Get those free rapid tests while you still can

Also: Unraveling a hidden cause of UTIs [View in browser](    [❤️]( April 25, 2023 Hi CommonHealth reader, I just ordered a bunch of COVID tests. The total cost: $0. Thankfully, no one in my household has COVID symptoms at the moment. I’m hoping I won’t need to use these tests. But I’m stocking up just in case — while the tests remain free. Since [early 2022]( health insurers have been required to cover the cost of eight rapid COVID antigen tests for each member each month, regardless of symptoms or exposure to COVID. That adds up to almost $100 worth of rapid tests per month for anyone who chooses to use this benefit. Rapid tests have their shortcomings. It might take several tests over several days to confirm or rule out an infection. But public health experts believe they have been an important tool for detecting and stopping the spread of COVID. Many of us have used the tests to check if we’re healthy before attending large gatherings, or before sending our kids to school, or to determine when it’s safe to leave isolation after a bout with COVID. Soon, many of us will have to pay out of pocket for these tests. Federal officials plan to end the [COVID public health emergency]( on May 11 — and along with it, the requirement for private health insurers to cover the costs of over-the-counter COVID tests. Insurance companies can choose to continue offering this benefit. But Massachusetts’s biggest health insurers — Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care — told me they will stop. Instead, they'll pay only for COVID tests ordered by clinicians. This is among a slew of state and federal policy changes rolling out this spring, more than three years since the start of the pandemic. COVID infections have declined to a [relative lull](. And as my colleague Gabrielle Emanuel recently reported, [new research suggests]( the coronavirus itself, though still dangerous for some people, is becoming less severe overall. Still, Julia Raifman, an assistant professor at Boston University School of Public Health, told me the country should make sure tests are widely available and affordable in case of potential future surges. "I'm so glad for this period where we do have lower COVID transmission and lower COVID hospitalizations and deaths," she said. "But with COVID, it's important to be prepared for the worst, not the best." You can read my [full story here](. Priyanka Dayal McCluskey Senior Health Reporter [Follow]( Support the news  This Week's Must Reads [Unraveling a hidden cause of UTIs — plus how to prevent them]( New research shows that one of the most common infections in women may be linked to our food supply. Here's what to know to protect yourself. [Read more.]( [Unraveling a hidden cause of UTIs — plus how to prevent them]( New research shows that one of the most common infections in women may be linked to our food supply. Here's what to know to protect yourself. [Read more.]( [Missouri to restrict gender-affirming care for trans adults this week]( Missouri AG Andrew Bailey has issued a rule that severely limits adults and youth from receiving gender-affirming care. The rule, the first of its kind, is scheduled to take effect Thursday. [Read more.]( [Missouri to restrict gender-affirming care for trans adults this week]( Missouri AG Andrew Bailey has issued a rule that severely limits adults and youth from receiving gender-affirming care. The rule, the first of its kind, is scheduled to take effect Thursday. [Read more.]( [Why millions of kids aren't getting their routine vaccinations]( COVID-19 disrupted health care across the globe. causing the biggest drop in childhood vaccination rates in decades. UNICEF's latest estimates find that nearly 50 million children entirely missed out. [Read more.]( [Why millions of kids aren't getting their routine vaccinations]( COVID-19 disrupted health care across the globe. causing the biggest drop in childhood vaccination rates in decades. UNICEF's latest estimates find that nearly 50 million children entirely missed out. [Read more.]( [Diversity in medicine can save lives. Here's why there aren't more doctors of color]( The U.S. desperately needs more Black and Hispanic doctors, research shows. But financial pressures and discrimination can keep young people from even applying to med school. [Read more.]( [Diversity in medicine can save lives. Here's why there aren't more doctors of color]( The U.S. desperately needs more Black and Hispanic doctors, research shows. But financial pressures and discrimination can keep young people from even applying to med school. [Read more.]( [An overlooked brain system helps you grab a coffee — and plan your next cup]( Researchers have found a system in the brain that seems to integrate control of individual muscles with a person's intentions, emotions and entire body. [Read more.]( [An overlooked brain system helps you grab a coffee — and plan your next cup]( Researchers have found a system in the brain that seems to integrate control of individual muscles with a person's intentions, emotions and entire body. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 - Health care access for trans youth is crumbling — and not just in red states ([Politico]( - The Future of Fertility ([The New Yorker]( - Nutrition Science’s Most Preposterous Result ([The Atlantic]( "The consequences of that will be measured in children's lives." — Lily Caprani, chief of global advocacy at UNICEF, on the [decline in childhood vaccinations]( ICYMI [Mass. firefighters and their families are on the front lines of a battle with 'forever chemicals']( PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are found in the protective gear firefighters wear. Some members of the firefighting community are raising concerns about the health risks of PFAS, and taking their fight to firehouses, statehouses and courthouses. [Read more.]( [Mass. firefighters and their families are on the front lines of a battle with 'forever chemicals']( PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals," are found in the protective gear firefighters wear. Some members of the firefighting community are raising concerns about the health risks of PFAS, and taking their fight to firehouses, statehouses and courthouses. [Read more.]( 🧠💥 Did you know...💥🧠 …scientists believe trapped stem cells may be the [root cause of graying hair]( The results of this research may have implications not just for people concerned about their aging hair — but also for curing cancer. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news     Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here.](  Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2022 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.