From January 2022 through May 11, 2023, health insurance plans were required to cover the cost of at-home rapid tests for COVID-19. This applied to Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers, and up to eight tests had to be covered per month.
For most health plans, including private coverage and Medicare, this requirement was only in place during the COVID public health emergency, which ended on May 11, 2023. But Medicaid will continue to cover the cost of at-home COVID tests through September 2024. rapid test efficacy
Now that the public health emergency has ended, at-home test coverage is optional for private health plans. PCR testing in a doctor's office continues to be covered, but health plans can impose regular cost-sharing (deductible, copay, coinsurance) just as they would for any other lab test.
This article will describe how the at-home COVID testing coverage requirement worked, and what people can expect now in terms of COVID testing costs.
Illustration by Ellen Lindner for Verywell Health
In general, from January 15, 2022, through May 11, 2023, most types of health insurance were required to cover at-home COVID test kits, without a need for a prescription or doctor’s order, and regardless of whether the person was symptomatic. But that’s no longer the case, now that the COVID public health emergency has ended.
Due to legislation enacted early in the pandemic, most U.S. health insurance plans were already required to cover the cost of COVID testing for a person who was symptomatic or who had been exposed to someone who had tested positive for COVID, and at-home tests were covered in those circumstances if they were prescribed by a doctor.
Prior to January 15, 2022, the coverage requirement did include at-home COVID testing, but only if the at-home COVID test was “ordered by an attending healthcare provider who has determined that the test is medically appropriate for the individual.” Fortunately for people who wanted to routinely test themselves and their family members, that restriction was removed as of January 15, 2022, and the coverage requirement continued through the end of the public health emergency in May 2023.
(Note that Medicare coverage of at-home COVID testing did not begin until April 2022. But at that point, the coverage requirement was the same as the requirement that applied to other health plans, and continued through the end of the public health emergency. )
Now that the public health emergency has ended, Original Medicare no longer covers at-home COVID tests, Medicare Advantage plans have the option to cover them or not, and private health plans are no longer required to cover at-home COVID tests. So although some health plans may continue to provide this coverage, most no longer do so.
However, Medicaid coverage for COVID testing, including at-home tests, continues through September 2024. If you’re enrolled in Medicaid, you should contact your state Medicaid agency or Medicaid managed care organization for details, as they will vary in terms of how many tests are covered and where enrollees can obtain them.
(Health plans that aren’t considered health insurance, such as health care sharing ministry plans, were not subject to the federal COVID test coverage regulations and did not have to cover the cost of at-home COVID tests. Neither did short-term health insurance plans or excepted benefits such as fixed indemnity plans.)
Until May 11, 2023, people with most types of health insurance were able been able to obtain at-home COVID tests for free. This could either be done by picking up tests at pharmacies approved by the health plan, or submitting receipts for reimbursement.
Now that the at-home testing coverage requirement has ended, most Americans will find that they no longer have access to free at-home COVID tests through their health plan. (As noted above, people with Medicaid can still access free COVID tests, and should contact their state Medicaid office or Medicaid managed care plan for details.)
While the federal website that shipped free COVID tests directly to Americans’ homes is temporarily accepting orders again as of September 2023, it’s not clear how long this will continue. However, the site does note that there are still programs available to provide free COVID tests to uninsured people and underserved communities.
At-home COVID tests are still widely available for purchase at pharmacies, retail stores, and online. But you should generally expect that you’ll have to pay for them out-of-pocket. Before you do that, however, it’s wise to contact your health plan to see if they still offer any sort of coverage for at-home tests.
The price of at-home COVID test kits depends on the brand, whether it’s a multi-pack or a single test, whether it also tests for the flu, and where you purchase it.
Single tests can be purchased for as little as $8 or $10, and two-pack test kits start at about $15 to $18, depending on where you purchase them. If your test pack includes more than two tests or also checks for the flu, the price will be higher.
Numerous rapid antigen tests have been granted emergency use authorization by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and many of them can be used for at-home screening.
If you have a medical flexible spending account (FSA) or a health savings account (HSA), you can use the money in the account to purchase at-home COVID tests. This means you’ll be using pretax money to buy the test kits, and this option has been available ever since at-home COVID tests came on the market.
However, you should not use HSA or FSA funds to buy at-home COVID tests if you’re enrolled in a health plan that is continuing to cover the cost of at-home COVID tests. FSA and HSA funds can only be used to pay for medical expenses that are not reimbursed by your health plan. So if you use FSA or HSA funds to buy the test kit, you would not be able to also submit the receipt for reimbursement by your health plan.
But again, most health plans are no longer covering the cost of at-home COVID tests, so it can be a good option to use HSA and FSA funds for that expense. HSA funds do not expire, so you don’t have to use them up. But FSAs have a “use it or lose it” provision, meaning that you need to use up the money in the account by the end of the year (or the end of the grace period, if available). Purchasing at-home COVID tests can be a good way to use up some of that money if you’d otherwise forfeit it.
Between January 15, 2022, and May 11, 2023, most health insurance plans in the U.S. covered the cost of rapid at-home COVID tests. But that coverage requirement ended in May 2023 when the COVID public health emergency expired.
Medicaid continues to cover at-home COVID tests through September 2024. Original Medicare no longer covers the tests, and private health plans (including Medicare Advantage) are no longer required to do so. Most have stopped providing this coverage.
At-home tests have made it easy and convenient for people to test themselves and their families for COVID. These tests can make it easier to meet in person with colleagues, classmates, loved ones, and the general public. For most people, they are no longer available for free but it’s a good idea to check with your health plan to see if they still have an at-home COVID test benefit.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed. As new research becomes available, we’ll update this article. For the latest on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.
Department of Health and Human Services. Biden-Harris administration requires insurance companies and group health plans to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests, increasing access to free tests.
The White House. President Biden announces new actions to protect Americans against the Delta and Omicron variants as we battle COVID-19 this winter.
Department of Health and Human Services. Fact sheet: end of the COVID-19 public health emergency.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. How to get your at-home over-the-counter COVID-19 test for free.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. FAQs about Families First Coronavirus Response Act and Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act implementation, part 43.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Medicare covers over-the-counter COVID-19 tests.
KFF. What happens when COVID-19 emergency declarations end? Implications for coverage, costs, and access.
Cornell Law School. 45 CFR § 148.220 - Excepted benefits.
Food and Drug Administration. In vitro diagnostics EUAs - antigen diagnostic tests for SARS-CoV-2.
By Louise Norris Norris is a licensed health insurance agent, book author, and freelance writer. She graduated magna cum laude from Colorado State University.
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