White House: US insurers must cover eight home COVID tests per month
The Biden administration said insurers would be required to cover eight home over-the-counter coronavirus tests per person each month starting Saturday, expanding access to much-needed tools as Americans struggle to increase their number. Coronavirus cases.
The White House also said Monday that there is no limit to the number of COVID-19 tests, including at-home examinations, that the insurance company must cover if requested or provided by a health care provider.
These measures are part of President Joe Biden's attempt to make testing more widely available to Americans facing increasing coronavirus cases due to the highly contagious variant Omicron.
In a December speech, Biden outlined plans to distribute 500 million home coronavirus test kits and create new federal testing sites, on top of the 20,000 already in place. However, experts decried the announcement as "too little too late" amid a nationwide shortage test.
On Monday, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Americans should be able to order tests online later this month, noting that all contracts for 500 million rapid tests should be awarded over the next two weeks. The first two agreements were signed last week, with two more announced on Monday.
Under the insurer's coverage plan announced Monday, the department said insurers are still required to reimburse for tests purchased by consumers outside their network at a rate of up to $12 per individual test.
It was not immediately clear what incentives were offered to insurance companies to agree to the plan.
The Department of Defense said Monday it has awarded contracts to Atlantic Trading, LLC, in Austin, Texas, and Medea Inc. in Pleasanton, California, for a total of 27 million home testing kits.
A White House official said awarding the contract brings the total number of test kits ordered to more than 50 million.
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