Tough To Get And More $$$: Walmart, Kroger To Hike COVID Rapid Test Prices

(Undated) — Two major American retailers plan to raise the price on a popular at-home COVID-19 test. Walmart and Kroger both plan to raise the price on the BinaxNOW test kits after an agreement with the White House to sell the kits at cost expired. In September, the White House said customers would be able to buy the kits in two-packs for up to a 35-percent discount, but that agreement lapsed in December and the administration has failed to deliver on the promise of more tests. Demand for COVID tests has soared as the Omicron variant has spread nationwide in recent weeks, and many stores are having trouble keeping rapid tests on their shelves.