Your private insurance plan will be required to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 test kits beginning Saturday, January 15, according to the federal government, but it is unclear if insurers have worked out payment plans with retailers or if customers will be required to pay for a test kit and then file a claim for reimbursement.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said most people with a health plan can go online, to a pharmacy or to a store to purchase a test.
CMS said it is important to keep your receipt if you are charged and need to submit a claim.
NBC affiliate WRC-TV in Washington, DC asked six of the major health insurance companies what patients should do to get reimbursed for their test kits and the response was pretty much the same across the board: they’re working on it.
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The policy covers up to eight tests per month for each family member, according to federal officials.
People who are uninsured should also be able to receive free test kits, according to the CMS.
The process is one of several steps that the Biden administration is undertaking to make tests more accessible. Later this month, the federal government will launch a website that will make up to 500 million at-home COVID tests available via mail.
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President Joe Biden has announced one billion at-home COVID-19 test kits would be made available to Americans under the programs.
