Antibody testing is a way to find out if you had COVID-19 and recovered. (Learn more about antibody testing.) If you’re interested in getting tested for COVID-19 antibodies, here are your best options:
Primary Care Doctor
Your doctor may offer to do the blood draw in the office. Please be sure to request that the sample be sent to a free-standing lab participating in your health plan, not to a hospital lab. There is no member cost share for the blood test or the accompanying provider visit.
Free-Standing Labs
You can visit an in-network, free-standing lab (such as a BioReference Laboratories, Labcorp, or a Quest Diagnostics patient service center) for the blood draw. A prescription is required. To obtain a prescription, contact your primary care doctor. If you do not have a primary care doctor, you can contact any primary care doctor in the MagnaCare or Create network (depending on your plan). There is no member cost share for the blood test or the accompanying provider visit.
Self-Pay Testing
Otherwise, you can choose to self-pay and schedule an antibody test directly through LabCorp or Quest Diagnostics or other self-pay providers. You are responsible for the full cost at the time of the test if you choose this option. These direct-to-consumer options are NOT covered under health plans, including the MagnaCare or Create health plans, and cost significantly more than the insurance rates. There are no FDA-authorized antibody home testing kits at the moment.
While urgent care centers and hospitals do also offer antibody testing, keep in mind that these providers cost the plan significantly more to cover. You may also have more exposure to people sick with COVID-19 at urgent care centers or hospitals. For these reasons, we encourage you to instead call a primary care doctor for the prescription and visit a free-standing lab to safely get tested for COVID-19 antibodies.