Medicare now provides free COVID-19 tests for Medicare beneficiaries

On April 4, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that all Medicare beneficiaries with Medicare Part B coverage would have no-cost access to eight (8) FDA-approved over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests per month from eligible pharmacies and other participating entities.

A partial list of participating pharmacies providing free COVID-19 tests can be found at: www.medicare.gov/medicare-coronavirus.

Looking for other ways to obtain a free COVID-19 test?

Even if you do not have Medicare Part B coverage (and only have Medicare Part A coverage), you can use any of the following methods to also obtain a free COVID-19 test.

(1) You can request two sets of four (4) free OTC COVID-19 tests for mail delivery from the federal government: www.CovidTests.gov/.

(2) If you are enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan (MA or MAPD), you can ask whether your plan covers COVID testing at no cost by calling the toll-free Member Services telephone number on your Member ID card.

(3) You can visit a free COVID-19 testing site. According to CMS, 20,000 free testing sites can be found nationwide. A list of community-based testing sites can be found on the government’s website. (https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-sites/index.html)

(4) You can “[a]ccess lab-based PCR tests and antigen tests performed by a laboratory when the test is ordered by a physician, non-physician practitioner, pharmacist, or other authorized health care professional at no cost.”

(5) You can access “one lab-performed test without [a physician’s] order, also without cost sharing, during the public health emergency.”

Need additional help?

You can also call a Medicare representative at 1-800-633-4227 (TTY 1-877-486-2048) for more information about finding a COVID-19 test.

Frequently Asked Questions

For additional information about the free OTC COVID-19 tests please see the CMS Frequently Asked Questions: https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-covers-over-counter-covid-19-tests and www.cms.gov/files/document/4422-frequently-asked-questions-medicare-coverage-otc-covid-tests.pdf

Please see:
https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/press-releases/biden-harris-administration-announces-new-way-medicare-beneficiaries-get-free-over-counter-covid-19