I just received a bill from the Lab for a Vitamin D Blood Test ($339.00)
A simple Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy Blood Test
Anybody else without health insurance have this test done and was it this expensive. The fee does not include the office visit for another $95.00 and $25.00 to get a blood sample.
Now I understand why we are sometimes afraid to visit a doctor anymore with no health insurance.
The cheapest Vit D test I've seen for patients is roughly $70 through ZRT labs - you order the kit (no Dr involvement required), poke your finger, apply blood and mail back for analysis. Very accurate, easy, and inexpensive (when compared to what the other lab charges).
I would call the lab and tell them you can't pay that much - you're broke without insurance and ask if they can they reduce the fees. They are usually willing to work with you....
The cheapest Vit D test I've seen for patients is roughly $70 through ZRT labs - you order the kit (no Dr involvement required), poke your finger, apply blood and mail back for analysis. Very accurate, easy, and inexpensive (when compared to what the other lab charges).
I would call the lab and tell them you can't pay that much - you're broke without insurance and ask if they can they reduce the fees. They are usually willing to work with you....
Thank you kindly for responding. Blood tests that go through the
mail are not allowed in NYS. Has something to do with the Health Dept.
and health issues when dealing with blood. I did go online and was going
to order one of these kits, no can do if you're from NYS.
I did write a personal letter to the Lab indicating that I don't have Health Insurance and can't afford these expensive inflated Lab fees for a simple blood test.
I got blood work done recently where they tested my TSH, FT4, FT3, TPO Antibodies, Vit D and it was $160, total.
WOW! I guess this Lab assumes I have Health Insurance and will just submit the bill to the provider which is not the case. These Labs are ripping off the Health Insurance Providers who pay these inflated rates and that's also one of the many reasons why private Health Insurance is so expensive today. SHAME ON THE RIPOFF LABS.
Blood tests that go through the
mail are not allowed in NYS.
NY is the strictest state about these matters, but my blood is routinely sent
(by my doc) from NYC to California for Lyme testing. Maybe the way it's done?
WOW! I guess this Lab assumes I have Health Insurance and will just submit the bill to the provider which is not the case. These Labs are ripping off the Health Insurance Providers who pay these inflated rates and that's also one of the many reasons why private Health Insurance is so expensive today. SHAME ON THE RIPOFF LABS.
Actually, they probably know you don't have insurance and that's why you are getting gouged. Insurers typically negotiate down the fees and get big discounts. Cash customers are the ones that end up making up the difference. Same with doctor bills and hospitals, a lot of the time. I'm lucky because my doc gives a discount to people paying cash but not all do.
WOW! I guess this Lab assumes I have Health Insurance and will just submit the bill to the provider which is not the case. These Labs are ripping off the Health Insurance Providers who pay these inflated rates and that's also one of the many reasons why private Health Insurance is so expensive today. SHAME ON THE RIPOFF LABS.
Seems like the labs and other providers quote a high "list price" with the expectation that insurance companies will negotiate down the price during negotiations for getting into preferred provider networks and such.
Medical insurance is expensive for various reasons, including the fact that the cost is hidden from the user (most people get it paid for by their employer or the government), so the users have no incentive to look for the best value medical care, as opposed to what they see as the "best" regardless of cost. Most people seem to think that more care is always better (not always the case), and providers have an economic incentive to provide more care even when not necessary. Insurance companies often pay poor reimbursement for procedures to try to control costs, but providers often make up for it by ordering more tests and procedures.
Update: Currently I am challenging this inflated fee with the Lab and have refused to pay the bill, because the Walkin Clinic didn't inform me that there would be additional expensive lab fees. They told me what the office visit fee, blood sample, &
injection. They also knew I had no insurance. If I knew it was this expensive, I would have declined and found another way to get it done cheaper. Anyone going to a Walkin Clinic without health insurance and do your due diligence before agreeing to anything.
Challenging the fee is a good idea. I don't think you can get out of it entirely. It's customary for the lab fees to be charged separately, just as you would receive separate bills for things like anesthesia and things like that. Anytime an outside provider is brought in, you generally have a separate bill from that provider. You might check with some other labs to see what they would charge for the same test. If the charge to you is markedly higher, I would report it to the agency in your state that regulates such things. A lot of times, simply threatening to report it can result in the charges being lowered.
Last edited by mod-anon; 07-27-2010 at 09:32 AM.
Reason: removed quote
Challenging the fee is a good idea. I don't think you can get out of it entirely. It's customary for the lab fees to be charged separately, just as you would receive separate bills for things like anesthesia and things like that. Anytime an outside provider is brought in, you generally have a separate bill from that provider. You might check with some other labs to see what they would charge for the same test. If the charge to you is markedly higher, I would report it to the agency in your state that regulates such things. A lot of times, simply threatening to report it can result in the charges being lowered.
Thanks for the support and I'll keep the board posted with a update.
Trying to establish what the average lab fees for a simple Vitamin D Blood test is. Anyone onboard who recently had this test done whether you have insurance or not and what the fees were would be appreciated so I can challenge and dispute a inflated fee of $339.00 plus $25.00 for the blood sample.
I just received a bill from the Lab for a Vitamin D Blood Test ($339.00)
Thank you kindly for responding. Blood tests that go through the
WOW! I guess this Lab assumes I have Health Insurance and will just submit the bill to the provider which is not the case. These Labs are ripping off the Health Insurance Providers who pay these inflated rates and that's also one of the many reasons why private Health Insurance is so expensive today. SHAME ON THE RIPOFF LABS.
Thanks for the support and I'll keep the board posted with a update.
