Health insurance should cover over-the- counter COVID-19 home tests starting Saturday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Monday.
“As of January 15, 2022, individuals with private health insurance coverage or covered by a group health plan who purchase an over-the-counter covid-19 diagnostic test authorized or approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration The United States (FDA) may have the costs of these tests covered by their plan or insurance, ”HHS said in a press release.
No doctor’s order or prescription or office visit will be required, and tests will not be subject to copays or deductibles. Insurers will be required to pay for eight tests per covered person per month, either by assuming the cost up front or by reimbursing the insured person. There is no limit to the number of tests that will be covered if ordered or performed by a physician or other professional after an office visit.
“This is all part of our global strategy to expand access to easy-to-take home tests at no cost,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in the statement.
Private insurers will have to cover the cost of eight coronavirus tests per member of each family group each month starting this Saturday, according to the Joe Biden government, according to a statement.
According to the new initiative, people who provide their insurance information will be able to get tested at no cost at certain pharmacies.
In other cases, they will have to submit claims to their insurers for reimbursement, the Department of Health and Human Services indicated on Monday.
The plan “incentivizes insurers to cover these costs up front and ensures that individuals do not need an order from their healthcare provider to access these tests for free,” the department’s statement said.
The move “further removes financial barriers and expands access to COVID-19 testing for millions of people,” said Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, chief in charge of Medicare and Medicaid.
