Where to get travel COVID testing for an uninsured person?
September 22, 2021 1:49 PM Subscribe
I have a guest from Canada visiting me in Seattle, Washington soon. When they return, Canadian border rules require a COVID-19 test which was administered no more than 3 days prior to crossing back into Canada, but I'm having trouble finding a good option for getting this test that meets all the requirements…
My PCP suggested starting with www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/TestingforCOVID19, but I haven't found any options there that meet all the requirements:
My PCP suggested starting with www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/TestingforCOVID19, but I haven't found any options there that meet all the requirements:
- Not too far from Seattle, Washington (we have a car, though)
- Results within 72 hours (ideally less)
- Cheap or free even without US insurance
- One of these kinds of molecular tests:
- PCR - Polymerase chain reaction
- RT-PCR – reverse transcription real time PCR
- Quantitative PCR (qPCR)
- Nucleic acid test (NAT) or Nucleic acid amplification test (NAATs)
- Reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP)
- Isothermal amplification
- Droplet digital PCR or digital droplet PCR (ddPCR)
- Transcription-mediated amplification (TMA)
- RNA (Ribonucleic acid)
- Ct (cycle threshold)
- CRISPR
- Sequencing
- Next generational sequencing (NGS) or whole genome sequencing (WGS)
- Oxford Nanopore sequencing (LamPORE)
- Detection of the N gene
- Detection of Orf1a/b
- Detection of the S gene
- Detection of the E gene
- Detection of the RdRp gene
The main thing to know about that list is: BinaxNOW (a common 1-hour test) does not qualify.
The pharmacy tests all get sent to an outside lab and estimates 2-4 days. Anything past 72 hours and it's money down the drain. The Bellingham airport test site has its own nearby lab and usually gets results next day. The community testing centers are cracking down on Canadians, though, and are now charging them $180.
The surest way to get home is to pay $180 for the mobile same-day test in Seattle. Use solv to book it.
Remember to use ArriveCAN, and make sure to scroll down on the vaccine info page and upload photos of the vaccine certificates, if you want to be exempted from quarantine.
posted by dum spiro spero at 2:00 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
The pharmacy tests all get sent to an outside lab and estimates 2-4 days. Anything past 72 hours and it's money down the drain. The Bellingham airport test site has its own nearby lab and usually gets results next day. The community testing centers are cracking down on Canadians, though, and are now charging them $180.
The surest way to get home is to pay $180 for the mobile same-day test in Seattle. Use solv to book it.
Remember to use ArriveCAN, and make sure to scroll down on the vaccine info page and upload photos of the vaccine certificates, if you want to be exempted from quarantine.
posted by dum spiro spero at 2:00 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
It looks like (almost) all of the UW sites listed here meet your requirements -- you book appointments, a few days in advance it looks very doable at Aurora or Ballard. Here is what they say about insurance:
posted by goingonit at 2:22 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Uninsured patients(for people in other places: go to your city or county health department's website! That's where I found this!)
For uninsured patients going to UW Medical Center- Northwest or Harborview, UW Medicine representatives will assist you to see if you qualify for free COVID-19 test coverage by the state. Please call the UW Medicine billing office at 206.598.4388 for more information or if you have any other questions.
All other sites provide free COVID-19 testing regardless of immigration or insurance status. They are open for drive-thru or walk-ups/wheel-ups to anyone who cannot access a COVID-19 test through their regular healthcare provider.
posted by goingonit at 2:22 PM on September 22, 2021 [1 favorite]
Yes, the UW Medicine sites do PCR tests. Results come back in 24 - 48 hours, usually much closer to 24. They’re free, even to Canadians.
Please, please, for the love of all things, please make an appointment, even if the site only says “appointment recommended.” And put in your insurance information before you show up. And be nice to the people who work there.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:28 PM on September 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Please, please, for the love of all things, please make an appointment, even if the site only says “appointment recommended.” And put in your insurance information before you show up. And be nice to the people who work there.
posted by The corpse in the library at 2:28 PM on September 22, 2021 [2 favorites]
Discovery Health has locations in and around Seattle that offer PCR testing with same-day or next-day results for about $180. We used them once when all of the free public sites were full or closed; they still had plenty of appointments available.
posted by mbrubeck at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2021
posted by mbrubeck at 2:36 PM on September 22, 2021
XpresCheck also has a site at SEA that does rapid PCR, but charges $250 for the rapid test.
Every time I travel I'm struck by how spoiled we are in NYC, with free rapid PCR tests available to anyone at sites all over the city. Well, I guess we learned our lesson.
posted by praemunire at 3:00 PM on September 22, 2021
Every time I travel I'm struck by how spoiled we are in NYC, with free rapid PCR tests available to anyone at sites all over the city. Well, I guess we learned our lesson.
posted by praemunire at 3:00 PM on September 22, 2021
My kid was tested yesterday (PCR) around lunchtime at the UW drive-thru on Aurora Ave and we had her results by 10 am today. We had an appointment but still had to wait, annoying but hardly the end of the world.
posted by stowaway at 3:10 PM on September 22, 2021
posted by stowaway at 3:10 PM on September 22, 2021
nthing the Aurora site, free and had results back in less than 24h.
posted by sibboleth at 4:49 PM on September 22, 2021
posted by sibboleth at 4:49 PM on September 22, 2021
Just as a point to compare to, here's my experiences with Curative (which I did because polyclinic had too many conditionals, and UW locations were inconvenient. Curative looked simple)
I signed up for Curative at Garfield Playground, CD. It was free.
- I signed up the night of the 19th, most time-slots were open if I recall correctly.
- took a test Monday (20th) morning at 9:30am. Was one person there when I was walking up, one person arrived just after I read, no hassle.
- Got the results the night of the 21st
On the website they had said 24-48 hours. In person they said due to high demand results would be 48 - 72 hours. Actual time was ~35 hours
posted by tychotesla at 4:54 PM on September 22, 2021
I signed up for Curative at Garfield Playground, CD. It was free.
- I signed up the night of the 19th, most time-slots were open if I recall correctly.
- took a test Monday (20th) morning at 9:30am. Was one person there when I was walking up, one person arrived just after I read, no hassle.
- Got the results the night of the 21st
On the website they had said 24-48 hours. In person they said due to high demand results would be 48 - 72 hours. Actual time was ~35 hours
posted by tychotesla at 4:54 PM on September 22, 2021
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posted by kate4914 at 1:57 PM on September 22, 2021