COVID-19

Free COVID-19 Tests: How to Get Them in Your Home

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

The White House announced new details on how Americans will be able to get their hands on more COVID-19 at-home tests for free or reimbursed through their insurance starting on Saturday, Jan. 15.

The new policy allows individuals covered by a health insurance plan who purchase an FDA-approved, over-the-counter COVID-19 test will be able to have those tests covered by their insurance.

The Biden administration is working on having insurers and health plans establish programs to get at-home tests directly with no out-of-pocket costs. Until these programs are established, anyone purchasing the tests can make a claim to be reimbursed.

This will cover eight at-home COVID-19 tests a month per individual in a household, both PCR and rapid tests are included.

There will be no limit on the number of tests covered that are ordered by your healthcare provider, according to the Biden administration.

However, plans will not be required to cover testing required by an employer.

Programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program must already cover FDA-authorized at-home COVID-19 tests without cost-sharing. However, there will be no reimbursement for at-home test purchases through Medicare.

The Biden administration is also purchasing 500 million rapid tests and will soon create a website to deliver the tests to citizens for free starting this month.

On top of the free at-home testing, they are also developing 20,000 free community-based pharmacy testing sites, surge testing sites and distributing 50 million free at-home tests to community health centers & rural clinics.

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