At-home COVID tests are ‘free’ now: Federal tests start shipping Wednesday

US health insurance companies are required to pay for home COVID test kits in accordance with federal law. Customers can get a refund of up to 8 tests per person per month or free of charge from participating “in-network” pharmacies. This means that a family of five with health insurance can get up to 40 free tests a month.

Do you have health insurance? Americans who do not have health insurance can immediately get a free home COVID test directly from the federal government. Starting Wednesday, Americans will be able to request four free home COVID-19 tests per household at COVIDTests.gov, and the kit will be shipped within 7-12 days.

The White House said on Friday, “This program will make rapid COVID-19 testing available to Americans at home weeks or months ahead. In addition, there are other tests available. There are many ways, “he said. “The administration has quickly completed the unprecedented home billion purchase, rapid testing contract process for distribution as part of this program.”

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How do I get a free COVID-19 test at home?

Starting Wednesday, Americans will be able to request four free tests per household online at COVIDTests.gov. The United States Postal Service delivers kits to the US mainland through a first-class package service. Shipments to Alaska, Hawaii, US territory, and military addresses will be sent by priority mail.

According to the White House statement, kits usually ship within 7-12 days of ordering.

President Biden announced Thursday that he would double the number of free tests available to the government to one billion and provide schools with five million PCR tests a month for free. Several states have already issued free home-based COVID-19 inspections to residents, including Colorado, Massachusetts, Iowa, Connecticut, Washington, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Oregon, and New Hampshire. I’m starting to do it. Washington DC offers home testing for pick-up at local libraries while other cities such as New York and Boston distribute them to local clinics. We will continue to update this list as more people start offering free COVID tests.

How to get a refund for your home COVID-19 test kit

As of January 15, health insurance companies will need to reimburse Americans for home antigen testing eight times a month per person, based on a plan announced by Biden. If an individual is instructed to undergo a COVID-19 test by a healthcare provider due to underlying illness or other factors, there is no limit to the number of tests covered.

Carriers can set up in-network pharmacies with pre-covered costs and limit coverage at off-network retailers for $ 12 per test.

Biden’s plans are not retroactive, but some states, including Vermont, require insurers to start paying for home kits early.

Some private companies have also begun offering home exam refund options before the January 15 deadline, so you can check with your employer.

Do Medicare and Medicaid providers cover home COVID test kits?

The Bloomberg government reports that test kit producers are working to change it, but Biden’s new rules for reimbursement of COVID-19 testing at home do not currently apply to Medicaid and Medicare.

Those who have Medicare (a free federal program for all Americans over the age of 65) also have private health insurance and can get a refund from the insurance company.

According to HHS, the state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program, also known as CHIP, now needs to cover FDA-approved home COVID-19 testing at no cost.

What if I don’t have health insurance?

For those who aren’t insured, Biden says there are “thousands of places” where you can get a free COVID-19 test kit for private use at home instead of wiping at a drive-through clinic. I did.

Those who do not have health insurance can also access the free kits at local clinics and other local sites. The Department of Health and Human Services provides a search tool for finding COVID-19 community-based testing sites.

Where can I buy a COVID-19 test at home?

Rapid COVID-19 testing at home is usually available at pharmacies such as Walgreens, Walmart, CVS, and online retailers such as Amazon. The White House allows insurance companies to establish a roster of pharmacies within the network and limit coverage for kits purchased from retailers outside the network. Check with your insurance company to find out which stores are on your network.

However Rapid spread of Omicron variants Due to the shortage of test kits, retailers had to put limits on the number of items they could buy in many regions. Currently, Walgreens allows each customer to purchase up to four home tests, but CVS sets a limit of six. Wal-Mart limits online purchases to eight tests, but not in-store purchases.

Rapid antigen testing is out of stock in stores and online in many regions. According to a recent study by the Kaiser Family Foundation in the first week of January, home COVID testing is only available online for 10% of the time.

As of January 16 Walgreens has Binax Now Available for $ 24 in two tests.Walmart On / Go 10-minute self-test Available on that website for $ 24 for two tests.Amazon currently has iHealth test We have $ 20 in stock for two tests. Continue to update as availability changes.

If you’re missing a test kit at your local drugstore, try a state or local health department. Many are beginning to distribute free kits to their residents. See the next section for details and links to states that currently offer free home COVID testing.

How much does a COVID-19 test at home cost?

Rapid antigen testing is generally much cheaper than home collection testing. Costs vary from brand to brand, but kits typically do two tests per kit and run for about $ 10 to $ 15 each.

Both Walgreens and CVS sell Abbott’s Binax Now test and Quidel’s QuickVue test (the first two approved by the FDA) in two packs for $ 24. Acon’s FlowFlex rapid test is currently $ 10 for one test on both Walgreens and CVS. Two quick-test On / Go kits are currently available for $ 25 on Amazon and $ 30 on Walmart.

Home collection tests, which require nasal swabs or saliva samples to be sent to the lab for analysis, are much more costly than rapid antigen tests and require a much longer waiting period to obtain results. However, “molecular” testing is considered to be much more accurate than antigen testing. CVS and Walgreens sell Labcorp’s Pixel Home Collection Test for $ 125.

Due to the extreme shortage of kits, some people resell their kits on platforms such as Craigslist, eBay, Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok, often with expensive and fraudulent products.

“We received reports that unauthorized sellers are trying to profit from a pandemic by selling the COVID-19 test online,” said Attorney General Karl Racine of Washington. January 4th Tweet.. “Be careful to purchase the test only through an authorized retailer to ensure the integrity of the test.”

Facebook’s parent company Meta has told CNN Business that it has banned the sale of test kits on its platform.

Do I need to use a quick test at home or do I need to get a PCR?

The two main types of COVID-19 testing are the rapid antigen test and the polymerase chain reaction test. You can do an antigen test at home and the results will be returned in about 10 to 15 minutes. The PCR test is more accurate, but it requires work in the lab and usually gives no results for at least 12 hours, and even up to 5 days.

Some collect saliva, but both tests usually use a nasal swab sample. Expertly performed PCR tests may require a nasopharyngeal sample containing a much deeper nostril swab. Rapid antigen testing usually requires a swab to rotate with a nostril less than 1 inch deep.

The PCR test amplifies the genetic material from the collected sample up to 1 billion times to detect a small amount of the COVID-19 gene and detect it very accurately. They are also more expensive and usually cost more than $ 100 per piece.

The rapid antigen test only detects the presence of the COVID-19 antigen (a substance that produces antibodies in the immune system) and works just like a pregnancy test at home. If the sample contains the COVID-19 antigen, the thin lines of the SARS-CoV-2 antibody on the test strip will change color.

Rapid testing works best when someone is symptomatic, as it simply looks for the presence of the antigen. Rapid antigen testing is less successful in early infections and asymptomatic cases. The risk of false negatives is much higher with rapid testing than with false positives.

The type of test you choose depends primarily on your situation. Do you need results right now and are willing to run the risk of inaccuracies? Next, the rapid antigen meets the bill. If you need close to 100% accuracy and don’t need immediate results, the “gold standard” PCR is the best choice.

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What if I use a home test and get a positive COVID-19 test?

If you have a home test and are positive for COVID-19, we recommend that you share the results with your healthcare provider or your community health department. However, the method of reporting a self-diagnosis to the health department is very different. Some use online forms, some require email, and some use telephone reporting. Check the local health department website for specific information on how to report positive results.

After receiving a positive test result, you should be quarantined for at least 5 days if you have any symptoms. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.. Although the risk of false positives from a rapid test is low, most medical professionals and health authorities recommend confirming a positive home test with a subsequent PCR test.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and informative purposes only and is not intended for health or medical advice. Always consult your doctor or other qualified healthcare provider if you have any questions about your medical condition or health goals.