By Leada Gore
At-home COVID-19 tests will soon be covered by Medicare, the agency announced.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday Medicare beneficiaries and people with Medicare Advantage plans will have access to up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month at participating pharmacies and retailers, The Hill reported.
The free tests will be available “in early spring.”
Participating pharmacies and retailers will receive reimbursement for the tests directly from Medicare, meaning beneficiaries won’t have to pay anything out-of-pocket and wait to be paid back.https://9581e879fa51dfe944fbb927e5c02b27.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
The White House recently announced private insurance companies would be required to cover the cost of eight at-home COVID-19 tests per person per month. That coverage does not pay the provider directly but requires the user to file for reimbursement. The policy did not apply to Medicare beneficiaries, however, necessitating the change.