Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would make rapid at-home tests for COVID-19 more readily available for Americans.
According to U.S. Rep. Don Beyer's website (D-VA), Beyer -- along with Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) and Rep. Kaiali'i Kahele (D-HI) -- introduced the legislation that would provide those tests at no cost through pharmacies and schools, through Medicare and Medicaid, and by mail via online or phone order.
“As our society adapts to the threat of COVID, a major challenge that continues to confront the country is the need for more testing,” Beyer said, according to his website. "Recent moves by the Biden-Harris administration to distribute free tests and to require private insurers to fully reimburse individuals for the cost of tests are strong, and we applaud them. Our legislation would build on that progress by making free rapid at-home tests available to the American people on the scale called for by scientific and medical experts, as currently seen in other peer countries. All of us want a return to normalcy, and we need more accessible and affordable at-home testing to help get there.”
The act would require the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, to establish and maintain a testing advisory committee.
"Americans need better access to available, affordable testing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our communities," Kahele said in a Jan. 12 Tweet. "This bill would help us keep our keiki in school safely and care for our kūpuna more confidently."
Beyer's website also states that the act would require HHS tests to be offered along with guidance, including advice to individuals who receive a positive test result on best practices and treatments. It would include prepaid envelopes with which positive tests could be mailed to public health labs for sequencing.