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And suddenly, test kits are everywhere
By adamg on Wed, 02/16/2022 - 9:46am
Remember when you couldn't find Covid-19 test kits anywhere? Like two weeks ago? Gary C shows us the scene at the Dedham Square CVS this morning.
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Comments
You couldn't find them when
You couldn't find them when you actually needed one.
Cause and effect
That the precipitous decline in the demand for a commodity causes a surplus is not an irony. It is an economic inevitability.
They were plentiful
when people weren't buying them all up. And they are plentiful again.
Considering now you can get your health insurance to pay for 8 individual tests per month, it would be wise now to make sure you have a small supply, just in case. Being prepared is always the right way to live.
Thanks for nothing, insurance
It was a real struggle figuring out how to file a claim with my insurance. Eventually I found the form. It required all kinds of information I didn't have, like a prescription number, a code number for the "drug", and an ID number for the pharmacy (which was walmart.com). And it said the amount on the receipt had to be an exact match with the claim amount, which it won't be because I bought more than 8 tests for multiple family members but had to file each person's claim separately.
We'll see what happens when they process it within 4 weeks.
They encouraged me to have them ship the tests instead. Except that would also take 4 weeks. Which is totally useless when the whole point of a RAPID test is to get the information in 15 minutes, to see if it's safe to spend time with other people.
UnitedHealthcare delenda est
I had a relatively easy and straightforward online reimbursement submission process for my 8 rapid tests, so of course UHC decided to deny 2 of the 8, "because it exceeds the maximum limit of 8 individual tests per member per month." I'm not exactly sure how they decided that 8 > 8, but they say it will take them 20 days to review this math and get back to me.
But don't they expire?
Given that this virus tends to follow general trends of other viruses, my assumption is that things will most likely quiet down during the summer and get worse in the fall/winter.
As I was saying in mid-December, suppliers should have seen the rise in demand coming, so I hope they will be prepared come next December, or maybe November.
Yes
I should have elaborated that my suggestion of maintaining a "small" supply right now was based on the knowledge that they do have a finite lifetime. If you are buying them in a store you would be able to see before you purchase them, not so much the case through an online order. But there's definitely no sense in buying a 10 year supply of them if they'll only last a year.
If only CVS allowed these to
If only CVS allowed these to count towards your dollar off total spend coupon and the 2% back in extrabucks
Still waiting for my government-issued test kits
that I ordered way back on January 18. I don't even have a tracking number.
Got mine on Monday
I ordered as soon as it was available.
Not sure it's better late then never as these are questionable for Omicron and might not work for future variants.
I got mine yesterday. They
I got mine yesterday. They send them out in waves. You get 4 tests in one box.
Hm
Put in my order on 1/18 and received them 2/2. They even sent out a couple of email notifications when they shipped out and on the day of delivery.
Sounds nice, which government
Sounds nice, which government did you order from? I should give them a try!
Same experience as Brian
Not sure of the exact date we got them, but, yes, I got e-mail notification a couple days before delivery and then, like magic, they showed up on our doorstep (our mailbox isn't that big) on the appointed day.
There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for when you get them - there are people who filled out the form after us who got them before us.
They're coming.
I got mine last week.
You’ll notice the free tests for our area come…
,,,,from a USPS distribution facility in Topeka, Kansas for some reason. Bad weather has caused major delays. Storms systems that peter’ out before they reach us have hit the Midwest hard. Shut down roads and airports and you have a lot of delayed mail. I have a friend who works at the post office. He said they have been swamped with the kits since the week before the blizzard. The volume of mail has increased significantly because of the tests and put further strain on an already strained work force.
it's like that last Mario Puzo novel
that has dominated the $1 book bin for like 20 year
Sure, but….
Was there any half-price Valentines candy? I had a tough time finding some.
All that extra stuff is melted down
and repackaged as Easter eggs. Or shamrocks.
Tests, schmests
Let's talk about Polaroids still being a thing.