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At-Home Preventive Health Test Kits are Back

March 25, 2026

Applies to Medicare Markets

The In-home Test Kit (IHTK) program returns this year. The program helps Medicare Advantage members do important preventive health tests at home. Plus, members can earn $25 for completing the kit.

Quick rundown: Kits began mailing this month. We partnered with Everlywell, who is sending the kits to members and processes most tests. There is no cost to the member. Test kits are covered as part of members’ annual wellness benefit.

These kits help members check for:

  • Colon cancer
  • Diabetes
  • Kidney problems

Who Gets a Kit?

Kits go to Medicare Advantage members who need health screenings. This includes both new members and those who have previously used the kits. Members who participated in the program last year are automatically sent kits.

Even if a member does not have a care gap, they can still request and receive a kit as long as they are not in hospice or in palliative care. Members should call the number on their member ID card to get a kit.

What’s Inside?

Members may get one or a combination of:

  • Stool tests for colorectal cancer screening (FOBT, FIT, Cologuard®)
  • Blood tests for diabetes monitoring (A1c)
  • Kidney health tests using blood and urine samples (eGFR, uACR)

Note: The Cologuard test  is administered by Exact Sciences. All other tests are administered by Everlywell.

How Members Are Contacted

  • Before kits ship: A co-branded heads-up email and mailer
  • First 30 days: Everlywell sends three emails and makes one phone call reminder. (Phone calls from Everlywell come from 855-923-2678 and the caller ID will say "Everlywell")
  • After 30 days: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ilinois sends monthly reminder emails until the kit is returned
  • Results are mailed to members and their primary care physician 3-4 weeks after samples are returned.

For questions about the IHTK program, call:

  • Everlywell at 855-923-2678, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT, Monday through Friday
  • Exact Sciences at 844-870-8870 (for Cologuard test inquiries only)

 

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois makes no endorsement, representations or warranties regarding third-party vendors and the products and services offered by them.

Everlywell, formerly Home Access Health Corporation, is an independent company that has contracted with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois to provide laboratory testing services for members with coverage through BCBSIL.

Cologuard is an independent company that has contracted with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Ilinois to provide laboratory services for members with coverage through BCBSIL.