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Feb. 4, 2022
Medicare will cowl the price of over-the-counter speedy COVID-19 checks starting within the “early spring,” in keeping with an announcement from the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Providers on Thursday.
Folks enrolled in both Unique Medicare or Medicare Benefit will be capable of choose up as many as eight checks per thirty days free of charge by means of “eligible pharmacies and different collaborating entities.” The coverage will apply to over-the-counter COVID-19 checks authorised or approved by the FDA.
“That is the primary time that Medicare has coated an over-the-counter take a look at for free of charge to beneficiaries,” in keeping with the announcement.
The brand new coverage will enable Medicare to pay collaborating pharmacies and well being suppliers immediately relatively than require reimbursement.
“There are a variety of points which have made it tough to cowl and pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 checks,” the announcement stated. “Nonetheless, given the significance of increasing entry to testing, CMS has recognized a pathway that can develop entry to free over-the-counter testing for Medicare beneficiaries.”
The announcement comes after weeks of criticism from lawmakers and well being care consultants, who’ve referred to as for Medicare recipients to obtain protection for testing, in accordance to The New York Instances. Within the latest Biden administration push to require personal insurers to cowl at-home checks, the 64 million Medicare beneficiaries weren’t included.
“Expanded entry to no-cost testing will assist defend seniors who’ve been hit hardest by the pandemic and guarantee they’ll stay linked with their family members and group,” Nancy LeaMond, government vp for AARP, stated in an announcement following the CMS announcement.
“Each American ought to have a simple approach to get at-home COVID checks,” she stated. “We all know that folks 65 and older are at a lot higher danger of significant sickness and dying from this illness — they want equal entry to instruments that may assist maintain them secure.”
The Biden administration hasn’t stated what number of pharmacies or well being suppliers will take part or when the brand new coverage might be enacted within the “early spring.”
Till then, the CMS announcement stated, individuals with Medicare can entry free checks by means of a number of choices:
- Request 4 free over-the-counter checks for dwelling supply at covidtests.gov.
- Entry COVID-19 checks by means of healthcare suppliers at greater than 20,000 free testing websites throughout the nation. A record of web sites is obtainable on the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Providers web site.
- Get free lab-based PCR checks and antigen checks carried out by a lab when the take a look at is ordered by a physician, non-physician practitioner, pharmacist or different approved well being care skilled.
The CMS additionally created a incessantly requested questions web page in regards to the new coverage, which incorporates telephone numbers for listening to impaired callers and people who want assist in one other language.
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