Stay Healthy this Fall: COVID-19 At-Home Tests and Booster Shots Still Available with No Out-of-Pocket Cost
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) and Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) are reminding Wisconsinites that their COVID-19 at-home tests and booster shots are still available with no out-of-pocket cost.
Doses of the updated COVID-19 boosters are in Wisconsin and will continue to be delivered to providers over the next several weeks. Pharmacies, health centers, and clinics are continuing to make appointments available as their booster doses arrive. People are encouraged to check with their primary care provider, local or Tribal health department or clinics, or visit vaccines.gov(link is external) to find vaccination sites near them. Health plans are also required to cover the cost of COVID-19 vaccines, including boosters, through the end of the federally declared public health emergency.
DHS has an online program for each Wisconsin household to get free at-home rapid COVID-19 tests delivered directly to them. Wisconsin residents can go to the Say Yes! COVID Test(link is external) website and place an order for a package of five rapid antigen COVID-19 tests at no cost.
All health plans are also required to cover the cost of over the counter, at-home rapid COVID-19 tests for their members. This requirement applies to both private health insurance companies and group health plans, like those provided by an employer.
Under these new guidelines, COVID-19 tests may either be covered by the insurer with no upfront cost or reimbursed by the insurer. If your health plan sets up a network of pharmacies to provide the tests, coverage is provided upfront and there is no need to request reimbursement.
“Check with your health insurance company to learn how they are covering at-home COVID-19 tests,” said Insurance Commissioner Nathan Houdek. “If you buy an at-home test outside your insurance company’s pharmacy network, keep the receipt and your insurer should reimburse the cost in part or in full.”
To check if a package of COVID-19 tests has an extended expiration date, people can find more information on all the FDA-authorized brands(link is external), as well as specific information on iHealth brand tests that includes a tool to search your package’s expiration(link is external).
Many of these COVID-19 tests were initially authorized with expiration dates that have been extended as the manufacturers study data to ensure the tests are still accurate.
For free, confidential support placing an order for your household’s test package or finding health care and community resources near you, dial 211. For information, resources, and data related to COVID-19 and the vaccination program in Wisconsin, visit the DHS COVID-19 webpage. You can also follow @DHSWI on Facebook(link is external), Twitter(link is external), or dhs.wi on Instagram(link is external) for more information on COVID-19.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- Governors Tony Evers, JB Pritzker, Tim Walz, and Gretchen Whitmer Issue a Joint Statement Concerning Reports that Donald Trump Gave Russian Dictator Putin American COVID-19 Supplies - Gov. Tony Evers - Oct 11th, 2024
- MHD Release: Milwaukee Health Department Launches COVID-19 Wastewater Testing Dashboard - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Jan 23rd, 2024
- Milwaukee County Announces New Policies Related to COVID-19 Pandemic - County Executive David Crowley - May 9th, 2023
- DHS Details End of Emergency COVID-19 Response - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Apr 26th, 2023
- Milwaukee Health Department Announces Upcoming Changes to COVID-19 Services - City of Milwaukee Health Department - Mar 17th, 2023
- Fitzgerald Applauds Passage of COVID-19 Origin Act - U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald - Mar 10th, 2023
- DHS Expands Free COVID-19 Testing Program - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Feb 10th, 2023
- MKE County: COVID-19 Hospitalizations Rising - Graham Kilmer - Jan 16th, 2023
- Not Enough Getting Bivalent Booster Shots, State Health Officials Warn - Gaby Vinick - Dec 26th, 2022
- Nearly All Wisconsinites Age 6 Months and Older Now Eligible for Updated COVID-19 Vaccine - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Dec 15th, 2022
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