RHHBF - Democratic senators urge U.S. to maintain free COVID tests under Medicare

2023-04-05 07:07:35 ET

A group of Democratic senators is requesting the Biden Administration to allow Medicare recipients to receive free-at-home COVID-19 tests even after the end of the public health emergency (PHE) next month.

The group led by Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) penned a letter to Health Secretary Xavier Becerra on Tuesday, noting that ending the coverage will make it difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to obtain key information about their health.

“Ending Medicare coverage for at-home COVID-19 tests could undo much of this progress and make it harder for Medicare beneficiaries to obtain accurate and timely information about their health,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

“For example, without coverage under Medicare, many older Americans will not be able to afford to pay out-of-pocket for these critical tests, and they simply won’t test,” they added.

Their concerns relate to the demonstration program implemented by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in 2022, requiring Medicare and private insurers to cover up to eight COVID-19 tests per month at no cost.

The program is slated to conclude on May 11, 2023, when the public health emergency (PHE) is expected to end.

Makers of at-home COVID tests: Becton, Dickinson ( NYSE: BDX ), Quidel ( NASDAQ: QDEL ), Abbott Laboratories ( NYSE: ABT ), Roche ( OTCQX:RHHBY ) ( OTCQX:RHHBF ), QIAGEN ( QGEN ), OraSure Technologies ( OSUR ), LumiraDx ( LMDX )

Read about how the end of PHE will affect the free distribution of COVID vaccines and treatments.

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