What You Should Know

• The Biden administration has made it mandatory that all private insurance plans should cover any fees associated with at-home COVID-19 tests
• Anyone with a private or group health insurance plan will be covered for up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests per month
• The list of federally-approved at-home COVID-19 tests is growing every day

As a part of the new Biden administration's policy that COVID-19 testing should be free, people with private or group health insurance plans will have full COVID-19 test coverage for at-home, rapid COVID-19 tests.

This new insurance coverage requirement will allow individuals who need a COVID-19 test for work, school, or other reasons to get a test without having to worry about the long-term impact of the cost.

Based on the way different private health insurance plans work, individuals will be able to purchase an at-home test, and either have their test paid for upfront by their insurance company or receive COVID-19 test reimbursement at a later date.

Will my COVID-19 test be covered?

In the past, it has been difficult for some people to find COVID-19 testing in their areas, much less COVID-19 testing that was offered for free. But now, if you have a private insurance plan, you will be reimbursed for COVID-19 tests regardless of which method of testing you choose.

COVID-19 home test reimbursement and rapid test reimbursement are a part of the new Biden administration's plan to cut costs associated with COVID-19 testing and ultimately offer access to free coronavirus tests across the U.S.

As of January 15, 2022, anyone with a private health insurance plan or anyone covered by a group health plan is covered for any over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic test, provided that test is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

The current at-home tests approved by the FDA's Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) include:

• Abbott BinaxNOW At-Home Test
• iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
• Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
• CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
• QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test
• Siemens Healthineers CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test
• Nano-Check COVID-19 Antigen Test
• BD Veritor At-Home COVID-19 Test
• SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Self-Test
• InteliSwab COVID-19 Rapid Test
• Celltrion DiaTrust COVID-19 Ag Home Test
• Ellume COVID-19 Home Test

The full list of at-home COVID-19 tests approved by the FDA's EUA continues to grow, making it easier to access multiple tests that are covered by your insurance company.

With this new mandate, the Biden administration has required all insurance companies and health plans to cover up to eight at-home or rapid tests per covered person per month. This means that a family of five would be able to get up to 40 at-home COVID-19 tests per month for free.

What if I bought an at-home test before January 15?

Unfortunately, any at-home or rapid tests purchased before January 15, 2022, will not be covered by your insurance company. This means you will not be reimbursed for your purchases and will have to pay for them out of your own pocket.

Be sure to check with your insurance company to see how they plan to cover the expense of any future at-home tests you or family members covered under your insurance plan purchase.

Some insurance companies will require you to send proof of purchase before covering your test, while others will cover your test at the time of purchase, allowing you to avoid any unnecessary costs associated with COVID-19 testing.

The Biden Administration's mandate will continue to inform how insurance companies are responding to the coronavirus, and the hope is that people in the U.S. will be able to seek help and testing without having to worry about the

If you are searching for a private health insurance plan, be sure to use our free quote tool below to compare rates from several insurance companies at once.