Individuals with private health insurance coverage or group health plans can now obtain at-home Covid-19 test kits with no upfront charges or be eligible for reimbursement under the Biden/Harris Administration’s mandate, which went into effect on January 15, 2022.
Insurance companies and health plans must now cover eight free at-home testing kits for each covered member every month.
What Is an At-Home Covid-19 Test?
Covid-19 test kits are at-home diagnostic tests that identify particular proteins on the virus’s surface and are used to diagnose an active coronavirus infection.
If you have come into contact with someone who has Covid-19 or is experiencing symptoms, you should isolate yourself at home and wait 3-5 days before getting the test to guarantee the virus is discovered.
How to Get Reimbursed for Your At-Home Covid Test Kits in Mississippi
“Health insurance providers will work as quickly as possible to implement this guidance in ways that limit consumer confusion and challenges.” Matt Eyles, president, and CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans
Ambetter from Magnolia Health
As of January 15, 2022, Ambetter Meridian members can receive Covid-19 at-home testing kits at no cost.
The best way to get a testing kit for free is to purchase one from a pharmacy in Ambetter’s network. To see a list of in-network pharmacies, click here.
If you choose to purchase an at-home Covid 19 testing kit outside of the network, you can still get it reimbursed by filling out the member reimbursement form.
To learn more about Ambetter’s policies regarding this new mandate, click here.
Cigna Healthcare
Their Covid-19 resource page states that they will provide free Covid-19 test kits with no upfront cost when test kits are purchased from a location in their network.
Like all other health insurance companies, according to the new Biden-Harris mandate, Cigna will provide eight at-home test kits per member per month.
If you purchase a test kit and pay upfront for it, keep the receipt and the UPC on the box and submit a claim for reimbursement. You can submit the claim through the mail or by faxing it.
Vantage Health Plan of Mississippi
According to Vantage’s Covid-19 Testing and Treatment Coverage resource, commercial and metal/marketplace members are eligible to receive at-home Covid-19 tests for no upfront cost.
For completely free at-home Covid-19 tests, you will need to visit an in-network pharmacy, grab an FDA-approved at-home Covid-19 test and take it to the pharmacy counter, where they will ring it up with your member ID at no cost to you.
If you purchase an FDA-approved test through a different method, you can receive a reimbursement through Navitus Health Solutions. Download and print the OTC-Covid-19 At-Home Test Claim Form, complete the form, per member, per test, and submit your original receipts by mail, fax, or email.
Vantage/Navitus will reimburse you up to $12 per test and may take up to 30 days to process. However, once it is done, a check will be mailed from Navitus.
If you have a Health Savings Account (HRA) and want the test costs to count toward your account, keep your receipt and contact your HRA account team to track your expenses.
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:
Hyperlinks used in the article:
- https://www.hhs.gov/about/news/2022/01/10/biden-harris-administration-requires-insurance-companies-group-health-plans-to-cover-cost-at-home-covid-19-tests-increasing-access-free-tests.html
- https://guide.ambetterhealth.com/
- https://ambetter.magnoliahealthplan.com/content/dam/centene/Magnolia/Ambetter/PDFs/AMB_HP_ReimbursemntForm_MS.pdf
- https://www.ambetterhealth.com/coronavirus/covid-19-home-testing-kits.html
- https://www.cigna.com/coronavirus/
- https://www.cigna.com/static/www-cigna-com/docs/coronavirus/covid-otc-med-claim-form.pdf
- https://www.vantagehealthplan.com/documents/Members/COVID19-test-treatment-FAQ-01132022.pdf?q=637799189589231833
- http://www.navitus.com/Navitus.Web/media/pdf/OTC-Covid-19-At-Home-Test-Claim-Form.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
