Starting this spring, Medicare beneficiaries can get coverage for eight at-home COVID-19 tests a month, the Biden administration announced Thursday.
The announcement from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services applies to both beneficiaries in traditional and Medicare Advantage plans. It comes after lawmakers questioned why Medicare won’t cover at-home COVID-19 tests as a requirement for commercial insurers to reimburse consumers for the diagnostics went into effect last month.
“This is the first time that Medicare has covered an over-the-counter test at no cost to beneficiaries,” said CMS in a release Thursday. “There are a number of issues that have made it difficult to cover and pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests.”
