Private insurers must cover the cost of eight at-home coronavirus tests per household member per month beginning Saturday, the Biden Administration confirmed Monday,
Breaking News: Privately insured Americans can be reimbursed starting Saturday for eight at-home coronavirus tests per person per month under a new plan announced on Monday by the Biden administration.https://t.co/Ze3y0gEx7h
— The New York Times (@nytimes) January 10, 2022
According to the Department of Health and Human Services, certain pharmacies will provide the tests at no expense to customers who provide their insurance information, while others will require patrons to file reimbursement claims to their insurers, The New York Times reported.
An estimated 150 million Americans, or roughly 45% of the population, are privately insured, the newspaper reported.
In turn, a family of four could be reimbursed for up to 32 tests per month.
Meanwhile, PCR tests and rapid tests ordered or administered by a health provider will continue to be fully covered by insurance with no limit, The Associated Press reported.
According to an HHS statement, the mandate “incentivizes insurers to cover these costs up front and ensures individuals do not need an order from their health care provider to access these tests for free.
To date, retail prices for at-home tests, which are typically sold two to a pack, have ranged in cost from $14 to $34, the Times reported.
The new policy does not apply to at-home tests that Americans have already purchased, and it is entirely separate from the Biden administration’s efforts to deliver roughly 500 million mail-ordered free rapid tests to American homes, the newspaper reported.
“Today’s action further removes financial barriers and expands access to Covid-19 tests for millions of people,” Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the Biden administration’s Medicare and Medicaid chief, said in a statement.
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>> Coronavirus: How long between exposure to the virus and the start of symptoms?
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-- The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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