Skip to main content

Newsroom

UPDATE: COVID-19 over the counter testing reimbursement

Cranbury, NJ — January 26, 2022 — Access to COVID-19 testing is critically important as we work to limit the spread of COVID-19 variants. AmeriHealth New Jersey is implementing the Biden administration’s over-the-counter (OTC) testing program finalized earlier this month.

Beginning January 15, 2022, and until the end of the Federal State of Emergency, AmeriHealth New Jersey will cover up to eight FDA approved OTC COVID-19 tests per calendar month as directed by the Biden administration’s program.

Individuals, Families, and Group customers with FutureScripts (OptumRx) can use this coverage in three ways:

  • Point of Sale: Members can visit any Walmart, Sam’s Club, or Rite Aid location, get an OTC COVID-19 test kit off the shelf, and check out at the pharmacy counter with $0 out-of-pocket costs. Members must present their member ID card and ask to have the OTC test submitted to OptumRx.
  • Ordering Online: Starting in early February, members will be able to order OTC COVID-19 tests from OptumRx using an online form that will be available next week.
  • Member Reimbursement: If members purchased an OTC COVID-19 test on or after January 15, 2022, they can submit for a reimbursement of up to $12 per test. Members should complete the OptumRx Over-the-Counter Test Reimbursement Form and include their receipts. Members need to submit a separate claim form for each family member.

AmeriHealth New Jersey and OptumRx do not control the supply of at-home tests. Coverage is available when the pharmacy offers OTC COVID-19 tests and has them in stock. For members with pharmacy coverage through another company, they should contact the phone number on their prescription drug card for information on how OTC COVID-19 test coverage applies.

The Biden administration has also set up a website where people can order four free COVID-19 rapid tests per household. These tests can be ordered by visiting covidtests.gov.

In addition, AmeriHealth New Jersey continues to cover FDA-approved COVID-19 diagnostic tests, such as PCR tests, with no cost share for any member when ordered or administered by a health care provider following an individualized clinical assessment. AmeriHealth New Jersey does not cover tests that are needed for return to work, a condition of employment, return to school, or travel.

Additional information about COVID-19 testing and vaccines can be found in these FAQs.

About AmeriHealth New Jersey
For more than 25 years AmeriHealth New Jersey* has been dedicated to enhancing the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve. Our members are at the center of everything we do. Since the onset of the Affordable Care Act, we have been committed to offering health plans on the Individual Marketplace, which expanded access to coverage for New Jersey residents. The company also participates in New Jersey’s state-based exchange that was established in 2020. We are exclusively focused on New Jersey with plans designed to meet the unique needs of individuals, small- and mid-sized businesses, municipalities and boards of education across the state. We also provide administrative services to self-funded groups. Named one of the Best Places to Work for the past ten years, AmeriHealth New Jersey is located in Cranbury, NJ. For more information visit amerihealthnj.com.

*AmeriHealth Insurance Company of New Jersey | AmeriHealth HMO, Inc.

Carly LePore
Manager, Corporate Communications
Carly.Lepore@amerihealth.com
201-906-7429 (mobile)

Carly LePore

Carly LePore joined AmeriHealth in 2018 where today she serves as the organization's Corporate Communications Manager. She plays a key role in protecting and promoting the AmeriHealth New Jersey brand by providing strategic counsel on matters related to media relations, speaking engagements and public appearances as well as internal associate communications.

As a member of AmeriHealth’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Council, Carly plays an integral role in helping cultivate a welcoming and inclusive work environment within the company.

Carly brings more than a decade of experience in public/media relations as well as corporate and associate communications. Carly earned her B.A. in public relations with a minor in sociology from Quinnipiac University in Connecticut.