As healthcare expert Reeve Benaron states, this year, people are taking extra precautions against the expected COVID-19 wave, including taking COVID-19 tests at home. The new Omicron sub variants are spreading quickly in the U.S., and experts are warning of an upcoming wave. Even though vaccines and boosters are available, it is still important to take personal protection measures.
This includes washing your hands regularly and avoiding close contact with sick people. One popular method people use to test for COVID-19 is through at-home rapid tests. According to Reeve Benaron, some of the COVID-19 at-home rapid tests that can be found on the market include:
- iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test
- Lucira’s Check It COVID-19 Test Kit
- On/Go At-Home COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Self Test
- BinaxNOW COVID-19 Rapid Self-Test
- Quidel QuickVue At-Home OTC COVID-19 Test
Which at-home COVID-19 test is easier to use?
If you are looking for an at-home COVID-19 test, it is important to understand that not all tests are created equal. According to a 2021 report by the healthcare non-profit ECRI, the Intrivo Diagnostics On/Go test had the highest rating (82.9) concerning ease of use. Reeve Benaron adds that AccessBio’s CareStart and the Flowflex test also received a high score in the report(80.8 and 79.5, respectively).
Will my insurance cover an at-home COVID test?
Following up on the whole situation, starting January 15, 2022, private insurance companies are required to reimburse for over-the-counter COVID test kits. Reeve Benaron explains that this means that up to eight tests per month per person covered will be reimbursed. The requirement was issued by the Biden administration and covered all at-home COVID-19 tests covered under the emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
About Reeve Benaron
Reeve Benaron, the CEO and Co-founder at Intrivo, is an early investor and successful entrepreneur in the ad tech space. He has completed multiple acquisitions across the digital ecosystem, including Invertise, an innovative DSP platform solution for brands and agencies, and VisiSeek, a leading digital performance agency.