April 20, 2023 – If Americans start paying out of pocket, they’ll test much less for the disease — if at all, argue representatives of the Testing at Home Coalition.
When the COVID-19 public health emergency ends in May, so too will many of the federal directives that have made health care more accessible over the last few years.
One directive that should stay is coverage of self-administered, over-the-counter COVID tests.
Effective May 11, private insurers will no longer be required to cover over-the-counter COVID tests and vaccines without cost-sharing. Medicare will also no longer cover self-administered tests free of charge.
Medicare will cover tests provided pursuant to a physician’s order, but that will require Medicare beneficiaries to go to a physician’s office or other testing site to get a test covered.
– Excerpt from MedTechDive article by Amy Kelbick and Eric Zimmerman
