Access free home telehealth for Flu and COVID-19 infections
*The following contains a fair amount of information about the Home Test To Treat Program. Please see the main points summary at the bottom of this article for a more simplified break down*
We are beyond excited to announce our first project of the year as a new program of #MEAction, a collaboration with Home Test To Treat to share their critically important resource! Acute COVID-19 treatment and testing is unfortunately becoming harder and harder to access with the U.S. government public health emergency having been declared ended. The Home Test To Treat pilot program is a way to fill that gap in an accessible and equitable way.
Home Test To Treat is helping to address some of the serious socioeconomic/healthcare access barriers that exist in the community, as well as the clinical care access issues during acute COVID infections. Many people-particularly those within marginalized communities are having increasing difficulty accessing treatment during acute infections due to a number of reasons such as financial barriers, accessible telehealth options becoming more limited, and some providers being unwilling to prescribe; Home Test To Treat wants to help fill that gap within the healthcare system to address lack of inclusivity and health inequity.
We love what Home Test To Treat is doing and hope that everyone in our community and beyond is able to find this program helpful, whether that be as another tool in your potential infection toolbox, or as an immediate need. We hope this will be a critical first step to stop, rest, pace if you find yourself dealing with COVID or the flu. We would love it if you help spread the word to your friends and loved ones.
What is Home Test to Treat?
Home Test to Treat is a fully HIPAA compliant (national) free public health pilot program providing free Covid and flu tests, telehealth, and treatment via test2treat.org. Those who enroll can receive free services including: COVID-19/Flu tests (if eligible), telehealth visits, and treatment (if prescribed). If you are currently positive for COVID-19 or Flu, you can enroll to receive telehealth services and treatment (if prescribed), all at no cost to you.
If you are not currently positive for COVID-19 or Flu, you can enroll to additionally receive free tests (if eligible), and later telemedicine services to use if you become sick with COVID-19 or Flu. Treatment can be shipped to you or picked up at a local pharmacy* at no cost for those eligible. *Dispensing fees may apply for local pharmacy pickup. Individuals who are uninsured, enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, IHS, or VA Healthcare can sign up today and receive free at-home COVID19/flu tests even if they are not currently positive.
Eligibility
Great news! Everyone in the US, 18 and up, is eligible to receive help through this program! If you are currently positive for COVID or the flu, you are eligible for free telehealth care and treatment that can be mailed or sent to a pharmacy. In addition, If you are not currently positive for COVID-19 or Flu, you might also be able enroll to receive free tests (see eligibility details on this below).
For those who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, VA healthcare or Indian Health Services:
○ Do not need to have COVID-19 or flu to sign up
○ Eligible for free at-home COVID/flu tests
○ If testing positive, participants can receive free telehealth care and treatment for
COVID-19 and/or flu, if prescribed
For those who are privately insured or have employer-sponsored healthcare:
○ Eligible to enroll with a current positive COVID-19 and/or flu test
○ Can receive free telehealth care and treatment for COVID-19 and/or flu, if
prescribed
○ Those with employer-sponsored or private insurance are not currently eligible to
receive free tests. Individuals may be able to receive free tests through https://www.covid.gov/tools-and-resources/resources/tests.
Is the program really free?
Yes! The program is fully supported by the NIH RADx® Tech program and ASPR. Identification isn’t required nor will a payment method of any kind be asked for. For those who choose local pickup, dispensing fees at your local pharmacy may apply.
“Please note, this program is free, and we will never request your specific payment or insurance information, nor will bill or contact any insurance provider you may have. You must be at least 18 years old to participate.” - from test2treat.org
How to sign up
Head to Home Test To Treat’s website here or call 1-800-682-2829 in English or Spanish to enroll. For more detailed step by step directions, head to the front page of their website and scroll down to the section titled “How Does The Program Work”.
Long term goals of the Home Test To Treat program
Home Test To Treat is addressing some of the serious socieoconomic/healthcare access barriers and clinical care access barriers that exist in the community. Home Test To Treat’s long term research goals and impact that they hope to have in this healthcare gap go beyond COVID-19 and Flu treatment. A key aim of this program is to better understand how technologies such as at-home test and telemedicine can improve healthcare access, and to increase testing and treatment equity in vulnerable populations and those who have limited access to healthcare.
“This program is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to better understand how technologies such as at-home tests and telemedicine can improve healthcare access for individuals across the country.” -www.test2treat.org
Telehealth is a critical and necessary tool that makes healthcare accessible and safe for vulnerable and marginalized communities. Obtaining accessible healthcare for those with disabilities and chronic illnesses is always a challenge, obtaining safe and accessible health care during a global pandemic has made this even more challenging. As soon as the United States public health emergency was declared as ended, the chronically ill and disabled communities witnessed telehealth options being taken away that were finally somewhat more accessible during the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Home Test To Treat has seen this gap in coverage and is currently helping to fill it with their COVID-19 treatment and telehealth options, but they are also simultaneously learning from the active program in how this technology can fill this healthcare gap as a critical accessibility need into the future:
“Through the Home Test to Treat program, we hope to learn more about test-to-treat models – who uses these programs, if the program makes it easier for people to access telehealth, and how we can improve similar programs in the future. While the program is currently focused on COVID-19 and Flu, what we learn from this program will help create better test-to-treat programs for other diseases and health conditions.”
To learn more and register for this free program go to www.test2treat.org or call 1-800-682-2829.
If you have any questions, check out Home Test To Treat’s FAQ located here: faqs
Main Points Summary
Body Politic as a new program of #MEAction is collaborating with Home Test To Treat to share the news about this program trying to help address racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic health care access barriers. We hope this will be a critical first step to stop, rest, and pace if you find yourself dealing with COVID or the flu. We would love it if you help spread the word to your friends and loved ones.
Home Test To Treat is a fully HIPAA compliant (national) free public health program providing free Covid and flu tests, telehealth, and treatment via test2treat.org.
Everyone is eligible to enroll. Even if you are not currently positive for COVID-19 or Flu, certain people can enroll to receive free tests(see details on this below) and EVERYONE who is currently sick can receive free telemedicine services and care if prescribed.
For those who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, VA healthcare or Indian Health Services:
○ Do not need to have COVID-19 or flu to sign up
○ Are eligible for free at-home COVID/flu tests
○ If testing positive, participants can receive free telehealth care and treatment for
COVID-19 and/or flu, if prescribed
For those who are privately insured or have employer-sponsored healthcare:
○ Eligible to enroll with a current positive COVID-19 and/or flu test
○ Can receive free telehealth care and treatment for COVID-19 and/or flu, if
prescribed
○ Those with employer-sponsored or private insurance are not currently eligible to
receive free tests
Long term goal of Test To Treat: “This program is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to better understand how technologies such as at-home tests and telemedicine can improve healthcare access for individuals across the country.” -www.test2treat.org
The program is a pilot and is expected to end in mid-April, 2024.
Head to Home Test To Treat’s website here or call 1-800-682-2829 in English or Spanish to enroll.