Americans with private health insurance will be reimbursed for at home tests starting at the end of the month. This announcement comes after President Biden announced Thursday, international travelers will now be required to undergo stricter COVID-19 testing.
The new measures the President announced at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are all part of a new administration strategy to curve the increase of positive test results of the virus this winter. As the new Omicron COVID-19 variant prompts concerns about how easily it may spread and whether existing vaccines are effective against it. The President said administration officials are working with pharmaceutical companies in the event that additional variations of COVID-19 vaccines are needed, although getting a booster shot remains the most effective way to combat the virus according to Dr Fauci.
President Biden’s announcement does not entail domestic testing requirements or post-travel quarantine or testing requirements. International travelers will be required to get a negative COVID-19 test before entering the U.S.. Those who are uninsured or who have public health insurance, such as Medicare or Medicaid, will not be eligible to be reimbursed for at-home test purchases, although the administration will distribute 50 million free at-home tests at health clinics and other community sites.
The changes are being rolled out a day after the first case of the Omicron variant was detected in the U.S. in a fully vaccinated person in San Francisco California who had recently traveled from South Africa.
The Biden Administration is also launching a nationwide campaign to ramp up booster shots and efforts to make sure kids stay in school despite the pandemic.
A White House spokesperson said Wednesday night the administration will rely on the Families First Act, as amended by the CARES Act, to require insurance providers to make at-home tests free.
As a part of the national campaign to increase booster shots, pharmacies will expand appointment availability, and millions of Americans will be sent texts, calls and emails to notify them of booster shot availability. The President is also announcing the expansion of family vaccination clinics to be a “one stop shop” for grandparents, parents and kids to get vaccinated together he said in a briefing Thursday at the NIH.
The CDC will also review its school COVID-19 prevention policies so entire classrooms and schools won’t have to shut down over a positive case.
The president will also announce the extension of the federal mask mandate on public transit into the middle of March. It had been set to expire in early January.
