voted to forward a one‑year DPH contract with Color Health for end‑to‑end COVID‑19 testing services to the full Board as amended, with the Budget and Legislative Analyst recommending a lower not‑to‑exceed amount and DPH saying about 75% of costs are projected FEMA‑eligible and roughly $10 million has been recouped from insurance.
The Budget & Finance Committee on March 17 voted to forward a Department of Public Health contract with Color Health for COVID‑19 testing services to the Board of Supervisors as amended, after the Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) recommended reducing the contract’s not‑to‑exceed amount.
DPH presenters said the agreement continues testing that began under emergency contracts in April 2020 and was sourced through a competitive process facilitated by the Controller’s Office. The contract term under consideration would run roughly from April 6, 2021 through March 31, 2022. Stephen Campbell of the BLA recommended reducing the not‑to‑exceed amount to about $52.3 million; DPH said it agreed to the amendment.
During questioning, DPH said current projections estimate about 75% of contract expenditures would be eligible for FEMA reimbursement after insurance collections, and that year‑to‑date insurance reimbursements had totaled about $10 million. Supervisor Asha Safaii asked about how registration sites explain the collection and use of insurance information; DPH said consent language and registration fields were revised in January to make insurance reporting required and to better explain that insurance billing is used to recover city expenses and that individuals will not receive a bill for testing.
The committee adopted the BLA amendment and moved the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
