According to this article, senior citizens will have a harder time getting any free at-home COVID antigen tests, despite their high risk and vulnerability to the virus. The article states that Medicare beneficiaries will not gain the benefits of the Biden administration’s new rule.

Rather, according to the article, Medicare laws state that the insurance program doesn’t provide coverage for any self-administered diagnostic tests—which is what rapid antigen testing is. And when senior citizens are at high-risk and rely on a static monthly income, this situation tends to be problematic.

Many seniors are utilizing other ways to get free testing, the article explains. Other methods of getting a free test include utilizing the website COVIDtests.gov, a website launched by the Biden administration, or at community centers. However, this is not always enough as tests are difficult to find, especially since Omicron has taken over.