Good public health policy is welcome, even when long delayed. So we should cheer the Biden administration’s announcement earlier this month that Covid-19 rapid-result antigen tests (RATs), which tell you in as little as 15 minutes whether you’re infected, will be covered by private insurance. For uninsured Americans, the government would make 50 million free tests available, to be distributed through health clinics and other sites in rural and underserved communities. Assuming that they can detect the new Omicron variant along with its predecessors, these tests will be a critical part of our evolving pandemic strategy.
Nevertheless, the plan still faces hurdles. Supplies of the tests are limited, and even when they can be found, they’re expensive: typically, $10 to 15 apiece at drugstores. The administration’s plan to route reimbursements for the tests through private insurance is also unwieldy, requiring consumers to pay first, submit receipts, and then wait to get reimbursed. By contrast, in Germany and India tests are available in stores for a few dollars, and the U.K. provides seven free tests per day to anyone who wants them. Singapore mailed test kits to every household.
Read Full Article »