Americans with private health insurance to be reimbursed for at-home COVID-19 tests

Americans with private health insurance will be reimbursed for at-home tests, President Biden is announcing Thursday, and international travelers will now be required to undergo stricter COVID-19 testing, according to a phone briefing by a senior administration official Wednesday.

citizens, but had allowed fully vaccinated travelers a 3-day window, compared to a 1-day window, to be tested for unvaccinated travelers, based on the agency's modeling.

Those who are uninsured or who have public health insurance, such as Medicare or Medicaid, will not be eligible to be reimbursed for at-home test purchases, although the administration will distribute 50 million free at-home tests at health clinics and other community sites. .

However, the measures the president will be discussing — which also include a nationwide campaign to ramp up booster shots and efforts to make sure kids stay in school despite the pandemic — do nothing new to get more at-home tests on the market.

The senior administration official who spoke with reporters Wednesday night noted the administration has already worked with manufacturers to increase the production of at-home tests.

The official said the administration will rely on the Families First Act, as amended by the CARES Act, to require insurance providers to make at-home tests free.