U.S. Representatives Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) and Scott H. Peters (D-CA-50) are leading a federal effort to protect Medicare recipients from new medical costs. Their letter signed by 32 House members urges the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to continue covering the costs of at-home COVID-19 tests for beneficiaries.

Medicare coverage of these costs is slated to terminate along with the public health emergency (PHE) declaration on May 11, 2023.

“We understand that CMS’s demonstration program to cover at-home tests is slated to end along with the PHE. Yet, the need for readily accessible, at-home COVID-19 tests will not go away when the PHE ends,” the Members wrote.

“As new strains continue to emerge, we must ensure that Medicare beneficiaries have access to the diagnostic tools they’ve come to rely on.

“We write to ask CMS to provide our offices with additional information on its authority and plans to potentially extend this demonstration program beyond the PHE,” the Members conclude.