The Biden Administration has taken several steps in the past two weeks to increase availability of COVID-19 tests and masks.  Aside from the much publicized free COVID test kits available from the government and N95 masks now being made available from local pharmacies and centers, private insurers are also required to pay or reimburse insureds for the cost of at-home tests.

A day earlier than announced, on January 18, 2022, the Biden administration launched COVIDtests.gov – providing Americans free access to at-home COVID tests. With ordering 1 billion tests for distribution, the roll-out is part of the administration’s effort to increase testing amid the nationwide surge of the Omicron variant.

Each residence is afforded 4 tests, which will be shipped to each residential address, regardless of household size. However, businesses are not part of the program – it is strictly for American citizens, therefore, the tests will not ship to business addresses. The tests should ship within seven to 12 days, through the US Postal Service.

Another Biden administration initiative is currently delivering N95 masks to a number of local pharmacies and community health centers. The administration is giving away 400 million N95 masks for free to help stem the recent flood of COVID-19 cases. Americans can get up to 3 masks per person.

Finally, with much less fanfare, but with much larger financial implications to the insurance industry and potentially your renewal premiums, beginning January 15, 2022, individuals with private health insurance coverage or covered by a group health plan who purchase an over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test authorized, cleared, or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are able to have those the costs of those tests covered by their plan or insurance.

Insurance companies and health plans are required to cover 8 free over-the-counter at-home tests per covered individual per month. That means a family of four, all on the same plan, would be able to get up to 32 of these tests covered by their health plan per month. There is no limit on the number of tests, including at-home tests, that are covered if ordered or administered by a health care provider following an individualized clinical assessment, including for those who may need them due to underlying medical conditions.

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