President Joe Biden's Dec. 2 announcement of a plan to require private insurers cover over-the-counter COVID-19 tests is raising skepticism that access issues will still be rampant, The Hill reported Dec. 5.
Larry Levitt, health policy expert at the Kaiser Family Foundation, told The Hill that one front Americans may face resistance is through insurance reimbursement.
The president's plan requires consumers to pay for tests upfront, then go through a reimbursement process with their insurer. However, administrative hassles or the potential that payers restrict how many tests they will reimburse could dissuade members.
Jennifer Nuzzo, DrPH, senior scholar at the Baltimore-based Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Hill that upfront costs would also stand as barriers to getting a COVID-19 test for some. Ms. Nuzzo said making tests free would be the best way to ensure access, in alignment with President Biden's rationale.