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As the fall season approaches and the US struggles with its problems, largest wave of COVID-19 infections in two yearsthe federal government is preparing to relaunch a program with the U.S. Postal Service to deliver free COVID tests by mail. Friday, the COVID-testing.gov website announced that US households will again be able to order four free at-home COVID test kits starting “in late September.”
Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response at the Department of Health and Human Services, said: “As families head back indoors this fall and spend time with their loved ones, both the very old and the very young, they will once again have the opportunity to order up to four new COVID-19 tests for free and have them shipped directly to their home,” said ABC News.
Read more: Did Your COVID Tests Really Expire? How to Find Out
On March 8, 2024, the federal government halted the U.S. Postal Service’s free COVID testing program, which had been restarted in September 2023. There have been six previous rounds of free COVID testing in total. Until the program restarts, there are still several ways to get tested for COVID-19 for free. Read on to find out how you can still get free COVID testing, as well as how to get free treatments and COVID-19 vaccines.
For more information, read what you need to know about long COVID and the latest information on mpox here.
What free COVID-19 testing options do I have?
Until the Postal Service begins sending out free COVID tests again in late September, there are five main ways to find free COVID-19 testing locations in the U.S.: HRSA health centers, Test to Treat locations, ICATT testing locations, private health insurance, and Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program. These options work similarly, but we’ll break down the specific steps to find your nearest free testing location.
HRSA Health Centers Offering Free COVID-19 Testing
HRSA health centers are offering free COVID-19 testing.
The Health Care Resources and Services Administration funds health centers across the U.S. These HRSA health centers offer free COVID-19 testing. You can HRSA’s Localization Tool to find a center near you.
First, select the language you want to receive your results in. Then, simply enter the location you want to search in the box labeled LocationThe locator also allows you to expand your search radius so you can see all the options in your area.
Once you find a center that suits you, click through to that specific center’s website and follow the specific instructions for obtaining a free COVID-19 test.
Test to Treat locations have COVID testing and medications
The Test to Treat program makes COVID testing and therapies more accessible.
Test to treat is a federally funded health care initiative that provides more accessible COVID-19 care. This option differs from the others in this article because you can use Test to Treat centers to receive both COVID testing and treatment for the infection. Like the other free COVID-19 testing options, Test to Treat has a locator tool you can use to find a convenient Test to Treat center near you.
The Test to Treat Center Finder works just like the other COVID testing search tools. Enter your location in the search bar and the tool will show you Test to Treat locations in your area. A slider lets you adjust the search radius to capture all Test to Treat centers in your area.
In the Test to Treat locator results, you can see the address of each location, what COVID-19 therapies they offer, and other special instructions you may need to know to get tested. If there is no option to schedule a COVID test online through your chosen site, you may need to call.
Increasing community access to testing will help uninsured individuals access COVID testing
ICATT is offering free testing to uninsured patients who are showing symptoms of COVID-19 or who have been recently exposed.
Increasing community access to testingor ICATT, is another free testing program you can use if you need access to free COVID-19 testing. ICATT works a little differently than the other programs on this list.
ICATT is specifically designed for uninsured patients who have been exposed to COVID-19 or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Anyone can take an ICATT test at one of the program’s locations, regardless of insurance status. If you are uninsured and want to be tested at an ICATT-eligible location, you will not be charged for your test. If you have insurance, you may be charged a fee.
The ICATT locator tool works just like the other free COVID testing locator tools — enter your address or zip code to find ICATT locations near you. There is a search radius adjuster in this locator to customize your searches to capture the entire area you want to search.
Once you find a location, follow the steps provided by your testing location to schedule your appointment.
What about free COVID testing from health insurance, Medicare or Medicaid?
On January 10, 2022, President Joe Biden announced that all health insurers would be legally required to offer their customers eight free COVID-19 tests per month. However, this obligation expired with the end of the national public health emergency for COVID-19 on May 11, 2023.
California law still requires all health care providers to offer eight free COVID-19 tests per month to their clients. Outside of that state, you should contact your own health insurance to find out what its coverage policy is for over-the-counter COVID tests.
According to the U.S. government, Medicare generally does not pay for over-the-counter products such as COVID-19 test kits. Center for Medicare and Medicaid ServicesMedicare coverage of home COVID testing ended with the declaration of a public health emergency on May 11, 2023.
If you’re enrolled in Medicare Plan B, you’ll still have access to “laboratory-derived COVID-19 testing” like polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests, but you won’t be covered for over-the-counter rapid antigen tests. If you have health insurance through Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, you can still get free at-home COVID testing through September 30, 2024.
How can I get free COVID-19 vaccines and booster shots?
COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are an important protection against contracting or becoming seriously ill from the virus. Since the CDC has recommended updated COVID-19 booster vaccines for everyone 6 months or older, you may be wondering how to find free COVID-19 vaccines.
If you don’t have insurance or a health care provider, don’t worry. Website of the Ministry of Health and Welfare says: “COVID-19 vaccines are 100% free to everyone living in the United States.”
On September 14, 2023, the Ministry of Health and Welfare launched the Bridge Access Programwhich will continue to provide free vaccines to uninsured people through local health departments and HRSA centers. The CDC has also partnered with “more than 20,000 pharmacy locations across the country” to provide free vaccines by adapting the existing ICATT program mentioned above.
Funding for the Bridge Access Program will end after August 2024, but you can still get COVID-19 vaccines for free until then. To use it, visit vaccines.govchoose which shot you want and then click the ‘search’ button. On the next page, select the ‘Bridge Access Program Participant’ option to see which locations are offering free vaccines.
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