WASHINGTON - Private insurance companies will be required to reimburse customers for up to eight at-home Covid-19 tests per month starting Saturday, according to a policy announced Monday, as the Biden Administration grapples with high demand for tests amid a soaring number of coronavirus cases from the omicron variant.

Private insurers can pay for at-home tests upfront at preferred pharmacies and retailers, or reimburse people who buy the test kits elsewhere, the Department of Health and Human Services said in a press release.

Only tests purchased on or after January 15 are required to be reimbursed, though insurance companies can choose to reimburse tests purchased earlier.

Americans on Medicare won’t be eligible for the federal reimbursement plan, though Medicare already covers Covid-19 tests conducted in labs, and Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program plans are already required to fully reimburse the costs of FDA-approved tests.

PCR tests and rapid tests administered by a healthcare provider will continue to be covered by insurance with no limit.

Later this month, the Biden Administration plans to launch a website where Americans can sign up to receive free at-home Covid-19 tests through the mail. The exact date for launching the website has not been revealed, but the administration said it will make 500 million tests available.

“This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp up access to easy-to-use, at-home tests at no cost,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a press release. “By requiring private health plans to cover people’s at-home tests, we are further expanding Americans’ ability to get tests for free when they need them.”

Over the past few weeks, demand for at-home tests has skyrocketed as new Covid-19 cases reach their highest levels since the pandemic began, leading stores like Amazon and Walmart to limit the number of tests customers can purchase. Walmart and other retailers like Kroger also raised prices of the tests as they struggle to keep them in stock.

CDC recommends Americans avoid travel to Canada amid Covid-19 surge

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday raised its Covid-19 warning to ‘level 4: very high,’ for those considering traveling to Canada, recommending Americans avoid travel to the bordering nation amid its battle with the omicron variant of the coronavirus, which has caused record hospitalization rates in some parts of the country.

The Canadian province of Quebec reported a record 2,554 hospital patients admitted due to Covid-19 on Monday, beating the previous day’s record-breaking figure of 2,436.

Quebec reported 10,573 new Covid-19 infections and 26 deaths among the 8.6 million-person population. (Source: Forbes)

Story Date: January 11, 2022