Starting Tuesday, the state鈥檚 Medicaid program for low-income people, MO HealthNet, will no longer reimburse people for purchasing at-home COVID-19 tests.
MO HealthNet is one of many state Medicaid programs choosing to stop covering over-the-counter tests because
鈥淢O HealthNet has been really the last straggler to do that,鈥� said Kilgore鈥檚 Medical Pharmacy partner Bill Morrissey.
Morrissey said many private insurers have already ended reimbursement for at-home COVID-19 tests, but MO HealthNet covers Missouri鈥檚 most vulnerable populations who may not always be able to afford tests in the $5 to $10 range.
鈥淚t might take a little bit of effort, but I think most folks will be able to obtain them if they need to,鈥� he said.
Morrissey said the Columbia department of Public Health and Human Services sometimes runs an outreach van, , but it isn鈥檛 always ideal.
鈥淲hen you need one is probably when you're feeling really sick,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou don't want to run around town trying to figure out how to pay for it.鈥�
Morrissey recommends that Missourians on Medicaid still try to stock up on at-home tests.
鈥淚f a person has an opportunity to, 鈥楬ey, here鈥檚 a free one the health department is giving out鈥� or 鈥極h I鈥檓 at the pharmacy and I have an extra 10 dollars,鈥� maybe I have one in my medicine cabinet just in case,鈥� Morrissey said.
MO HealthNet pharmacy director Josh Moore said he does not anticipate Missourians having trouble accessing COVID-19 tests.
鈥淲e are still continuing covering COVID testing at the doctor's office, the clinic, the labs, et cetera. So that's not ending,鈥� he said.
Moore said MO HealthNet鈥檚 claim data showed that pharmacies were potentially filling out over-the-counter COVID-19 test prescriptions without necessarily receiving requests for those tests from participants. That contributed to the decision to stop reimbursing for the tests, he said.
鈥淲e鈥檒l continue to monitor the situation,鈥� Moore said, adding that he does not see the decision impacting cost or access for low-income Missourians with Medicaid.
Moore said there are other ways for Medicaid participants to access affordable at-home testing, including that is currently offering four free tests to any household in the country.
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