An average American couple at age 65 in 2023 may need approximately $315k saved and earmarked to grow just for health care expenses in retirement. With the onset of COVID-19 and a summer of Canadian wildfire smoke that plagued Minnesota and many other northern parts of the country, masks, testing, and increased air filtration, medical costs are certainly not going down. In fact, the US economy costs for labor alone are estimated to be $92B per year.

There has been a federal pilot program in a few locations around the US, offering COVID-19 testing and treatment for free for those eligible.

This federal program just expanded last week, on three fronts. First, it became nationwide. Second, they’re now offering Lucira tests instead of rapid tests. Lucira tests are a test type that has a lower false negative rate than the typically available rapid antigen tests. Third, the tests don’t just test for COVID, they test for influenza as well.

With these expansions, anyone on Medicare (or uninsured, underinsured, Medicaid, VA healthcare, Indian Health Services) can receive these tests, and treatment, for free.

Links you will want:

• The announcement
• The website at which you can sign up