Are COVID Treatments Still Free?

COVID-19 activity is calmer now than it was during the peak of winter, but public health experts warn not to get too complacent. Unlike influenza and other respiratory viruses, the coronavirus hasn’t settled into a seasonal pattern, and in past years, cases have climbed back up during the warmer months.

If you find yourself testing positive for COVID this spring or summer, know that there are prescription treatments that can help keep a mild infection from turning severe. “So it’s important that everyone who’s infected and who is in a high-risk status have access to these medications,” says William Schaffner, M.D., an infectious disease specialist and professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee.

As the pandemic subsided, widespread access to free COVID-19 treatments came to an end. Now, patients need to rely on some combination of private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and assistance programs run by drugmakers to help cover the cost of once-free medications, including Paxlovid.

Here’s what you need to do if you test positive for COVID-19 and are eligible for time-sensitive treatments.

Who will have to pay for COVID treatments?

If you have Medicare or Medicaid

Medicare prescription drug plans (known as Part D) are required to cover oral antivirals for COVID-19, and out-of-pocket costs, if any, will vary by plan. If Medicare Part D enrollees have trouble obtaining antiviral coverage, they should contact their plan or 1-800-MEDICARE for assistance, a spokesperson from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services tells AARP.

Some Medicare enrollees can get Paxlovid for free through a U.S. government patient assistance program operated by the drug’s maker, Pfizer, through Dec. 31, 2025, according to Pfizer’s website. People with Medicaid can also get free Paxlovid through this program.

Here’s how it works: Eligible patients with a prescription for Paxlovid can enroll in the assistance program online at paxlovid.iassist.com or over the phone (877-219-7225). Pfizer estimates that the enrollment process takes about five minutes, and it can be done by the patient, a caregiver, a health care provider or a pharmacist at the point of care.

The enrollment form will ask for the basics — name, date of birth, address, phone number, etc. You will also need to enter prescriber information and confirm your insurance status, so if someone else is enrolling for you, be sure they have this information. After enrolling, the patient will receive an electronic voucher that can be exchanged for a free course of Paxlovid at participating pharmacies.

There isn’t a similar government program in place for Lagevrio, another oral antiviral for COVID-19 that is available under Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) and is a treatment option for people who are unable to take Paxlovid or, if hospitalized, Veklury (remdesivir).

Merck says it offers a Lagevrio patient assistance program for “eligible patients who, without assistance, could not otherwise afford the product.” It takes 10 to 20 minutes to determine a patient’s eligibility for this program; more information is available at merckhelps.com or by calling 800-727-5400.