​How Can I Get a Free At-Home COVID-19 Test?

In addition to the coverage insurers will provide, the federal government on Jan. 19 launched covidtests.gov, a federal website where any American who wants an at-home rapid test can order them at no cost. The government has purchased 500 million tests and plans to buy another 500 million. Each residential household can order four tests under this program regardless of how many people live at that address. The tests will be mailed free between 7 and 12 days after they are ordered.

For those who have trouble accessing or using the internet or just want some help ordering the free tests, you can call a hotline at 1-800-232-0233. The call center is open from 8 a.m. to midnight ET, 7 days a week, and help is available in English, Spanish and more than 150 other languages. In addition, there is a dedicated line for people with disabilities at 1-888-677-1199 that is available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Missing from this plan: older adults covered by original Medicare. “At this time original Medicare cannot pay for at-home tests through this program,” says a federal fact sheet outlining the plan’s specifics.  Enrollees covered by Medicare Advantage plans should check with their plans to see if they will cover the cost of the test. Medicare beneficiaries will be able to get free tests at some community health centers or through the federal website. Officials at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have not said why Medicare is not part of the free-test program.

But Medicare advocates say beneficiaries shouldn’t have to rely on the federal website or community health centers. “If one orders online, how long does it take to send tests to individuals who request them?” asks David Lipschutz, associate director of the Center for Medicare Advocacy, and “what about people without internet access — this would still require an in-person trip or a willing family member or friend” to help them get the tests.

More than 100 members of the U.S. House of Representatives have sent a letter to the secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) asking that Medicare be included in the free at-home testing program.  “In order to protect people with Medicare from the ongoing COVID-19 variants, we urge the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have sustained access to at-home COVID-19 testing at no cost through the Medicare program,” the bipartisan group of lawmakers wrote to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “We encourage the Department to consider options such as additional clinics in rural, suburban, and other underserved areas with less accessible existing testing options, a telephone hotline to order free at-home tests to complement the website the administration created, and support for locally led efforts to provide at-home testing to Medicare beneficiaries at no cost.”

Rapid at-home tests, also known as antigen tests, provide results in 15 minutes, compared to the several days it can take to hear back about PCR — polymerase chain reaction — testing, but PCR tests are generally considered more accurate. The rapid tests are typically sold in boxes of two.

Ten tips for getting at-home tests:

• Can I get these tests for free at a store? Check with your health plan to see if it will pay directly for at-home tests if you pick them up in person at a pharmacy or another store. If you do have that coverage, you can go to a store and get the tests for free.
  
  
• What if my plan requires me to pay up front? Keep your receipts and submit claims to your insurance company. Check with your plan to see if you can email a copy of your receipt, or if you should download a form and mail in your proof of purchase.
  
  
• How much is an insurance company required to pay? It must reimburse you up to $12 per individual test, or the full cost of the test, if that’s less than $12.
  
  
• Can I get reimbursed if I bought an at-home test before Jan. 15? You can check with your insurer to see if it will pay for tests you bought before the program began. Some states already provide free rapid tests to some or all of their residents, including Colorado, Maryland, New Hampshire, Ohio, Oregon and Washington. New York City is offering free fast-turnaround PCR testing.
  
  
• Will there be enough at-home tests to go around? “Availability is very scarce right now,” says Dawson at the Kaiser Family Foundation. “Manufacturing is a key piece for this to work.” Administration officials say they are working with manufacturers to ramp up test production.
  
  
• How many free tests can I obtain? You can get eight individual tests for free per month per person enrolled in the health plan. That means that if you have a family of five on your coverage, you can get 40 tests for free each month. Your plan must provide the same reimbursement whether you buy eight tests at once or at different times during the month.
  
  
• What if I want more than eight tests per month? You may be able to get them through the federal website or from community health centers the federal government is providing tests to. The federal government will send up to four free tests to each residential household.

• What if my employer requires that I get tested several times a week? Health plans do not have to cover testing for employment. Check if your employer will provide tests. You can also go online and order free tests from the federal website.
  
  
• What if I’m on Medicare? Federal officials are providing up to 50 million free at-home tests to Medicare-certified health clinics and community health centers. If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan, check with that plan to see if it will pay for tests. Medicare enrollees can also use the federal free-test website.
  
  
• What if I’m uninsured? You can get tests for free by mail via the federal website or go to a community health center.