When the plan to provide free at-home COVID tests was announced in December, it looked pretty underwhelming—tests would be reimbursable by insurance, and free tests would be available at some community centers. Fortunately, the plan is now being rolled out, with an important addition: You can request free tests from a government website, and they will be mailed to you at no cost.
How to request free at-home COVID tests
The website to bookmark is covidtests.gov. Starting Jan. 19, you can request a package of four tests to be sent to your home. (Update Jan. 18 at 12 p.m.: Some people have been able to order tests already, although when I checked, I still couldn’t access the ordering screen. This seems to be rolling out in phases, so give it a try!)
White House officials say they expect tests to ship 7 to 12 days after ordering. To request the tests, you just need to provide your name and address. If you give your email address, as well, you can get shipping updates.
There will also be a phone number you can call to order tests, but that number has not yet been announced.
The four-test limit is per address. (Fun fact: You’re supposed to test a second time if the first test is negative, so four tests is the number you would buy to test just two people.) Administration officials would not give a rationale for why they selected four as the magic number, but hinted that this is kind of the best they can do:
If folks use up the tests, we hope that they can access other ways to get tested, including through pharmacies and online; including our 20,000 free testing sites; including, for those that are patients of community health centers, free testing and pick-up at community health centers.
Other ways to get free tests
If you have private insurance, your insurance is required to reimburse you for at-home COVID tests that you purchase on your own. This policy went into effect Jan. 15, so save your receipts and check with your insurance company for specifics.
At-home tests are also being distributed at places like community health centers and rural health clinics across the country.