Medicare Will Provide Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests Soon

Feb. 4, 2022

Medicare will cowl the price of over-the-counter fast COVID-19 assessments starting within the “early spring,” in accordance with an announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday.

People enrolled in both Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be capable of choose up as many as eight assessments per thirty days without cost by “eligible pharmacies and other participating entities.” The coverage will apply to over-the-counter COVID-19 assessments permitted or licensed by the FDA.

“This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries,” in accordance with the announcement.

The new coverage will enable Medicare to pay taking part pharmacies and well being suppliers immediately moderately than require reimbursement.

“There are a number of issues that have made it difficult to cover and pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests,” the announcement stated. “However, given the importance of expanding access to testing, CMS has identified a pathway that will expand access to free over-the-counter testing for Medicare beneficiaries.”

The announcement comes after weeks of criticism from lawmakers and well being care specialists, who’ve known as for Medicare recipients to obtain protection for testing, in accordance with The New York Times. In the current Biden administration push to require personal insurers to cowl at-home assessments, the 64 million Medicare beneficiaries weren’t included.

“Expanded access to no-cost testing will help protect seniors who have been hit hardest by the pandemic and ensure they can remain connected with their loved ones and community,” Nancy LeaMond, government vice chairman for AARP, stated in a press release following the CMS announcement.

“Every American should have an easy way to get at-home COVID tests,” she stated. “We know that people 65 and older are at much greater risk of serious illness and death from this disease — they need equal access to tools that can help keep them safe.”

The Biden administration hasn’t stated what number of pharmacies or well being suppliers will take part or when the brand new coverage can be enacted within the “early spring.”

Until then, the CMS announcement stated, folks with Medicare can entry free assessments by a number of choices:

 

• Request 4 free over-the-counter assessments for residence supply at covidtests.gov.
• Access COVID-19 assessments by healthcare suppliers at greater than 20,000 free testing websites throughout the nation. An inventory of websites is offered on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services web site.
• Get free lab-based PCR assessments and antigen assessments carried out by a lab when the take a look at is ordered by a physician, non-physician practitioner, pharmacist or different licensed well being care skilled.

The CMS additionally created a continuously requested questions web page in regards to the new coverage, which incorporates telephone numbers for listening to impaired callers and those that want assist in one other language.