The Biden administration has taken steps to help Americans with the cost and availability of at-home COVID tests. There are two ways to get the free COVID test kits.
Order directly. A website has been set up for government-supplied at-home test kits. Every person can order up to four kits, and there are no shipping costs. According to the website, they have tests for every residential address in the U.S. They will ship in 7-12 days; order now so you have them on hand when you need them. Order your tests here. I did this and it took less than 20 seconds. Name, address, phone number, and email. It’s the easiest government form you’ll ever fill out.
Get them free through your health insurance. Your health insurance must now pay for up to 8 at-home kits per month. The challenge for many places is finding kits that are in stock, but if you do, you can have them in your hands immediately. You can buy them at a pharmacy that accepts your insurance and will bill them directly, or you can pay out of pocket and go through the process of reimbursement with your health insurance company. Insurance companies are required to reimburse you at a rate of up to $12 per test (or the cost of the test if it’s less than $12). Learn more about this process here. This policy took effect January 15th, so if you purchased a test over the weekend and still have the receipt, you may be able to submit it for reimbursement!
There is also a plan to make masks available for free to the public, but unlike the tests they will not be distributed directly to households. The government will work directly with pharmacies and community health centers to distribute masks to those who need them. Watch for announcements in your locality about availability. Estimates say they should be available late next week.
