I went by two public libraries this week and both were out. I ended up paying $50 for a 4 pack at CVS, and I also booked a PCR appointment (for free) in Arlington. I have cold symptoms and need to be tested before traveling next week.

Getting the OTC test was not easy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is free. That’s the first thing to remember. If it’s free to you, it’s on someone else’s dime

Sure, but the cost of the pandemic is significant. Government-subsidized free or low-cost tests would provide a valuable public health tool to stop or control outbreaks. It's a no-brainer to me, but I guess others don't agree.

Yeah I mean, maintaining roads isn’t “free.” Nor is public school. But we’ve made a decision as a society that they’re worth the cost.

Anonymous wrote:Nothing is free. That’s the first thing to remember. If it’s free to you, it’s on someone else’s dime

Sure, but the cost of the pandemic is significant. Government-subsidized free or low-cost tests would provide a valuable public health tool to stop or control outbreaks. It's a no-brainer to me, but I guess others don't agree.

Just spent $50 for 2 2 packs at CVS, Want to be able to test college students as they walk in the door. Going to a testing site would take much longer to get the results. Both are at Cornell.

Nothing is free. That’s the first thing to remember. If it’s free to you, it’s on someone else’s dime

They should be.

we’ve had two PCRs lost this fall. It was very unlikely to be COVID but the results just never came back at two different times. We just used rapid tests to confirm it wasn’t.

Anonymous wrote:Why should they be free?

Because the cost of a free test is less than the social and medical costs of a positive case continuing to go to school or work and spreading it to many others. That is also why we are getting the shots for free. My friend in the UK gets as many tests as she wants for free.

They must be about to supply this more cheaply if they take away the packaging and marketing . The guts of the kit is a cotton swab, a vial of fluid and a strip of test paper.

Anonymous wrote:frequent rapid testing is for public health-- many other countries are providing them for free to reduce overall case count. and no if i go for a pregnancy test at the dr i pay a co-pay where i can can buy a pack of them on amazon for less than 50 cents per test which makes it easy to repeat test regularly (had to retest daily for weeks to track a miscarriage). If we want to stop the spread of covid spread they need to be easily accessible and not just for those of us who can afford to track them down at $25 a box.

Are you in VA? Libraries have them for free.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Go to a testing site and get a rapid and pcr at the same time. The testing centers are all over the place. Mine are always covered by insurance and I have results within the hour. the over the counter ones do add a convenience factor but if you don't want to pay for them then go to a testing center.

Wtf do you live?? This is not the reality in most places

Patient First, if there is one anywhere near you. Walk-in; we did this recently when a family member started having congestion, runny nose, sore throat, and exhaustion. They did a single rapid covid and flu combined test, and then they also did a PCR. We got the PCR next day, results over text.

Anonymous wrote:What are you talking about, Biden is making them free.

https://www.today.com/health/rapid-covid-19-test-how-get-reimbursed-health-insurance-t242232

This is a terrible system and extremely inefficient. Getting reimbursed through your insurance company only adds more bureaucratic red tape. You should be able to walk to your neighborhood pharmacy, library, community center, etc., and pick up a dozen tests for free to use at home. European countries have done this. Asian countries have done this. The US is a mess.

Anonymous wrote:What are you talking about, Biden is making them free.

https://www.today.com/health/rapid-covid-19-test-how-get-reimbursed-health-insurance-t242232

requiring certain kinds of insurance to reimburse for rapid tests is not the same as making them free and mailing them to people or making them available in libraries and post offices or any number of other things they could have done or tried to work with Congress to do. Even the Trump administration made COVID tests free for everyone without people having to file paperwork to get reimbursed.

What are you talking about, Biden is making them free.

https://www.today.com/health/rapid-covid-19-test-how-get-reimbursed-health-insurance-t242232

Why should they be free?

frequent rapid testing is for public health-- many other countries are providing them for free to reduce overall case count. and no if i go for a pregnancy test at the dr i pay a co-pay where i can can buy a pack of them on amazon for less than 50 cents per test which makes it easy to repeat test regularly (had to retest daily for weeks to track a miscarriage). If we want to stop the spread of covid spread they need to be easily accessible and not just for those of us who can afford to track them down at $25 a box.

Anonymous wrote:You pay for the convenience if you want to do it at home. They are $7 at Walmart (2 for 14). BinaxNow often comes back in stock or now there are other brands like this. https://www.walmart.com/ip/InteliSwab-COVID-19-Rapid-Antigen-Test-For-results-anytime-and-anywhere-2-Tests/916411293?athcpid=916411293&athpgid=AthenaItempage&athcgid=null&athznid=si&athieid=v0&athstid=CS004&athguid=RKT1vPW6BTTbkaVT6sZD527LEIG6SjCgDKFK&athancid=null&athena=true

Or for free, make an appointment somewhere and use insurance. Or go to a library and pick one up. Even some VA libraries now have them.

But this isn’t about individual convenience. It’s not about individuals at all. I don’t get a rapid Covid tests because it’s valuable healthcare for me. If it was just about me I’d never use a rapid test, and just get a PCR if I needed. I’m cheap do I would never bother to pay for the convenience. I’m triple vaxed and WFH so I’m not that concerned about getting Covid.

But I do take rapid tests when I have symptoms or a known exposure, because I have a child in public school and a spouse who is an essential worker at an in person job. So if I catch Covid, I need to know ASAP so we can keep them both home and alert their school/workplace of the positive case, and do they can get tested.

A Covid test is NOT like a pregnancy test, which is only of interest to me and my doctor. A positive Covid result us of interest to anyone who could be infected by that person while they are infectious. So being able to get that positive in 15 minutes at home is far preferable to waiting hours or even days to get that result elsewhere. It’s not about the individuals convenience.