Medicare will cover up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests for beneficiaries beginning in early spring, CMS announced Feb. 3.
Coverage operates similarly to the federal mandate that private insurers must cover at-home COVID-19 tests: The tests must be FDA-approved, and payment will be provided directly to eligible pharmacies or other entities with no out-of-pocket or upfront costs to beneficiaries.
This marks the first time CMS has covered an over-the-counter test for Medicare beneficiaries.
"There are a number of issues that have made it difficult to cover and pay for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests," CMS said in a news release. "However, given the importance of expanding access to testing, CMS has identified a pathway that will expand access to free over-the-counter testing for Medicare beneficiaries."
The move follows calls from lawmakers urging the Biden administration to cover at-home COVID-19 tests for Medicare beneficiaries — a high-risk population put on "their back foot" by a lack of at-home test coverage.