AOC is leading an effort to urge Biden to address issues with the free at-home COVID test program, noting that many people living in apartments or other multifamily residences were unable to order any because someone in their building had already done so.
“Approaching a rollout process with the aim of equity and accessibility requires the acknowledgement of households residing outside of single-family units,” the lawmakers wrote. They went on to point out that people living in multifamily buildings and people living in multigenerational family homes are at the highest risk of contracting COVID, making it especially paradoxical that these families wouldn’t be able to access the free tests.
Even when people are able to successfully order tests for their household, four test kits often aren’t enough to cover everyone living under one roof. Many families, especially non-white families, havein their homes. Making it harder for these communities to receive free at-home tests may exacerbate inequalities that already exist, as people of color are at a higher risk of dying from the virus due to lack of health care access.
To rectify these inequities, the lawmakers urged Biden to direct program officials to account for different types of residences. They also recommended allowing families to specify the number of people in their household so that they can order an appropriate number of tests. The Biden administration has faced widespread criticism for its handling of the pandemic during the president’s first year in office. Earlier this month,faced scrutiny for announcing a program that would only allow people with private health insurance to get reimbursed for at-home COVID tests.
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