Biden administration policy to require health insurance to cover at home COVID-19 tests

MADISON, Wis. — A new policy introduced by the Biden administration will now require health insurers to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests.

Starting Saturday, insurance companies will have to start covering the cost for at-home testing with some limitations, Sarah Smith, the director of public affairs for Wisconsin’s Office of the Commissioner of Insurance, said.

“They are required to do that for up to eight tests on the plan per month. So a family of four could get 32 tests in a month if they needed to,” Smith said.

The process to get reimbursed will vary depending on each individual insurance, but Smith said one step in particular is crucial.

“Making sure people keep their receipts, any documentation. If it’s something you ordered online, make sure that email didn’t send to your spam box. Make sure you keep track of all those records and file for that reimbursement right away,” she said.

So why was this policy put into place?

Joanne Alig, the Wisconsin Hospital Association’s senior vice president of public policy, explains.

“There is such a high demand right now and such a high surge and we really want to make sure that those beds that are in the emergency room are there for people that need it, who really needs immediate medical attention,” she said.