Rapid COVID-19 Tests Will Soon Be Covered by Insurance

Dec. 2, 2021 -- Private insurers volition soon beryllium required to reimburse radical enrolled successful their plans for the outgo of at-home, accelerated COVID-19 tests, and disguise mandates volition beryllium extended for air, obstruction and autobus travelers done astatine slightest mid-March.

The measures are portion of a suite of caller actions President Joe Biden is expected to denote aboriginal contiguous successful the aftermath of the accomplishment of the Omicron variant successful the U.S.. The White House’s initiatives are designed to combat an expected wintertime surge of COVID-19 infections, according to sources acquainted with the president’s plans.

At astir $24 per package, accelerated COVID-19 investigating remains prohibitively costly for many, adjacent aft a committedness to bring the tests to Americans astatine a wholesale cost.

Other countries person accelerated tests disposable for escaped oregon astir $1 per test, and galore experts accidental much predominant usage of accelerated tests could assistance halt transmission of COVID-19 virus.

About 150 cardinal Americans would beryllium eligible for reimbursement for accelerated tests done their security plans.

In summation to those steps, planetary travelers flying into the U.S. volition soon beryllium required to amusement impervious of a antagonistic COVID-19 trial wrong 24 hours of their departure, whether they are vaccinated oregon not.

In keeping with the six-part program to combat COVID-19 the medication outlined successful August, the president’s caller program is centered astir vaccinations for each eligible Americans, including booster doses for the estimated 100 cardinal adults who are present astatine slightest 6 months past their 2nd doses of a Pfizer oregon Moderna vaccine oregon 2 months past a Johnson & Johnson shot.

Those plans, which relied connected vaccine mandates for astir workers, person been stymied by caller tribunal rulings blocking implementation of those requirements.

As contented makes its mode done the courts, Biden is expected to telephone connected companies to voluntarily instrumentality vaccination requirements for their workers, which helium says are helping to adjacent vaccination gaps.

On Thursday, Biden is besides expected to outline a caller propulsion to get booster shots to each adults, with an accent connected reaching seniors, who are astatine top hazard for hospitalization and decease from COVID-19.

The president is scheduled to talk astatine 1:40 PM astatine the National Institutes of Health.