Blood Test Cost

[Don in Dallas]

To say I am disappointed with my GI Doctor, is an understatement. I have been waiting 2 weeks for the results from a blood test for Celiac's and hope to get the results tomorrow. After an endoscopy 3 weeks ago, he said He was 95% sure I had Celiac. What really chips me off is that yesterday I got the bill for the blood test which was $798.00. I don't know if my insurance will approve or not but this just seems excessive. The way this whole insurance thing is going now, I don't want to do anything that sends up red flags or concern to my insurance company. Do you think this is excessive?

Don

[ravenwoodglass]

No unfortunately it is not out of line. Do submit it to your insurance company if it hasn't been submitted already. The first time I got a bill for one of the 13 tube draws they did on me and saw a bill of well over $1000 I freaked too. But the insurance covered it with no problems, and the four or five others that were submitted later as they redid the tests over and over again. Too bad no doctors ever told me to try the diet. It would have saved the insurance companies thousands of dollars. Our families copays for me alone for the last 5 years before I was diagnosed were about 17 grand a year for tests, meds and specialists. I can't even imagine what the insurance companies paid.

[nora-n]

Also, I have read on the forums that the insurance actually pays only a fraction of the price, and the cost is actually much lower. It is like a game, the doctors and labs bill a large bill because the insurance pays a fraction, and the insurance knows the bill is inflated and pays what they usually pay....

I am not absolutely sure it is like that, but someone explained it that way.

I am in Europe, where the costs are the real amounts, without the bargaining, and the tests are nowhere close to the amount you cite.

[tarnalberry]

No way to know if that's reasonable or not unless you know the full set of tests ordered.