CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The federal government’s free COVID test website is now live, but it’s just one new option to receive a kit.
Dr. Emily Landon, of University of Chicago Medicine, said it’s taken too long for the government to provide at-home COVID-19 test kits, but now that it’s happening everyone should take advantage of it.
“For a lot of people, these tests can be really helpful in helping them to figure out whether they have to go wait in that long line for a PCR test or whether it’s a good idea to spend the money on that test," Dr. Landon told CBS 2.
The website to receive the at-home COVID-19 test kits is CovidTests.gov.
It’s very simple and fast. All you need to provide is your name, address, and email - if you want to track your package - and then you're done. Orders will usually ship in 7-12 days.
“It’s basically just put in your address and click 'send me these tests.'" Dr. Landon said.
Every household in the U.S. is eligible to order four, free at-home COVID-19 tests.
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There’s also the insurance option. Last Saturday, a new program began in which people can receive free, at-home COVID-19 test kits through their insurance -- but there are rules. You may have to pay up front and be reimbursed, or you may be able to just use your insurance card and pay nothing out of pocket.
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“You’ve got to check and see what kind of insurance you have and which pharmacy your insurance is working with to be able to go in, present your insurance card, and just walk out with a test,” Dr. Landon told CBS 2.
According to CBS 2, some insurer’s websites will list the retailers where tests are free. You’ll also find links on insurer's websites for reimbursement if you had to pay up front.
Dr. Landon suggests everyone stock up on at-home COVID-19 test kits, for this surge and any future surge to come.
Under the insurance program, those insured can receive up to eight test kits per individual per month.
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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends at-home testing when experiencing COVID-19 systems including fever, cough, sore throat, respiratory symptoms, and muscle aches, five days after potential COVID-19 exposure, or as part of test-to-stay protocols in schools and workplaces.
“Certainly if you’re going to gather with family, if you’re going to a gathering where people are immunocompromised or where they’re elderly or where you have people who might be unvaccinated or poorly protected from a vaccine that might be an opportunity you want to test,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, the CDC director, last week.
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