Insurance To Cover At-Home COVID Tests: How To Get Them In NY

NEW YORK, NY — Millions of New Yorkers will soon have access to free at-home COVID-19 testing under a new Biden administration rule requiring insurance companies to cover the cost.

New Yorkers covered by private insurance will have free access to over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests starting Jan. 15. Tests can be purchased online or at a pharmacy or store, and they will be covered upfront by a health plan or through reimbursement.

"We are requiring insurers and group health plans to make tests free for millions of Americans. This is all part of our overall strategy to ramp-up access to easy-to-use, at-home tests at no cost," Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a news release Monday.

Under the rule, insurance companies and health plans will be required to cover eight free at-home tests per covered individual per month. A doctor’s note isn’t required to obtain the tests, which must be authorized, cleared or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

This means a family of four on the same insurance plan would be eligible for up to 32 free tests per month; however, there is no limit on the number of tests covered if ordered or administered by a health care provider.

The Biden Administration also said it’s "incentivizing" insurers and group health plans to set up programs allowing people in New York to get over-the-counter tests directly through preferred pharmacies, retailers or other entities with no out-of-pocket costs.

New Yorkers should check their insurer's website for more information about local retailers providing tests.

The following are just a few of the self-tests approved by the Food and Drug Administration:

• BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test
• HCP, Individuals, IFU, IFU (Home Test)
• CLINITEST Rapid COVID-19 Antigen Self-Test
• HCP, IFU, IFU (Home Test)
• CareStart COVID-19 Antigen Home Test
• HCP, IFU, IFU (Home Test)
• SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Self-Test