Opinion: Government landfill program is back with another COVID-19 test giveaway

Elizabeth New (Hovde) of the Washington Policy Center believes the federal and state governments need to quit creating programs for people not in need of taxpayer help

Elizabeth New (Hovde)
Washington Policy Center

Do you have expired COVID-19 tests in your cupboards? Go look. If you ordered “free” tests from the government, know that many of the boxes likely say they’ve expired.

People paying attention to expiration dates have been lining landfills with the taxpayer-provided tools (or using tests that have expired). I fear this is going to be happening for a lot longer. That’s because the Biden Administration recently announced that each U.S. household will be able to, once again, order four COVID-19 tests. Starting in the end of September, they’ll be mailed to homes “free” of charge.

CBS News reports that the Biden Administration has already given out 1.8 billion COVID-19 tests, and it’s unclear how many tests the feds have on hand. Also unknown, at least to the taxpayers footing the bill for those 1.8-billion-plus swabs and sticks that have already been distributed, is how much was paid for each test and how many have been thrown out. The Associated Press reports that, as of last year, over-the-counter COVID-19 at-home tests typically cost around $11.

Virtue signaling can be expensive.

Before I go on talking about how these tests aren’t really “free” — they’re costing you, me and the taxpayer behind the tree — be aware that the printed expiration date on COVID tests might have been extended. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says, “An extended expiration date means the manufacturer provided data showing that the shelf-life is longer than was known when the test was first authorized.”

You can check in to see if your tests have received an extended expiration date before tossing them or ordering more taxpayer-purchased ones here. I hope that information makes it into every government press release and news story about the great government giveaway.

State freebies

Washington state got in on the virtue signaling with “free” tests, too. Back in 2022, the state Department of Health (DOH) partnered with others to send “free” tests to Washingtonians. DOH says it distributed 12.5 million test kits in the state. The agency also launched a program that stocked kiosks with free COVID tests in some communities. Easier to defend, the state has made at-home tests available to clients with taxpayer-provided health care coverage. People on Medicaid, also called Apple Health, were able to receive up to two at-home COVID-19 tests per month.

Sending COVID tests to people regardless of financial need or possible infection is not only wasteful, spending money on COVID-19 tests leaves less funding available for other health needs. There is no shortage of them.

The federal and state governments need to quit creating programs for people not in need of taxpayer help.

Elizabeth New (Hovde) is a policy analyst and the director of the Centers for Health Care and Worker Rights at the Washington Policy Center. She is a Clark County resident.