Biden to require private insurance to cover at-home COVID tests, promotes PTO to get vaccines
Photo | State House News Service
President Joe Biden
President Joe Biden announced a winter plan for combatting COVID-19 during remarks at the National Institute of Health in Maryland on Thursday, including an impending requirement for private insurance to pay for at-home COVID tests and a plea for private employers to provide paid time off for employees to get booster shots.
Biden is already providing PTO for federal employees to either get booster shots themselves, or to bring a family member to get boosted, he said.
“No one should have to choose between a paycheck and getting an additional protection for a booster shot,” Biden said, per a White House transcript of his remarks.
Beginning in January, as part of the plan, private insurance providers will have to cover the cost of at-home COVID testing, as well, the president said. The coverage will be provided through reimbursements, according to a White House outline of the plan. The U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Labor, and the Treasury will issue guidance on the matter by Jan 15.
“Private insurers already cover the expensive PCR test and — that you get at a doctor’s office,” Biden said. “And now they will cover at-home tests as well.”
Some eight at-home tests are currently on the market.
For those who aren’t covered by private insurance, the White House said in its outline free at-home tests will be distributed at community sites, including health centers and rural clinics. The country is expected to soon quadruple the supply of at-home tests available in late summer, per the White House.
The plan announced on Thursday called on businesses to either require their workers get vaccinated or tested weekly to prevent the spread of the virus and prevent company shutdowns. According to the White House, 60% of businesses report they are putting such plans in place.
Other parts of the plan bolstered COVID-testing and masking requirements for international travel, promoting equitable access to new and development antiviral drugs to treat COVID-19, and a renewed commitment to global vaccine efforts.
In the meantime, as researchers gather information about the new Omicron variant, which was detected in the United States earlier this week, Biden urged those concerned about its spread to get vaccinated.
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