Employer Health Plans Encouraged to Continue Free Covid Tests

Employer health plan sponsors and health insurers were encouraged by the Biden administration to continue covering Covid-19 tests without requiring beneficiaries to pay out-of-pocket costs after the public health emergency ends May 11.

The departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and the Treasury issued Frequently Asked Questions guidance March 29 urging the coverage while noting that it will no longer be required.

Health plans have been required to cover up to eight free over-the-counter Covid tests per member per month, which have proved popular with plan participants, Jason Jossie, senior health consultant with benefits consulting firm Segal, said in ...