Beginning this weekend, private health insurers in the US must cover eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per person each month, Reuters reports.
Politico adds that the announcement made by the Health and Human Services, Labor, and Treasury departments is part of a Biden Administration push to stop the spread of COVID-19 by making it cheaper for people to test for it. But as Reuters reports, some experts see the move as "too little, too late" and note a nationwide shortage of over-the-counter tests.
"By requiring private health plans to cover people's at-home tests, we are further expanding Americans' ability to get tests for free when they need them," Xavier Becerra, the health secretary, says in a statement.
According to Politico, the new guidance also says that people who purchase testing kits from out-of-network sources must also be reimbursed up to at least $12 a test. If testing is ordered or conducted by a healthcare provider, there is no limit to the number of tests insurers must cover, Reuters adds.