Originally Posted by
nomiiiii
I truly don't understand why anyone would opt for any airline testing option at all (alaska's or otherwise) when covid tests are free for every single US insurance under the CARES act. People just like to pay for things you can otherwise get for free?
I've gotten covid tested in the US about ten times in the last couple months, across different clinics and labs, all free (either through a typical US insurance with high deductible but the copay covered under CARES act, or because the popup-covid test site doesn't take any money or info at all other than an email to send results).
It is not as simple as this. I too have gotten COVID tested, each time it's taken longer than 72 hours for results. Hawaii has disallowed self-administered tests, requires that the sample collection time be listed on the test result form (not all labs do this), and they are currently being cagy about what tests have been blessed, and which have not. The two options that the Hawaiian government have blessed so far -- Kaiser and CVS, are not options for me as I'm not a Kaiser customer and CVS has barely any pharmacies and zero test locations here in the PNW.
I want an idiot-proof, guaranteed option that will be accepted by Hawaiian authorities without me being stuck in my hotel for 10 days. After nearly losing thousands in reservations over a trip to Spain this last May that didn't happen, I am more than willing to spend the $135 to get results quickly that will be accepted by authorities for our upcoming November trip to Kauai.