White House Deal Could Cut Cost Of At-Home COVID-19 Tests, But Supply Remains Limited In North Texas

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - By next week, Kroger, Walmart, and Amazon have agreed to cut prices for at-home COVID-19 tests, charging no more than it costs to provide them.

The major retailers reached a deal with the White House to sell the kits at-cost for at least three months, as part of a plan to boost testing.

"I'm taking steps tonight to make testing more available, more affordable, and more convenient," said President Biden in a speech Thursday, Sept. 9, outlining his plan for combating the virus.

He said prices for the at-home tests could drop by up to 35% in some cases.

Amazon told CBS News its customers would see a $3 price cut.

A bigger obstacle may be the supply of at-home tests.

A survey of a dozen pharmacies across the Metroplex, including CVS, Walgreens, Walmart, and Kroger locations turned up just one kit at a Walgreens in Plano, on sale for $25.

The BinaxNOW test kit was available behind the counter, where employees said they were limiting sales to one per person. It includes two tests that provide results at home within 15 minutes of doing a nose swab.

The maker of the kit, Abbott Laboratories, said it's hiring workers and ramping up production to meet growing demand.

The number of COVID tests performed in Texas has more than tripled in the past three months.

Free testing is available at local clinics and pharmacies, but appointments have also become harder to find.

President Biden has touted the at-home tests for their convenience, particularly for families with children too young to be vaccinated.

"You'll be able to test them at home and test those around them," he said.

He's invoking the Defense Production Act to boost supply and purchasing 300 million tests for community clinics, schools, and food banks.

For now, though, they remain limited.