Along with vaccinations and protective measures such as wearing masks, maintaining physical distance, and hand-washing, at-home COVID-19 tests are an important tool for stopping the spread of the virus. Learn more about the types of tests and how to get them on the CDC's webpage.
Testing support for older adults and people with disabilities
The Eldercare Locator and the Disability Information and Assistance Line (DIAL) can help older adults and people with disabilities learn about testing options, get accessible instructions, help with test administration and more.
- People with disabilities can contact DIAL by calling 888-677-1199 or by emailing DIAL@usaginganddisability.org.
- Older adults can call the Eldercare Locator at 800-677-1116 Monday-Friday or visit the website to chat live or browse resources.
Both phone lines are staffed Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Eastern).
Insurance coverage of at-home COVID-19 tests
Laboratory tests for COVID-19 that are ordered by your provider will still be covered with no out-of-pocket costs for people with Medicare. Coverage of over-the-counter tests may vary by your insurance type.This CMS fact sheet (also available in Spanish) has more information.
If you don't have health insurance
CDC's Increasing Community Access to Testing for COVID-19 program provides no-cost COVID-19 testing for uninsured people that are symptomatic or exposed. More than 19,000 ICATT sites will offer no-cost COVID-19 vaccines under the CDC Bridge Access program to adults without health insurance and adults without full vaccine insurance coverage. An estimated 10,000 ICATT sites continue to support testing and disease surveillance needs at non-emergency levels. A list of no-cost COVID-19 testing sites can be found on the COVID-19 Testing Locator website. To find a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine near you please visit vaccines.gov.
Connect with Community Health Centers
The Department of Health and Human Services is committed to ensuring that people at greatest risk from COVID-19 have equitable access to resources that can help prevent its spread. To that end, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have been working together to help support the needs of older adults and individuals with disabilities. ACL and HRSA offer the aging and disability networks to partner with HRSA-supported health centers and Medicare-certified rural health clinics.
It is crucial that the health centers and rural clinics hear from our networks about the needs of the people we serve and our networks’ interest in partnering. This will help them accurately assess the needs in their communities and place orders to meet them as the programs and supplies expand.
To find a potential community health center partner, visit Find A Health Center.