Home COVID-19 Test Now Covered by Insurance (U.S.)
While vaccination and boosters provide the best protection against severe illness from COVID‑19, testing is also an important tool in slowing the spread of COVID‑19. To assist in making testing more readily available, health plans are now reimbursing members for Rapid antigen home tests, also called rapid COVID tests or self-tests
Beginning Jan. 15, 2022, with or without an order by a health-care provider, individuals covered by an employer group health plan who purchase an over-the-counter (OTC), FDA-approved COVID-19 diagnostic test will be able to have those test costs covered by their plan or insurance. Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover eight free OTC home COVID-19 tests per covered individual per month. That means a family of four, all on the same plan, would be able to get up to 32 of these tests covered by their health plan per month.
Home COVID-19 test purchases will be covered in the commercial market without the need for a health- care provider’s order or individualized clinical assessment, and without any cost-sharing requirements such as deductibles, co-payments or coinsurance, prior authorization or other medical management requirements. Rapid antigen home tests are also available at local drugstores or online. To search for FDA authorized OTC At Home COVID-19 tests, search FDA Authorized tests.
Following this guidance from the Biden administration, both our medical carriers (Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) and Kaiser Permanente) will reimburse members for FDA approved rapid antigen home tests.
Members of BCBS or Kaiser should log into their account to submit reimbursements for tests purchases on or after January 15, 2022.
How to get FDA‑approved rapid antigen home tests
In addition, every household in the U.S. can order four free at-home COVID-19 tests. The tests are completely free—there are no shipping costs, and you don’t need to enter a credit card number. Visit COVIDtests.gov for more information.