The Trump administration said late Saturday it will require health insurers to provide free antibody tests that could provide better insight into the scale of the U.S. coronavirus outbreak.

Health experts agree that widespread antibody testing, which can detect who has developed immunity against the virus, is essential for being able to ease social distancing measures and allow healthy people to return to work.


Congress previously required that all Americans, including people without health insurance, receive free diagnostic tests to determine whether they are sick with coronavirus. The administration said it had authority from recent emergency rescue packages to mandate private insurers also provide antibody testing without out-of-pocket costs.