Medicare and Covid tests

[Mary229]

One more thread.  So we have a cruise upcoming and am thinking ahead to the pre-test.   There has been lots of talk about there are no longer free pharmacy tests so I went straight to the source Medicare.gov.  They say they are still free if you are covered by Medicare

 

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

[jeh10641]

11 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

One more thread.  So we have a cruise upcoming and am thinking ahead to the pre-test.   There has been lots of talk about there are no longer free pharmacy tests so I went straight to the source Medicare.gov.  They say they are still free if you are covered by Medicare

 

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

Mary229,

Thanks for that good news.

 

Jim

[HELENPSL]

11 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

One more thread.  So we have a cruise upcoming and am thinking ahead to the pre-test.   There has been lots of talk about there are no longer free pharmacy tests so I went straight to the source Medicare.gov.  They say they are still free if you are covered by Medicare

 

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

Went to the pharmacy at my grocery store and asked for the free tests.  Had to give them my Medicare card, they filled out a form and gave me 8 tests.  No problem!

Helen

[Mary229]

6 minutes ago, HELENPSL said:

Went to the pharmacy at my grocery store and asked for the free tests.  Had to give them my Medicare card, they filled out a form and gave me 8 tests.  No problem!

Helen

This is for the actual testing not only the free tests.  Scroll down a bit 

 

Medicare Advantage Plans can’t charge copayments, deductibles, or coinsurance for clinical lab tests to detect or diagnose COVID-19.

Edited July 31, 2022 by Mary229

[DaveOKC]

Let me ask a specific question - has anyone found a good source for free testing for cruise travel (like Walgreens and CVS used to do) assuming you have Medicare?  

[The-Inside-Cabin]

6 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Let me ask a specific question - has anyone found a good source for free testing for cruise travel (like Walgreens and CVS used to do) assuming you have Medicare?  

Here is a web site in Oklahoma that lists a bunch of free tests.   

 

https://www.testokc.com/

 

 

[DaveOKC]

4 hours ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

Here is a web site in Oklahoma that lists a bunch of free tests.   

 

https://www.testokc.com/

 

 

THANKS!  My Urgent Care provider is on the list (we got our last April test there) so I will check again.  Alot of places (such as Walgreens and CVS) now charge for travel related tests.

 

[QueenofEverything]

10 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

Let me ask a specific question - has anyone found a good source for free testing for cruise travel (like Walgreens and CVS used to do) assuming you have Medicare?  

No, and I have tried.  Even if it should be free with Medicare, I am not sure the pharmacies are aware of this.  I noticed this with the free at home tests.  Initially, there was a lot of confusion.  I was told at the pharmacy that for Medicare to pay for them a prescription was required.  Now, it is not problem to just request them.  I think that since the insurance companies stopped paying for tests for travel fairly recently, it may take a little time for pharmacies to pick up that Medicare maybe different.

[prescottbob]

USPO is also offering "free" tests (8 / pp), Medicare not needed:

 

Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests (usps.com)

 

Be well.

Bob

[DCThunder]

Unless I'm mistaken, these aren't the "proctored" type tests that are required for cruise ship boarding, are they?

[mobilemac]

My understanding ... Medicare will only cover one on-demand proctored covid test per year.  The 2nd, 3rd, etc., will be covered by Medicare only if it is medically prescribed by your physician.  So if you only cruise 1/year, you're covered by Medicare.  For your 2nd, 3rd, etc., you'll have to pay CVS, Walgreen, or an on-line proctored service like the Optom Store's Binaxnow emed proctored test kit.

[DCThunder]

19 minutes ago, mobilemac said:

My understanding ... Medicare will only cover one on-demand proctored covid test per year.  The 2nd, 3rd, etc., will be covered by Medicare only if it is medically prescribed by your physician.  So if you only cruise 1/year, you're covered by Medicare.  For your 2nd, 3rd, etc., you'll have to pay CVS, Walgreen, or an on-line proctored service like the Optom Store's Binaxnow emed proctored test kit.

I think this is a correct interpretation of the current state of testing in the US.  Thus getting a "free test" from one of the places listed above, really doesn't help you much if the intent is to use the result to board a ship.

[Mary229]

21 hours ago, DCThunder said:

I think this is a correct interpretation of the current state of testing in the US.  Thus getting a "free test" from one of the places listed above, really doesn't help you much if the intent is to use the result to board a ship.

I have already gotten 2 covered and will be going by the pharmacy in person to find out.  

[Tampa Girl]

23 hours ago, mobilemac said:

My understanding ... Medicare will only cover one on-demand proctored covid test per year.  The 2nd, 3rd, etc., will be covered by Medicare only if it is medically prescribed by your physician.  So if you only cruise 1/year, you're covered by Medicare.  For your 2nd, 3rd, etc., you'll have to pay CVS, Walgreen, or an on-line proctored service like the Optom Store's Binaxnow emed proctored test kit.

 What is the cost from those pharmacies for this test?  And is the difference between "acceptable" and "non-acceptable tests" the need to have it proctored?

[oakridger]

Test must be proctored to be accepted.  Other threads here on the HAL forum discuss the wording on the HAL website on what brands/proctoring services are accepted.  Some people have reported using the free US government issued tests with an online proctoring service and it was accepted by HAL.

[LuvsACruise]

Today I called 3 Walgreens pharmacies here in central Florida and all three told me that

Medicare would not pay for a covid test that is just for travel.

This response is for a Medicare + Tricare plan. (I did not ask about a Medicare Advantage plan)

For Travel the test cost is $128pp.

The test is free (Medicare paid) if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with a covid positive person. Obviously not usable for travelers! Guess we have to go for the online proctored testing for the least cost. On Point (the setups are outside our airports, and a similar company outside Port Canaveral) is still doing proctored tests for travel for $60 or $70pp, results with 15 min.

[Mary229]

2 hours ago, LuvsACruise said:

The test is free (Medicare paid) if you have symptoms or have been in close contact with a covid positive person.

Why not, have you gone out in public lately?  I am sure you were in contact with a Covid positive person

Edited August 3, 2022 by Mary229

[Mary229]

By the way, I have been watching my CVS website and it updated today to say Covid tests “at not cost to you”.  This is the public page before I have entered any details or filled any forms.  It is the same old thing you need to say you were near people with Covid.  That has been the protocol for quite a while.  Now if they make me get a monkeypox test to cruise I am done with cruising🤣

[vswan]

I've been going back and forth with this. My insurance agent needed to do some digging to find our if it was covered. The wording she found was that it was free if it was a diagnostic test - still was not sure if that meant that you needed to have symptoms to be free.

 

I called a local testing sight - for work and drug testings. Told them it was for travel and asked what type of insurance I had. They said with Medicare it was $100 per person. The local clinic told me it was $238. Walgreens web page told me we may need to pay and submit to insurance for possible payment. I ordered the emed tests.

[Mary229]

22 minutes ago, vswan said:

I've been going back and forth with this. My insurance agent needed to do some digging to find our if it was covered. The wording she found was that it was free if it was a diagnostic test - still was not sure if that meant that you needed to have symptoms to be free.

 

I called a local testing sight - for work and drug testings. Told them it was for travel and asked what type of insurance I had. They said with Medicare it was $100 per person. The local clinic told me it was $238. Walgreens web page told me we may need to pay and submit to insurance for possible payment. I ordered the emed tests.

If you are with Aetna, by chance use CVS - they are the same company 

[victory2020]

6 hours ago, Mary229 said:

By the way, I have been watching my CVS website and it updated today to say Covid tests “at not cost to you”.  This is the public page before I have entered any details or filled any forms.  It is the same old thing you need to say you were near people with Covid.  That has been the protocol for quite a while.  Now if they make me get a monkeypox test to cruise I am done with cruising🤣

I went to CVS when they had this statement & got a test then I got a bill for the "visit" but the test as free with my insurance. I called & referred to the statement that was still on their website & have not heard back or gotten another bill 

[AncientWanderer]

Our experience with Phamatech Labs here in San Diego:   PCR only has been covered by Medicare.  The rapid antigen tests are not covered.  DH gets PCR because it's covered; I pay for rapid antigen because it's cheaper than PCR and I don't have Medicare yet.

We've done this for two different cruises.  Things do change every day.

[AFNavigator]

On 8/1/2022 at 9:52 AM, DCThunder said:

Unless I'm mistaken, these aren't the "proctored" type tests that are required for cruise ship boarding, are they?

Nope.  These are just basic un-proctored tests.  Not useable for the medically supervised pre-cruise test.

[buhbyenow]

Has anyone used OnPointTesting for their proctored antigen (self administered) at home pre-cruise Covid test?  They are a lot less expensive than the other providers.  

[QueenofEverything]

4 hours ago, buhbyenow said:

Has anyone used OnPointTesting for their proctored antigen (self administered) at home pre-cruise Covid test?  They are a lot less expensive than the other providers.  

We used them before a recent Disney cruise.  Technically they are not what what Holland America requires, as you have probably seen the discussions on these boards.

As far as their service, it worked for Disney but I have to say I was not impressed with the quality of their work.  At that time you could use one appointment for up to 4 people.  I noticed they have changed that to one.  My husband and I did it at the same appointment.  The proctor had us hold our tests up to the camera and then told us to proceed.  She did give us step by step instructions and was able to see us swabbing, she never asked us to angle the camera so she could see our hands while we were completing the test.  As soon as we could see the control line, she wanted us to hold them up to the camera.  That was less than 5 minutes into the 15 minute timer and we were done.  Sent PDF certificates shortly thereafter.  No QR codes, but worked fine.