One of Vermont's largest employers is opting out of a state request that employer-sponsored health plans cover at-home COVID-19 tests, according to VTDigger.
The state encouraged self-insured employers to "voluntarily follow the rule in anticipation of new federal regulations" after it unveiled its statewide coverage mandate.
The University of Vermont is one of the first major entities to ignore the request and deny at-home test coverage. Instead, the university is pointing plan members toward its on-campus testing program.
However, the university testing program not administer tests while it is closed from Dec. 21-Jan. 4, nor does it cover members who receive coverage from the university but are not direct employees, according to VTDigger.
Mike Pieciak, commissioner of Vermont's Financial Regulation Department, told VTDigger that although the university is not required to cover at-home COVID-19 testing, he anticipates the Biden administration's federal guidance will close the gap in early 2022.