The Biden/Harris Administration issued a mandate on January 15, 2022, under which individuals with private health insurance coverage or group health plans can now obtain at-home Covid-19 test kits with no upfront fees or be reimbursed.
Insurance companies and health plans must now provide eight free at-home testing per covered member every month.
What Is an At-Home Covid-19 Test?
At-home Covid-19 test kits identify specific proteins on the virus’s surface and are used to detect an active coronavirus infection.
If you have come into touch with someone who has Covid-19 or is experiencing symptoms, it is advised to isolate at home and wait 3-5 days before getting the test to ensure the virus is detected.
How to Get Reimbursed for Your At-Home Covid Test Kits in Virginia
Aetna
Their test kit FAQ page states that if you have individual, employer-sponsored, or student health commercial insurance, you are eligible to get reimbursed for at-home Covid-19 test kits.
Aetna will cover up to 8 test kits per member per month through reimbursement only. They do not currently have an option to get the test kits free with no upfront cost.
To submit a claim for reimbursement, you need to do the following:
- Purchase an FDA-approved test kit on or after January 15 at a pharmacy, retail store, or online.
- Keep your receipts
- Log into your Aetna member website and click, Submit a Claim for Reimbursement”.
- Once your claim is approved, a check will be mailed to you.
If you have an Aetna Student Health Plan, log into your school account to submit a claim.
Note: This is not available for those with Medicare, Medicare Supplement, Medicaid, supplemental accident, critical illness, and hospital indemnity plans.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of VA
Anthem has a section in the Covid-19 Resource Center titled, Individual & Family and Employer Group Plans, listing coverage information for Covid-19 Testing.
They state that the type of plan you have will determine whether you can order an at-home test from Anthem directly.
If you want to be reimbursed for over-the-counter tests, you will need to save your receipts, log into your anthem account online and submit a claim in the Claims and Payments section.
Bright Health
Bright’s FAQ Covid-19 Resource page states toward the bottom that they will cover at-home Covid-19 test reimbursement according to the mandate.
Starting January 15, Bright HealthCare will cover diagnostic at-home tests for members under their individual, family plan, and small group members.
Members can purchase FDA-approved tests either online or through a pharmacy or store. You will need to pay for your test upfront, but you will be reimbursed for the actual cost of the test.
To submit a reimbursement claim, you need to fill out the form and include your proof of purchase and mail it to the address provided on the form. Or you can visit the Member Hub and send a secure message with the reimbursement form and proof of purchase online.
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
CareFirst’s FAQ page states that they do not currently have a method where their members can receive at-home Covid-19 tests completely free.
They are, however, accepting reimbursement claims. To submit a claim for reimbursement, log into your account online, click “My Documents” and then “Forms” and select “Over-the-counter Covid-19 Test Online Claim” or click here to download, print, and mail your form.
To submit a claim, you will need the purchase receipt, the UPC from the packaging of the at-home test, and a signed and completed attestation.
Cigna
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.
Kaiser Permanente
Kaiser Permanente’s Covid-19 testing resource page states that they offer reimbursement. To submit a reimbursement, click here.
To be eligible to submit a claim, you need to do the following:
- Purchase an FDA-approved at-home test.
- Keep your receipt and test kit box (for the UPC)
You can submit your reimbursement claim online or by mail.
Optima Health Plan
Optima Health’s at-home Covid-19 test reimbursement information states that all members under the individual, family plans, and employer groups are eligible for stipulations mandated by the government.
Members have two options to receive at-home Covid-19 tests with no upfront costs. They can:
- Order test kits from NationsOTC online or by phone at 1-888-270-8292. Kits ordered through this process will be delivered within 7-10 days.
- Visit an in-network pharmacy, obtain an FDA-approved Covid-19 test kit and take it to the pharmacy counter where you can present your member ID.
If you purchase a test through a different process, you can be reimbursed by filing a claim with Optima Health. Members can complete the attestation document and submit it with your claim along with your receipt and UPC. Each member may be reimbursed up to $12 per test.
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.
United Healthcare
According to United Healthcare’s resource page for over-the-counter at home Covid-19 tests, they state that members with an OptumRx logo on their ID card are now able to purchase at-home or OTC tests in two ways:
- For no upfront costs, members must visit an in-store pharmacy counter at a pharmacy that is in-network. To see a list of in-network pharmacies, click here.
- For reimbursement, you can purchase an FDA-approved test in-store or online and submit your receipt online at myuhc.com or fill out a reimbursement form and mail it in.
Covid-19 tests can be reimbursed up to $12 or $24 for kits that contain two tests in one box.
If you do not have an OptumRX logo on your member ID, you are still eligible for reimbursement at both links provided above.
Reimbursement will be provided through the method of your choosing (direct deposit or check by mail) and is typically sent within 10-20 days
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://www.aetna.com/individuals-families/member-rights-resources/covid19/otc-in-home-test-faqs.html
- https://member.aetna.com/MbrLanding/RoutingServlet?createSession=true&custNumSel=A&serviceName=home&ae_ptparam_cmpId=int_aetnaco
- https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com/en/main/your-member-website.html/?cid=site_m_323
- https://www.anthem.com/coronavirus/individual-and-family/
- https://www.anthem.com/login/
- https://brighthealthcare.com/covid-19
- https://cdn1.brighthealthplan.com/docs/covid_19/covid_otc_test_reimbursement_evolent.pdf?_ga=2.182481254.1119154873.1644614590-1416111415.1644614590
- https://individual.carefirst.com/individuals-families/about-us/coronavirus-members-faq.page
- https://individual.carefirst.com/carefirst-resources/pdf/over-the-counter-covid-19-test-mail-in-claim-form.pdf
- https://www.cigna.com/coronavirus/
- https://www.cigna.com/static/www-cigna-com/docs/coronavirus/covid-otc-med-claim-form.pdf
- https://www.dhrm.virginia.gov/docs/default-source/benefitsdocuments/covid-19/kaiser-permanente-covid-19-at-home-tests-2022.pdf?sfvrsn=34deb42e_4
- https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/secure/coverage-costs
- https://www.optimahealth.com/covid-19/coverage-of-at-home-over-the-counter-covid19-test-kits
- https://optimahealthkits.nationsotc.com/login
- https://www.optimahealth.com/documents/forms/general/form-doc-claim-instructions.pdf
- 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.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/covid-19/coverage-and-resources/covid-19-at-home-testing-coverage
- https://www.uhc.com/health-and-wellness/health-topics/covid-19/coverage-and-resources/covid-19-at-home-testing-coverage/preferred-retailers
- https://member.uhc.com/coronavirus?q=Covid+test+reimbursement&_gl=1*19owp2*_ga*MTc1NDY5OTg4Mi4xNjQzNDE2NzE1*_ga_HZQWR2GYM4*MTY0MzQxNjcxNS4xLjEuMTY0MzQxNjc1OC4w
- https://www.uhc.com/content/dam/uhcdotcom/en/memberresources/forms/PDF-UA-Over-the-Counter-OTC-At-home-COVID-19-Test-Reimbursement-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
