Key TakeawaysThe Biden administration announced that Americans with health insurance can get their at-home COVID-19 tests reimbursed.The policy will also provide 50 million free tests to community health clinics and rural health centers for Americans without insurance.More details regarding the policy are expected to be released in January next year.
Key Takeaways
The Biden administration announced that Americans with health insurance can get their at-home COVID-19 tests reimbursed.The policy will also provide 50 million free tests to community health clinics and rural health centers for Americans without insurance.More details regarding the policy are expected to be released in January next year.
In response to the emergence of the new Omicron variant, the Biden administration intends to make rapid, over-the-counter COVID-19 tests more affordable to Americans.
Does Health Insurance Cover At-Home COVID Tests?
How Will The Reimbursement Strategy Be Implemented?
“The plan for implementation appears to be that Americans will have to purchase tests and then submit receipts to their health plan for reimbursement,”Minakshi Raj, PhD, assistant professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, told Verywell. “At-home testing certainly promotes some flexibility, and it is a step in the right direction to be thinking about increasing ease of access to testing.”
Although makingprivate insurance companiescover the cost ofat-home COVID-19 testsincreases testing capacity, the plan does not come without hitches. Requiring Americans to pay upfront and buy the tests, save the receipts, and submit reimbursement claims to healthcare providers is not as easy as it seems.
Because guidelines of the reimbursement policy haven’t been released yet, it raises plenty of questions, Raj said, which include the following:
“It is also unclear how long it will take for health plans to process all of this information, which means people will be spending money out of pocket on testing with an unpredictable window of time within which they will be reimbursed,” Raj said.
What This Means For YouThe guidelines of the reimbursement plan are yet to be sorted out, which may be announced early next year. At the moment, low or no-cost COVID-19 tests are available at select health centers and pharmacies nationwide. You can check for the testing information per statehere.
What This Means For You
The guidelines of the reimbursement plan are yet to be sorted out, which may be announced early next year. At the moment, low or no-cost COVID-19 tests are available at select health centers and pharmacies nationwide. You can check for the testing information per statehere.
What About Americans Without Health Insurance?
“Uninsured people will be able to access free at-home tests distributed through community health centers in underserved areas,” Jay W. Lee, MD, MPH, family physician and chief medical officer ofShare Our Selves Community Health Center, told Verywell. “For uninsured individuals, the cost may be a significant barrier, so making these rapid at-home tests more easily available will be key to keeping the case rate low for a population that has carried an inordinate burden of cases throughout the pandemic.”
Thecost of COVID-19 testsis one of the biggest barriers to widespread testing, which is crucial in controlling the spread of the virus.
“Many patients who receive care at community health centers are essential workers and hourly employees who are critical members of our workforce,” Lee said. “This approach will help reduce any potential gaps in equity between those who have and those who do not have insurance with regard to COVID-19 testing. As a family physician who works at a community health center, I’m grateful that health equity is being considered.”
Do At-home COVID-19 Test Kits Expire?
The Plan Won’t Eliminate All Barriers
Many experts say that distributing tests to the public at low or no cost can make them even more accessible for everyone, with fewer steps required.
“Other nations have purchased at-home tests then distributed the kits directly to the public at low or no cost,” Lee said. “That approach would have significantly reduced the hassle factor for patients. A reimbursement model doesn’t necessarily eliminate cost barriers because of the hassle factor.”
Aside from implementing the policy, the administration will also have to effectively disseminate the information regarding the reimbursement plan. For instance, the COVID-19 vaccines have always been free, but their perceived cost has prevented some Americans from seeking vaccination.
“Patients should be prepared, and talk to their family physician if they have questions about receiving a free testing kit or how to apply for reimbursement,” Lee said. “It might have been prudent to have considered leveraging America’s primary care offices, where most people receive and trust their care, as a place to distribute these kits.”
The new policy does remove barriers to at-home COVID testing to an extent because some Americans will eventually be reimbursed for the money they spent on testing, making it easier for people to test more often, Raj said. However, without a clear guideline on how the policy will be implemented, it is unclear whether the plan will successfully eliminate all cost barriers.
“If people have to wait several months to get their reimbursement and are counting on that money for supporting themselves and their families, then the cost barrier hasn’t really been eliminated,” she added. “We might continue to see inequities in access to these tests, and therefore, in rates of testing.”
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
2 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The White House.President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans Against the Delta and Omicron Variants as We Battle COVID-19 this Winter.Kaiser Family Foundation.KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: April 2021.
2 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.The White House.President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans Against the Delta and Omicron Variants as We Battle COVID-19 this Winter.Kaiser Family Foundation.KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: April 2021.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
The White House.President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans Against the Delta and Omicron Variants as We Battle COVID-19 this Winter.Kaiser Family Foundation.KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: April 2021.
The White House.President Biden Announces New Actions to Protect Americans Against the Delta and Omicron Variants as We Battle COVID-19 this Winter.
Kaiser Family Foundation.KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor: April 2021.
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