Where can people without insurance get a free COVID test in South Florida? Here’s a list
COVID testing can be expensive — about $100 or more — for people who don’t have insurance and are visiting someplace other than a free county site.
The good news is that free testing isn’t going to end after all at sites across Miami-Dade County in July.
On Thursday, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced that Nomi Health has agreed to cover the cost of the test for people without insurance. For people with insurance, your insurer will continue to cover testing and vaccines at Miami-Dade sites. Insurance information will be required at the sites.
Insurance companies and group health plans are also required to cover up to eight FDA authorized at-home COVID tests per person every month, either at the time of purchase or through reimbursement. Vaccines will continue to be free for everyone.
For people without insurance, there are other places besides county sites they can go to for free or low-cost testing in South Florida, too.
Here’s where you can get a nose swab:
Free and low cost COVID-19 testing in South Florida
▪ Miami-Dade County has more than a dozen free testing and vaccine sites across the county. To find a COVID test and vaccine site near you, visit miamidade.gov/covid.
▪ CVS Health said COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and oral antiviral medications remain free for people without insurance at its pharmacies. CVS Health owns traditional CVS stores, CVS y mas and Navarro Discount Pharmacies. To schedule a COVID test, visit CVS.com
▪ Walgreens said it is continuing to provide free COVID-19 testing, vaccinations and oral antiviral medications for people without insurance as it awaits further guidance from the federal government. To schedule a COVID test, visit walgreens.com
▪ Contact nearby health centers and ask about free or low-cost testing options. Health centers provide a variety of services to patients, regardless of insurance status. Patients pay for services based on income, known as a sliding fee scale, and no one is denied care based on ability to pay.
READ MORE: How to find a community health center near you
Jessie Trice Community Health System in Miami-Dade County, for example, is offering free or low-cost COVID-19 testing to eligible patients. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, call 305-637-6404.
TIP: Florida Association of Community Health Centers has an online locator people can use to search for a health center in Florida by address, ZIP Code, center name or by county. You can then call to inquire about their test cost. The association told the Miami Herald some of the centers in Miami-Dade offering free COVID-19 testing to eligible patients include Miami Beach Community Health Center and Borinquen Medical Centers.
Some centers might offer low-cost testing, such as the Center for Family and Child Enrichment in Miami Gardens, which offers rapid antigen testing for $10 and PCR testing for $25. Other centers such as FoundCare in Palm Springs may only be offering vaccines, not testing.
▪ Free testing is available at health department-run sites in Broward County. As of Wednesday, four sites are offering free tests, though one is expected to close on June 29. Broward’s health department says its testing and vaccine sites are locally funded and are expected to stay open until further notice. Broward’s online COVID-19 test locator has sites and hours of operation.
▪ The federal government is giving out a third round of free at-home test kits. While the kits likely won’t get to you in time if you’re in need of one right now, it’s good to have some in your home for the future. Request free test kits online at covid.gov/tests.
▪ While not necessarily low-cost, a variety of COVID-19 at-home test kits are available for purchase online and through retail pharmacies, including CVS, Walmart and Walgreens. Test prices vary. If buying your test online, make sure to check if it’s FDA authorized. The FDA’s website has a list of authorized and counterfeit tests.
▪ There are other places in South Florida that offer testing, including doctor offices, hospitals, urgent care centers and clinics. Test cost varies. Select Winn-Dixie pharmacies, for example, offer rapid COVID testing for $24.99 if you don’t have insurance. You can use Florida’s online test locator to filter sites by county and city. The locator provides info on what type of test is offered at the site and its contact info so you can inquire about test cost or to schedule an appointment, if needed.
And if you’re wondering about Publix, the supermarket offers COVID vaccines, not tests.
READ MORE: Can I throw used COVID tests in the trash? What about hazardous waste?
This article will be updated.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 11:43 AM.
