Prices for COVID-19 Testing

After the public health emergency ends on May 11, private health plans will no longer be required to cover the full cost of COVID-19 tests ordered or administered by a clinician or to reimburse consumers for at-home rapid tests.

The analysis looks at what those tests could potentially cost consumers, depending on whether they have insurance and how their insurance covers such tests after the emergency ends. It draws on claims data showing what private insurers have paid for different types of COVID-19 tests, as well as hospitals’ published “self-pay” prices for patients without insurance and a survey of major retailers’ prices for at-home COVID-19 tests.

The analysis is available through the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, an online information hub that monitors and assesses the performance of the U.S. health system.