WASHINGTON (AP) – The Biden administration’s plan for health insurers to reimburse consumers for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests echoes a bygone era when the companies processed large volumes of claims from individuals – with paper receipts.
It’s unclear if the buy-first, get-paid-later approach will spur people to go out and get the tests, even with new urgency around the highly transmissible omicron variant.
“It’s not likely to yield the same level of accessibility that people in other countries have,” said Cynthia Cox of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. Cox, who tracks the U.S. health system in comparison to other advanced countries, points out that consumers in the United Kingdom can pick up free rapid tests at the pharmacy or have them delivered to their homes.
“I think we are still going to have testing problems next year,” added Cox. “People will still have problems accessing affordable tests in a timely manner.”
Omicron is not the only reason testing is taking on renewed importance. Anticipated approval of antiviral pills that COVID-19 patients can take at home is also expected to increase demand for fast tests that can provide reliable results.