You Can Still Get Free COVID-19 Tests Through Insurance

Planning to gather with loved ones over the holidays? Here’s a timely reminder that every member of your family enrolled in health insurance is eligible for eight free rapid at-home COVID-19 tests every month. That goes for whatever insurance you have—whether it’s through Medicare, the Affordable Care Act marketplace, Medicaid, or your employer—because rapid-test reimbursement is still required by the federal government. There are two main ways to purchase these tests. The first is to pick them up at a pharmacy or store that your plan designates as “in-network.” If you’re on Medicare, there’s also a partial list of the pharmacies offering over-the-counter tests here. In many cases, the advantage is that you won’t have to pay for the tests; they’ll be immediately covered. Some pharmacies, including Walgreens and CVS, also offer online programs where you can locate tests, enter your insurance information, and then pick them up in person. However, insurance companies sometimes require people to purchase tests themselves and then apply to be reimbursed. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] However, insurance companies sometimes require people to purchase tests themselves—online, at a pharmacy, or from other retailers—and then apply to be reimbursed. Your plan is required to reimburse you up to $12 per test (or $24 for a box of two). Before buying, you should check your individual insurer’s requi...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news