Medicare will cover free at-home COVID-19 tests for beneficiaries

Beginning in early spring, beneficiaries of original Medicare and Medicare Advantage plans will be eligible to receive free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, according to CMS.

This change comes after the Biden administration ruled that private insurers must cover the cost of eight at-home rapid COVID-19 tests per month for their members while the U.S. is under an official public health emergency. The ruling did not initially apply to Medicare beneficiaries since services covered under the Medicare program are detailed in federal law and generally exclude over-the-counter products, according to reporting by Kaiser Health News.

Now, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to receive eight free at-home tests per month, CMS said in a press release. The tests may be obtained at eligible pharmacies and other participating partners.

“Medicare is working to expand access to over-the-counter COVID-19 tests for people with Medicare. This initiative is in development and will be ready in early spring,” Meena Seshamani, MD, PhD, the deputy administrator and director of the Center for Medicare, told Healio. 

Meanwhile, individuals can obtain free tests through other sources such as COVIDTests.gov, free pharmacy testing sites and eligible community health centers and Medicare-certified health clinics.

In 2021, 36.2 million adults were enrolled in original Medicare and 26.9 million adults were enrolled in Medicare Advantage, according to CMS.

“Testing remains a critical tool to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and we are committed to providing resources to keep people with Medicare safe and healthy," Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, MPP, the administrator of CMS, told Healio. "By launching this initiative, the Biden-Harris Administration is doing everything possible to make free over-the-counter COVID-19 testing  more accessible for people with Medicare."

References:

• Biden-Harris Administration will cover free over-the-counter covid-19 tests through Medicare. https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/news-alert/biden-harris-administration-will-cover-free-over-counter-covid-19-tests-through-medicare. Published Feb. 3, 2022. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022.
• CMS fast facts. https://www.cms.gov/Research-Statistics-Data-and-Systems/Statistics-Trends-and-Reports/CMS-Fast-Facts. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022.
• Why Medicare doesn’t pay for rapid at-home covid tests. https://khn.org/news/article/why-medicare-doesnt-pay-for-rapid-at-home-covid-tests/. Published Jan. 24, 2022. Accessed Feb. 3, 2022.