The free program now offers testing, telehealth, and treatment for COVID-19 and the flu.

The federal government has expanded the Home Test to Treat program, a virtual community health program that offers free COVID-19—and now influenza—health services to eligible participants nationwide. 

Home Test to Treat is a collaboration among the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which launched as a pilot in select locations earlier this year, offering at-home COVID-19 rapid tests, telehealth sessions, and at-home COVID-19 treatments. 

With its expansion, the Home Test to Treat program will now offer free testing, telehealth, and treatment for both COVID-19 and influenza A and B. It is the first public health program that includes home testing technology at such a scale for both COVID-19 and flu, according to a release from the NIH. The program initially will provide the Lucira by Pfizer COVID-19 and flu home test, the first US Food and Drug Administration-authorized test that can detect both viruses in a single test at home.

For those indicated, treatment must begin within a limited window from the onset of symptoms, underscoring the importance of continuity of care, from diagnosis to treatment. In addition, providing these services virtually, while individuals remain at home, is intended to expedite the time to treatment and the convenience of accessing services virtually from home.

Any adult with a current positive test for COVID-19 or flu can enroll to receive free telehealth care and, if prescribed, medication delivered to their home. Adults who do not have COVID-19 or flu may enroll and receive free tests if they are uninsured or are enrolled in Medicare, Medicaid, Veterans Affairs health care system, or the Indian Health Services. If recipients test positive at a future time, they can receive free telehealth care and, if prescribed, treatment.

Photo 178217640 © Piotr Adamowicz | Dreamstime.com