Nearly two years in the COVID-19 pandemic, some uninsured New Yorkers might struggle to find a free test as locations become more limited.
In both Columbia and Greene counties, 94% of residents had health insurance as of 2019, according to Healthy Capital District Initiative, a nonprofit that seeks to increase access to health services. And while the government will often foot the bill for testing uninsured individuals, access to those free tests might not be as widespread in the Twin Counties as it once was.
The number of tests conducted in Columbia County has generally decreased since a spike in September, according to data from the state Department of Health: on Sept. 22, 642 people were tested, and as of Nov. 3, 387 were tested. In Greene County, 378 were tested on Sept. 23, while 255 were tested Nov. 3.
According to the New York State Department of Health, tests at sites run by the state are free of cost, but tests from local governments, private companies including pharmacies and medical practices or nonprofit organizations might charge a fee.
“Under the federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act, and the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, a testing site can receive reimbursement for fees associated with testing uninsured individuals,” according to the Department of Health.
Without insurance, costs for COVID-19 tests can range anywhere from $85 to $175 out-of-pocket. But some locations and municipalities in the area are offering free testing.
Greene County is offering free COVID-19 rapid testing with its Emergency Services Mobile Command Center.
Testing is offered only to people with symptoms, people who have been in contact with a positive person seven to 10 days after contact and students kindergarten through 12th grade who return to school after positive contact or symptoms, according to Greene County Public Health.
The mobile unit sets up in different communities in the county to offer services.
Testing is not available for work, travel or voluntary reasons, Greene County Public Health said. The rapid tests give results in 15 minutes.
The converted recreational vehicle is equipped with four testing machines and is staffed by public health’score medical volunteers.
The tests, ID NOW tests created by Abbott, amplify the viral RNA of a nasal swab hundreds of millions oftimes to make the virus detectable, according to Abbott’s website.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, point-of-care tests such as ID NOW have a “moderate to high” test sensitivity.
“ID NOW is at the forefront of molecular testing technology because of the isothermal process by whichthe virus is quickly extracted and magnified at a constant temperature,” John Hackett Jr., divisional vice president of applied research and technology for Abbott’s Diagnostics business, said in a statement. “This technology is so important when testing in hotspots and in decentralized health care settings, wheresometimes the lab isn’t an option.”
The department of health said the mobile unit would be set up in East Durham Monday at the Milk Run and in Catskill at the Lumberyard Wednesday.
The Columbia County Department of Health is only testing people associated with positive cases the department is tracking, the department said. Jack Mabb, director of the Department of Health, said if people develop symptoms after being exposed at work, the department will also test them, and all testing is free.
“We start with a positive ... and they tell us who their contacts are,” Mabb said.
Walgreens, located at 15 Coleman St., in Chatham provides free drive-through testing for people ages 3 and up, according to the pharmacy. Testing options include PCR tests, which take longer for results as labs test for genetic material from the virus, and rapid tests, and those without insurance can still schedule appointments for testing on the Walgreens website, the pharmacy said.
The pharmacy at Price Chopper in Chatham on Route 66 offers PCR testing by appointment and has no cost without insurance, the pharmacy said. Patients do not need to be symptomatic.
Central Avenue Pharmacy in Albany offers free rapid antigen testing without insurance from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. with results in 15 minutes, the pharmacy said. Rapid PCR tests are $120 and take 30 minutes for results, and standard PCR tests are covered by insurance. Symptoms are not required for the free rapid test.
CVS Pharmacy locations in Valatie and Red Hook are no longer testing for COVID-19, the pharmacies said. Quest Diagnostics in Saugerties is only testing for antibodies at the recommendation of a doctor and is not testing active COVID-19 cases.
Though they are not free, at-home testing kits are also for sale at local pharmacies. At-home rapid tests cost around $24 at Walgreens or CVS, according to their websites.
Access to free COVID testing a struggle | NY State | hudsonvalley360.com - Hudson Valley 360
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