COVID-19 Testing

Medi-Cal and CareAdvantage members

Get COVID-19 tests at no-cost through Medi-Cal Rx

• Your primary care provider (PCP) needs to give you a prescription for the COVID-19 test.
• Each person can get up to four tests per month.
• Effective January 1, 2026, all OTC COVID-19 antigen tests will require prior authorization (unless you are under 21 and it is being prescribed by a California Children’s Services Paneled Provider). Each approval can only be used once, so you will need a new one each time.
• Only certain brands are covered: See the list of covered COVID-19 tests.
• Find a pharmacy in the Medi-Cal Rx network.

COVID-19 tests will tell you if you have the virus. Getting results can take from 15 minutes to a few days, depending on which type of test you take. Learn more about testing and when you should get tested at the California Department of Public Health website.

Important: If you are a CareAdvantage member, you must get coverage for COVID-19 test kits through Medi-Cal Rx, because Medicare does not cover these kits.

COVID-19 At-Home Test Kit Repayment

Learn how you can get reimbursed for COVID-19 tests you buy at pharmacies or online.

The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) will reimburse you through Medi-Cal Rx for the retail cost of COVID-19 test kits you purchased at pharmacies. DHCS will reimburse each member for four test kits per month (up to eight total). You can get repaid for more kits if a provider orders or administers them after an individualized clinical assessment.

Important: If you are a CareAdvantage member, you must request coverage for COVID-19 test kits through Medi-Cal Rx, because Medicare does not cover these kits.

• To get reimbursed, you must have been eligible for Medi-Cal at the time you bought the test kits. 
• The test kits must be one that is covered by Medi-Cal Rx. A list is available on DHCS Over-the-Counter COVID-19 Antigen Test Kits webpage.
• You must send DHCS a prescription. You can get one through a licensed prescriber or a pharmacist.

To get reimbursed for at-home tests, call or write to:

For more information, visit the DHCS FFS reimbursement instructions webpage

Healthworx members

Get up to eight COVID-19 test kits

HPSM HealthWorx will cover up to four test kits per month (up to eight total). See the list of covered COVID-19 tests. Your primary care provider (PCP) will need to give you a prescription for the COVID-19 test. Alternatively, you can have a pharmacist at your local pharmacy issue and process the prescription for you under the pharmacist’s name.

COVID-19 At-Home Test Kit Repayment

You can use HPSM's Direct Member Reimbursement (DMR) process to get repaid for at-home test kits you bought. HPSM will reimburse each member for four test kits per month (up to eight total). You will be reimbursed at the full dollar amount (i.e., whatever you paid for the test kits). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests for travel are not covered for repayment.

• Test kits must be FDA-approved. It will say on the box if a test kit is FDA-approved. 
• If you bought a test kit that is not FDA-approved, HPSM will pay a one-time reimbursement. To get reimbursed, call or email Member Services. Any additional tests you want to be reimbursed for must be FDA-approved.

Healthworx Members who are homebound can get reimbursed for test kits bought from online retailers (like Amazon, CVS or Walgreens).

• To get reimbursed, follow the DMR process above.
• HPSM will pay you back for test kits bought on or after January 1, 2022. We will not pay for test kits that you bought before that date.

To get reimbursed for at-home tests, email a picture of the test kit box and receipt to [email protected].