People with Medicare will be able to obtain up to eight over-the-counter Covid-19 tests a month for free starting in early spring, the Biden administration said Thursday.
Under the plan, Medicare will directly pay certain pharmacies and other participating entities, allowing people with Medicare or Medicare Advantage to pick up the tests for free.
“There are a number of issues that have made it difficult to cover and pay for over-the-counter Covid-19 tests,” the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a statement. “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.”
Last month, a senior CMS official told POLITICO that the agency had been working since December to find a workaround so Medicare would cover rapid tests, something the agency had not allowed. The administration came under scrutiny after it rolled out Covid test reimbursements for private insurance holders without similar coverage for those with Medicare, who represent some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations to Covid-19.
“CMS is working around the clock to implement this initiative,” CMS said in a fact sheet published Thursday.
More details on how the reimbursement mechanism will work remain unclear. A CMS spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The latest move builds on previous federal efforts to remove cost barriers and expand access to at-home Covid-19 testing. The number of daily national Covid-19 infections is rapidly declining, but public health experts say investments in the at-home-testing supply chain would help the U.S. be more resilient if cases rebound.
In January, the Biden administration required private health insurers to reimburse at-home tests purchased by plan holders. But several private insurers are requiring beneficiaries to mail or fax lengthy reimbursement forms — a substantial barrier for people without access to a printer or those who need rapid payment.
The Biden administration also rolled out a website last month on which each household in the United States can order four at-home Covid-19 tests to be delivered for free by the U.S. Postal Service. White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last Friday approximately 60 million households have placed orders through the program.