The National Institutes of Health disclosed on Wednesday that the federal government has expanded its COVID-19 Home Test to Treat program nationally. The program began as a pilot in select locations earlier this year.
Entirely virtual, the community health program offers free COVID-19 health services — at-home rapid tests, telehealth sessions and at-home treatments — to eligible participants nationwide. With its extension across the nation, the Home Test to Treat program now will offer free testing, telehealth and treatment for both COVID-19 and for flu.
It is the first public health program that includes home testing technology at such a scale for both COVID-19 and flu, NIH said. It initially will provide a test — the LUCIRA by Pfizer — which can detect both viruses in a single test at home.
Any adult 18 or older with a current positive test for COVID-19 or flu can enroll to receive free telehealth care and, if prescribed, medication delivered to their home. Adults who do not have COVID-19 or flu may enroll and receive free tests if they are uninsured or are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs health care system or the Indian Health Services. If recipients test positive at a future time, they can receive free telehealth care and, if prescribed, treatment.
The program is a collaboration among NIH, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In March of 2022, the Biden administration unveiled the test-to-treat program as part of a multipronged initiative to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. The program included test-to-treat locations around the country where Americans could receive free COVID tests and free treatments. Other COVID-19 initiatives included expanded access to free testing and support for the healthcare labor force, which was being taxed by the pandemic.
