GASTON COUNTY, N.C. — A pharmacist at Medical Center Pharmacy in Gastonia explains how to get an at-home COVID-19 test for free.
As of January 15 health insurance companies and group health care plans must cover the cost of over-the-counter, at-home COVID-19 tests
Pharmacies can file a claim on site, just like a prescription, so the cost is covered at purchase
Individuals can also file a claim themselves if they pay out-of-pocket for the tests and get reimbursed by their insurance
Don Thrower has worked as a pharmacist for 46 years. He runs Medical Center Pharmacy in Gastonia. In his decades of work he has never seen an over-the-counter item sell out as quickly as at-home COVID-19 tests.
“Yeah, within a couple hours in December,” Thrower said. “Now, we are stocked, but they still sell fast.”
Starting Jan. 15, those with health insurance were able to go online, or to a pharmacy store, to purchase a test at no cost. Thrower and his team had to figure out how to make that happen.
“First of all, I will need your insurance card because we do pay for these up front,” Thrower said. “Then, we will go back and put it all in the computer.”“First of all, I will need your insurance card because we do pay for these up front,” Thrower said. “Then, we will go back and put it all in the computer.”
He takes the insurance information to his colleague Allison Beatty, who begins processing it as a claim. Beatty says since these are over-the-counter items it took her a little longer to figure out how to put in the data entry.
“It took me about an hour to get everything set up in our computer system, go through a few websites and figure it all out,” Beatty said.
Once she has it set up in the system, it should be streamlined from there. But she said they still had some issues filing a claim with Medicare and certain insurances. She recommends going to a pharmacy where the individual normally fills prescriptions.
“There are still some things that need to be worked out,” Beatty said.
They were able to file some claims successfully at no cost to the patient. But Thrower says if a person comes to the counter, expect to wait a little while.
“Have a little bit of patience because this is something new to us, something new to them and something new to our computer system,” Thrower said.
Insurance companies must cover up to eight at-home COVID-19 tests per month, per person. Keep in mind some boxes have two tests in them.
If an individual is charged for a test after Jan. 15, keep the receipt. It can be submitted as a claim with insurance for reimbursement. Those who don’t have insurance can request an at-home test for free online. For more information click here.