Access to At-Home COVID Tests

 There are a number of ways people can access free at-home COVID tests:

• Anyone with a residential address can order 4 free tests at www.covidtests.gov or by calling (800) 232 – 0233. No immigration status or health insurance information is required, and no credit card is needed.
• As of January 15, 2022, anyone enrolled in a private health insurance plan (an employer plan or a plan purchased on or off the marketplace) can get reimbursed for up to 8 free at-home COVID tests each month.
• Medicaid is required to cover tests, but states can impose barriers such as requiring a prescription to get a test. States can choose to establish policies that make it easier for Medicaid enrollees to get at-home COVID tests, primarily by allowing pharmacists to dispense tests without a prescription. Medicaid enrollees must request tests from the pharmacist, not at the checkout counter.
  • These states created new policies to make tests more accessible: Alabama, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont.
  • Please let us know if your state has established similar policies but isn’t on our list! You can send updates to Jenny Sullivan at jsullivan@cbpp.org.
• Medicare enrollees will soon be able to get up to 8 free at-home COVID tests each month. Tests will be available by early spring, but a specific date has not yet been announced.
• Individuals who are uninsured and don’t have a residential address to order free at-home tests can still get tested for free at a community-based testing site.