Some say they’re having trouble getting at-home COVID-19 tests months after the White House began requiring insurers to cover them.
Teena McClelland holds four boxes of COVID tests outside of her home on April 28, 2022, in Chicago. McClelland has spent nearly a month trying to get free at-home COVID tests at pharmacies through her insurance.
“It’s extremely challenging and I don’t think it needs to be,” said Teena McClelland, 46, of Portage Park. McClelland has spent nearly a month trying to get free at-home COVID tests at pharmacies through her insurance. A couple of weeks later, she then ordered them online from a CVS through Instacart, paying for them upfront. She now has to submit a claim for reimbursement. She also decided to try to get some directly through her insurance company, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois. She called Blue Cross and spent an hour on the phone being transferred to different representatives before one was able to order the tests for her, she said. A bag of tests arrived less than a week later.
Three Walgreens pharmacies said they could run the tests through insurance, but it would take anywhere from 15 minutes to two hours. A pharmacy worker at a Jewel-Osco pharmacy said he could run the tests through insurance in 20 minutes, but the store only had one box left and wouldn’t get more in stock for a week.
“We’re continuing to educate participating pharmacies to make sure they’re following the process outlined by the federal government,” Simley said. “If you use a pharmacy in Prime’s network, you should not have to submit a separate claim for reimbursement when you purchase the tests at the pharmacy counter.”
At-home COVID-19 test kits are displayed for sale at a Duane Reade Walgreens pharmacy store on Dec. 22, 2021, in New York.