Bennet Joins Gillibrand, Colleagues In Push To Expand TRICARE Coverage Of At-Home Covid-19 Tests For Service Members And Their Families

Press Release

U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) joined their colleagues in a push to expand TRICARE coverage of at-home COVID-19 tests for service members and their families. Currently, TRICARE beneficiaries can only receive coverage for at-home tests if they have an order or referral from a TRICARE-authorized provider. In a letter to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Dr. David J. Smith, the senators call for TRICARE coverage to follow the same requirements as the Biden administration requires for those covered under private insurance.

TRICARE is authorized to cover at-home tests if they are determined to be medically necessary. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA; P.L. 116-127) included provisions from the Free COVID-19 Testing Act, a bill introduced in March 2020 to protect all Americans from charges for COVID-19 tests, and requires that TRICARE cover COVID testing with no cost-sharing requirements. Recent guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrates that home tests are medically necessary.

"It is critical that the 9.6 million TRICARE beneficiaries have access to at-home tests to keep them and their communities safe," wrote Bennet, Gillibrand, and their colleagues. "We urge you to expand TRICARE coverage, under your current authority, so that those who are serving and have served our country receive the same protections as other Americans. With the rapid rise in COVID-19 cases due to the surge of the Omicron variant, it is imperative that this change is made immediately."

In addition to Bennet and Gillibrand, the letter was signed by U.S. Senators Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), and Cory Booker (D-N.J.).

Source