On January 15, 2022, the Biden/Harris Administration released a mandate where individuals with private health insurance coverage or group health plans can now purchase at-home Covid-19 test kits with no upfront costs or be eligible for reimbursement.
Insurance companies and health plans are now required to cover eight free at-home tests per covered member per month.
What Is an At-Home Covid-19 Test?
At-home Covid-19 test kits are diagnostic tests that detect specific proteins on the virus’s surface and are used to detect an active coronavirus infection.
If you have come into contact with someone or are showing symptoms of Covid-19, it is best to quarantine at home and wait 3-5 days before taking the test to ensure the virus will be detected.
How to Get Reimbursed for Your At-Home Covid Test Kits in Arkansas
Ambetter
Ambetter’s FAQ page states that they provide free at-home testing kits to their members with no upfront cost through pharmacies in their network. Common participating pharmacies are CVS and Rite Aid. For a full list of in-network pharmacies, click here.
If you decide to purchase a kit outside of the approved network of pharmacies, you can still get reimbursed. To start the reimbursement process, fill out the member reimbursement form.
Ambetter will reimburse you up to $12 per test per covered member. In addition, if you purchased a test kit before January 15, 2022, Ambetter will still reimburse you if you include a physician prescription.
Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield
All BCBS members can receive reimbursement from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas for up to eight at-home Covid-19 diagnostic tests per month. You can find these tests over the counter at a pharmacy, retail store, or online store. To learn more, check out their at-home Covid-19 testing and reimbursement page.
To be eligible for reimbursement, you’ll need the following:
- An FDA approved test
- A receipt for the amount paid
- A reimbursement form that is printed out and mailed to the address provided.
Once the forms are received, they will be processed, and a check will be mailed back. This process could take up to 60 days.
Please note:
- Reimbursement does not apply to tests used for employment purposes.
- Blue Cross will still cover other types of COVID-19 diagnostic tests if they are FDA-approved or authorized and determined appropriate by a qualified health professional.
- The new program does not include Medicare Advantage plans.
Health Advantage
On their at-home Covid-19 test FAQ page, Arkansas Health Advantage states that each fully insured member can receive eight FDA-approved, rapid, at-home test kits a month at no cost from an in-network pharmacy location and online pharmacies. To see a list of in-network pharmacies, click here. When visiting a pharmacy online, you must bring the test kits to the pharmacy counter and provide your insurance card.
Medicare Advantage customers are not currently included in this program.
You can get reimbursed if you purchased a test kit from a location, not in network on or after January 15, 2022. To receive reimbursement, you need to do the following:
Oscar
Oscar’s at-home Covid test reimbursement FAQ does not state that you can get free at-home testing kits through their in-network pharmacies upfront. They do, however, state that “you may be able to present your member ID and ask them to bill your insurance just like you would a medication at no cost to you.” (HIOSCAR.com)
To check which pharmacies are in their network, click here.
If you have a test, you would like to get reimbursed, visit Caremark.com, sign in, select Plan & Benefits, and request reimbursement.
To be eligible for reimbursement, you must be an active member enrolled in individually purchased health care or a small group plan, bought an FDA-approved test, and have the receipt from the purchase.
QualChoice
QualChoice’s Coverage Help resource page for Covid-19 states that all members can get at-home Covid-19 testing kits at no cost when purchasing from an in-network pharmacy. For in-network pharmacies, click here.
If you purchase a testing kit out of network, you can be reimbursed. To receive your reimbursement, fill out a medical claim form.
You will be reimbursed up to $12 per test.
If you purchased a test online and did not have a physical receipt, you can print an image of the digital receipt or put the order or invoice number for the purchase on the reimbursement form.
If you purchased a test kit before January 15, 2022, you could still be reimbursed for it if you have a physician’s prescription to accompany it.
Additional Important Information
The government launched a website on January 19, 2022, where you can sign up to receive four free at-home test kits per household and receive them through the USPS.
For a full list of FDA-approved at-home testing kits click here.
You can also get free at-home tests from community health centers and Medicare-certified health clinics.
Resources:
- Biden-Harris Administration Requires Insurance Companies and Group Health Plans to Cover the Cost of At-Home COVID-19 Tests, Increasing Access to Free Tests | HHS.gov
- COVID-19 Arkansas Department of Health
- How and where to get free at-home covid tests in Arkansas (arkansasonline.com)
Hyperlinks included in the article:
- https://www.ambetterhealth.com/coronavirus/covid-19-home-testing-kits.html
- https://guide.ambetterhealth.com/
- https://ambetter.arhealthwellness.com/content/dam/centene/Ambetter of Arkansas/PDFs/AR-MbrReimbursMedicalClaim.pdf
- https://www.bcbsm.com/index/common/important-information/covid-19.html
- https://www.bcbsm.com/content/dam/public/shared/documents/coronavirus/covid-testing-member-reimbursement-form.pdf
- https://www.healthadvantage-hmo.com/covid-19/otc-antigen-test-faqs
- https://www.caremark.com/wps/portal/.cmd/el?id=ar9b2c31_1&cmxtarget=FRAMED_LOCAL_PHARMACY&newLogin=yes&returnURL=http://www.caremark.com/framedLogoff.html
- https://www.healthadvantage-hmo.com/covid-test-reimbursement-form
- https://www.hioscar.com/blog/at-home-covid-test-reimbursement
- https://www.hioscar.com/at-home-covid-test-reimbursement
- https://www.hioscar.com/member/search/results/facilities?specialty_id=3336C0003X&search_query=Retail%20Pharmacy
- http://caremark.com/
- https://www.qualchoice.com/covid-19-information-center#:~:text=For%20all%20members%2C%20QualChoice%20plans,member%20cost%20sharing%20will%20apply
- https://www.qualchoice.com/already-a-member/pharmacy-and-drug-formulary
- https://www.qualchoice.com/Media/4539/medical-claim-form-final.pdf
- https://www.covidtests.gov/
- https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-emergency-use-authorizations-medical-devices/in-vitro-diagnostics-euas
- https://www.hrsa.gov/coronavirus/testing-supplies
