Does Medicare cover covid rapid molecular test(Abbott ID now) and/or rapid antigen test done at a Walgreens or Cvs

[jawsbad]

Are these tests covered by Medicare or secondary insurance

[canderson]

https://www.medicare.gov/coverage/coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19-tests

 

Secondary is anyone's guess.  Would need to know your plan.

[Ken the cruiser]

I know Medicare (Part B) covered our antigen tests when we went to Urgent Care in central Alabama to get ours back in August. 

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by Ken the cruiser

[Tapi]

Walgreen’s IDNOW tests are free of charge, with or without insurance. When you set up your appointment online, it doesn’t even ask you for your insurance information. When you show up for your test, all you need to provide is an ID. Super easy to do. We’ve done them a few times, including for our cruise in September, 

[jawsbad]

Thanks all for the info

[DaKahuna]

Wow .. answered many times, Yes MediCare covers these when administered by a pharmacy such as Walgreens and CVS.  

 

You will notice that there is no charge when you make your appointment.

 

Edited October 19, 2021 by DaKahuna
Typing error

[retired dude]

yeah: just try to get them to administer the rapid test. We have tried several walgreens and they said no, and then told us them were sold out of the kits that you do at home and have monitered online..Getting the same response from several cvs locations in our area of tampa florida. going to have to go to a clinic to get it done now.

[JamieLogical]

There is no charge for testing at CVS or Walgreens regardless of whether you have Medicare or any insurance at all. The Federal government has contracted with both of these pharmacies to offer free testing under the CARES act.

[Josie201]

I am Canadian so no Medicare or Medicaid.  Can I use these tests, with or without paying a fee?   I think we will book at a private lab as I am concerned about a last minute cancellation which I have been reading is quite common, especially at CVS.  But just wondering if I should consider these free/cheaper test options.  

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, Josie201 said:

I am Canadian so no Medicare or Medicaid.  Can I use these tests, with or without paying a fee?   I think we will book at a private lab as I am concerned about a last minute cancellation which I have been reading is quite common, especially at CVS.  But just wondering if I should consider these free/cheaper test options.  

 

Are you talking about testing at a Walgreens or CVS in the US or in Canada? I believe Don from Don's Family Vacations on YouTube said that, as a Canadian, free testing was not available to him at CVS or Walgreens in the US.

[Josie201]

14 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Are you talking about testing at a Walgreens or CVS in the US or in Canada? I believe Don from Don's Family Vacations on YouTube said that, as a Canadian, free testing was not available to him at CVS or Walgreens in the US.

Yes in the US.  We don’t have CVS or Walgreens in Canada.  

[Fouremco]

2 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Are you talking about testing at a Walgreens or CVS in the US or in Canada? I believe Don from Don's Family Vacations on YouTube said that, as a Canadian, free testing was not available to him at CVS or Walgreens in the US.

There have been numerous posts from Canadians who have used Walgreens free of charge. Don provides inaccurate information on occasion, and this would be a good example.

[LGW59]

14 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

There have been numerous posts from Canadians who have used Walgreens free of charge. Don provides inaccurate information on occasion, and this would be a good example.

On occasion?!?!  😅

[PTC DAWG]

Call me crazy, but I don't think Medicare has any business paying for tests so someone can go on vacation.  IF I can't afford a test, I need to stay home.  I ordered my last tests from Emed, paid for them myself, have no intention of trying to recover the money from my Insurance Co.  

 

No wonder our system is all jacked up.  

 

Stepping off soap box.  

Edited October 19, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[LGW59]

13 minutes ago, PTC DAWG said:

Call me crazy, but I don't think Medicare has any business paying for tests so someone can go on vacation.  IF I can't afford a test, I need to stay home.  I ordered my last tests from Emed, paid for them myself, have no intention of trying to recover the money from my Insurance Co.  

 

No wonder our system is all jacked up.  

 

Stepping off soap box.  

You (me) are blessed, vacation or not, many cannot afford and they should be able to have access

[PTC DAWG]

27 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

You (me) are blessed, vacation or not, many cannot afford and they should be able to have access

Sigh…"cannot afford" to cruise?  Or get the test?  They go hand in hand to me.  

Edited October 19, 2021 by PTC DAWG

[retired dude]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

There is no charge for testing at CVS or Walgreens regardless of whether you have Medicare or any insurance at all. The Federal government has contracted with both of these pharmacies to offer free testing under the CARES act.

please tell those pharmacies in my area that. They do not have the materials to give the rapid test. We hear this over and over again from both companies here in tampa.

[JamieLogical]

2 hours ago, Fouremco said:

There have been numerous posts from Canadians who have used Walgreens free of charge. Don provides inaccurate information on occasion, and this would be a good example.

 

Okay, I stand corrected. He's the only cruising Canadian I had heard talk about the issue at all, so my only source of info on the topic. Glad some others have had better experiences.

[JamieLogical]

12 minutes ago, retired dude said:

please tell those pharmacies in my area that. They do not have the materials to give the rapid test. We hear this over and over again from both companies here in tampa.

 

Do they have the ability to do a PCR test? None of the CVS stores in my area do rapid testing, just PCR testing. I would say about 1/3 of Walgreens in my area do rapid testing, but they all do PCR testing. I am not sure if the contract under the CARES act requires rapid testing availability.

[canderson]

13 minutes ago, retired dude said:

please tell those pharmacies in my area that. They do not have the materials to give the rapid test. We hear this over and over again from both companies here in tampa.

..  and in many other parts of the country as well.

[canderson]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Do they have the ability to do a PCR test? None of the CVS stores in my area do rapid testing, just PCR testing. I would say about 1/3 of Walgreens in my area do rapid testing, but they all do PCR testing. I am not sure if the contract under the CARES act requires rapid testing availability.

Unless you can get a "rapid" PCR, not much point.  Many still quote 72 hour turnaround since they're sending samples elsewhere for lab results.

[JamieLogical]

Just now, canderson said:

Unless you can get a "rapid" PCR, not much point.  Many still quote 72 hour turnaround since they're sending samples elsewhere for lab results.

 

In the context of testing prior to sailing on a cruise, you are correct. In the context of fulfilling their contractual obligations under the CARES act, PCR testing is likely sufficient.

[canderson]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

In the context of testing prior to sailing on a cruise, you are correct. In the context of fulfilling their contractual obligations under the CARES act, PCR testing is likely sufficient.

Given the context of the thread ...

[JamieLogical]

11 minutes ago, canderson said:

Given the context of the thread ...

 

Right, but my response was pertaining to someone complaining about rapid testing not being available at their local CVS and Walgreens when I said testing was available under the CARES act.

[graphicguy]

First...no correlation between cruising and testing.  You test to see if you are positive for COVID.  What you choose to do with your positive or negative results are totally separate entities.

 

2nd.....while I test via my Family Physician, who turns around my PCR tests between 12-16 hours, my Walgreens offers tests at no charge (for U.S. residents).  CVS is similar.

 

This is all part of combating the virus (which, because of testing and vaccinations becoming more common with the general populace).  As a result, deaths are now dropping in the U.S. after these efforts over the last several months.

 

https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-testing.jsp?ban=covidfy21_newtestingpg_brandstory_main_10.03.21

 

That people are having to test and be vaccinated before sailing is a tiny subset of the general population.  But, it's a welcome one to those of us who enjoy cruising.

Edited October 19, 2021 by graphicguy