Question: Does HMSA still reimburse for purchases of COVID-19 home test kits? If so, how do I get reimbursed?
Answer: The Hawaii Medical Service Association will “reimburse commercial plan members only for tests bought on or after Jan. 15, 2022, the day the federal mandate started, through May 11, 2023,” the day the federal public health emergency for COVID-19 expired. Requests must be submitted online within one year of the purchase date, according to HMSA’s website. “Tests bought on or after May 12, 2023, are not eligible for reimbursement,” it says.
Commercial, EUTF and self-insured members who bought COVID-19 test kits during the eligible period may seek payment through hmsa.com, using their online HMSA account, the website says. (If you don’t have an online account, click “Member Login” on the website to create one.)
Assuming that you are eligible, HMSA will reimburse you up to $12 per authorized COVID-19 test, for a maximum of eight tests per month. Along with the online form, you must upload your receipt and a photo of the UPC bar code from the test kit. Find step-by-step instructions at 808ne.ws/hmsare.
Note: The rules are different for members of Fed 87, the HMSA plan for people eligible to participate in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. “HMSA will continue to reimburse Fed 87 members for the price of the tests, including shipping and sales tax, up to $12 per test for OTC at-home COVID-19 tests. Members can be reimbursed for up to eight tests per month. Tests must be authorized, cleared, or approved by the FDA,” the website says.
Q: Will bicycles be allowed on the Skyline trains?
A: Yes, bicycles can be placed on bike racks inside the elevated rail cars near the doors, according to the Honolulu Department of Services’ website, which has a section devoted to Oahu’s new rail-transit service, the Skyline. If a rail car’s bike rack is full, the “rider must hold on to the bike and must ensure bike does not impede on walking paths for other riders or mobility devices,” the website says.
Skyline is scheduled to begin limited service June 30.
Q: Will Manoa Falls Trail be closed on the Fourth of July?
A: No, assuming that work scheduled for next week is completed on time, the popular Honolulu trail will be open on the holiday as usual.
The trail is to be closed Monday to June 30 for maintenance and is scheduled to reopen July 1, according to the state Department of Land and Natural Resources.
About 200,000 people a year visit Manoa Falls, the DLNR said. All that foot traffic, combined with the area’s rainy weather, causes trail erosion that must be periodically repaired.
Mahalo
I would like to say mahalo to a volunteer at the Friends of the Library of Hawaii Book Sale. My wife and I went to the sale on Father’s Day to look mostly for children’s books for our 4-month-old grandson. As we waited in line to have our bill totaled by someone with an adding machine at the “adder” table, a volunteer saw me holding my walking cane in one hand and my bag full of books in the other and expressed concern. She took us aside to a separate table and manually added up what we had. She thanked us for supporting Hawaii’s public libraries and reminded us that we could come back tomorrow and the next day, etc. After she finished adding up the total for our books, she took us to an available cashier. This was around 10 a.m. I’m sorry I didn’t get her name. Every year we attend the book sale, the volunteers are very helpful, but this was going above and beyond. And it was special to me because it was Father’s Day. — Grateful kupuna
(Editor’s note: The annual book sale runs through Sunday at Ward Village, 1142 Auahi St.)
Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-500, Honolulu, HI 96813; call 808-529-4773; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.
