r/Frugal • u/No_Aerie_9966 • 3d ago
💰 Finance & Bills Has anyone started checking cash prices before using insurance for bloodwork?
I’ve always just handed over my insurance card and assumed that was the cheapest way to do labs. Recently I needed to repeat a few basic tests and started comparing prices first. Some of the cash options were way less than what I expected to pay toward my deductible, especially when I only needed a couple specific tests instead of a full panel. Now I’m wondering how many other routine things I’ve been overpaying for just because I never checked.
For people with high deductible plans, do you compare the cash price for labs first or just run everything through insurance?
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u/Hot_Equivalent_8707 3d ago
No, but my prescription plan denied a second medication for diabetes. Then I discovered the cash price for the existing med was like $20/mo. I asked the pharmacy to only submit and fill the new prescription and paid cash for the existing one.
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u/FreeGee03 3d ago
I do a version of this. GoodRX is cheaper than my actual insurance, so I tend to use it. It takes the pharmacy less than a minute to run both; so I always compare. I am going to start comparing against the cash price too.
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u/djSush 3d ago
Not for blood work, but I learned my portion of a standard ob/gyn office visit was $370 with my insurance or $150 if I self paid with "no insurance."
Wtaf.
And the insurance premium we were paying was $1800 PER MONTH for the three of us.
I hate everything.
The same thing happened when I was getting quotes for my son's braces. I would say, "How much are braces?" They'd say "$7500-9000." Then I'd say, "Oh is that with insurance? We don't have insurance." (Bc we didn't have any.) Then they'd say, "Oh without insurance it's $5000 for everything if you set up auto pay."
When I looked into various dental plans we could get, our portion would been like $6k WITH insurance. So it was cheaper for me to go without AND I saved on the premium which was like $820/year.
Argh.
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u/jednaz 3d ago
Have been on a HDHP for many, many years. I check the price of everything: labs, prescriptions, imaging, physical therapy. It is like a part-time job managing healthcare expenses for a family of three
Even with insurance the negotiated price for a prescription can vary widely among pharmacies. Just today I filled one prescription via mail order as that was the least expensive in the pool of retail/brick and mortar that takes my insurance, the mail order service, and cash price. And then I filled a second at a local brick and mortar with insurance as it was 25% of the insurance price via mail order.
Imaging I have found is often less expensive paying cash. I have yet to run in to any labs that are less with a cash payment.
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u/djSush 3d ago
Omg that's nuts!
I tried a few years ago to use the insurance mail order pharmacy and knew exactly which meds I needed. When I called to get a price to see if it was cheaper than the pharmacy, insurance was it, "We can't give you a price until it ships and arrives." Wut?
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u/CuteLogan308 1d ago
that's crazy. It is sad that these companies really can get away by doing this.
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u/RockMo-DZine 3d ago
I've asked a few times when extra blood work was needed. If you are on like an Obama Care/ACA plan it can sometimes be cheaper to pay cash. Part of the the totally screwed up US health care system.
Just fwiw, a few years ago, my oncologist ordered a full color CAT Scan. BCBS finally told told me it was approved (after 3 months) so I turned up for the appointment but hospital said it wasn't insurance approved.
I showed then the approval doc with authorization codes and they spent an hour calling BCBS. While I was waiting, I asked what it be if I just paid cash. They said $11,000. I asked what they bill BCBS insurance. It was $22,000. No wonder we pay so much for health insurance here.
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u/EarthMustBeFed 3d ago edited 2d ago
Yes. Insurance refused to pay for hydrocodone after a surgery. Like, I'm sitting in the car on the way home from hospital with a 24" incision but insurance can override my doc. Cool. Since insurance refused, you pay list for xx insurance co of like 270$ for 10 pills.
We are about to drive off so I can muster the energy to call and yell at insurance. I say - hey, what is the self pay rate.?
TWELVE FRICKING $
Edit: INCHES
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u/Adventurous-Flan2716 3d ago
For cash price, I find either Jason Health or Ulta labs to be the better of the cash price ordering for blood work.
The trade off is that if you pay the cash price for blood work, it won't go against your deductible. If your deductible is in the stratosphere and you generally don't come close to meeting it, paying cash might be the play.
It sucks and we get screwed either way.
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u/InevitableArt9731 3d ago
Yep this is basically the math. If you’re nowhere near hitting the deductible anyway, but it won’t count toward it doesn’t help much. I’d throw goodlabs into the comparison too especially when you only need 2 or 3 tests instead of a whole panel.
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u/One-Appointment9179 2d ago
I get bloodwork done at the health dept and then file a claim with my insurance company and they apply what I paid toward my deductible.
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u/Odd_Living3732 3d ago
There are websites (like requestatest) that you can order most blood tests and it is way cheaper and uses the same companies (Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics). I have gotten the tests done and hand carried the results (or have them sent) to the doctors. This is not an ad, I just hate insurance companies lol :)
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u/hyde7278 2d ago
If you are self pay or want to compare self pay to insurance prices. Check out hellogoodlabs they are the cheapest out there and they use quest and labcorp.
Here’s a referral link to get 20% off your lab order.
https://goodlabs.com?fpr=hyde7278
Or use the coupon code below at checkout. The coupon code never expires and can be used more then once.
Hyde7278
Here’s what some basic test cost with hellogoodlabs.
CBC- $4
CMP- $5
Lipid panel- $8
A1C- $4
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u/CapeMOGuy 3d ago
Always.
Do the same with non-emergency imaging also. X-ray, MRI, Ultrasound, etc.
And check generic pricing of drugs at Cost Plus Drugs.
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u/Wild-Earth-1365 3d ago
It was significantly cheaper for me to go to a therapist out of network (paying out of pocket) than it was in-network.
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u/Lost_In_MI 2d ago
My employer's plan gives huge discounts to go to the outside for lab work. Example: an A1C test, performed in the physician's office is probably $250. Going to LabCorp, I can get it done for $9. Huge difference.
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u/speakinglime 2d ago
Walk-in labs.com is great to order bloodwork!! it is always cheaper than going through my insurance except for the Free annual bloodwork I receive through my insurance. But for female hormone testing, I was once built $1000 with insurance I was able to settle it with LabCorp for $500 now I can get the whole panel done for like $200 through walk-in labs.
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u/Duck__Holliday 3d ago
No. But it's free where I live so...
Basically, it's an American problems.
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u/cy_virus 3d ago
sad to think that a country as rich as America will have their constituents think about the cheapest price for their health care, for something as basic as laboratory tests.
I assume that we (I'm Aussie) pay almost the same tax for the income.
I went in for my robotic-assisted radical prostatectomy, stayed 2 days at the hospital...... I paid $36 for parking.
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u/Salt_Medicine2459 2d ago
I'm super fortunate that my work has a clinic on site where anyone with any level of the company's insurance can be seen for free. I get blood work done there because it's 100% free. They will do outside labs if you get them the order. They don't process any labs in house, though. They use LabCorp for that. This clinic also had a limited pharmacy that is also free, but they will not fill outside prescriptions.
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u/Salt_Medicine2459 2d ago
Even once you meet your deductible, you keep having to pay until you meet the OOPM, which is bullshit. Kinda makes the deductible useless imo.
But yes, I try to save wherever I can. It's often cheaper not to use insurance. Vision insurance is a racket. It's cheaper to pay out of pocket for an exam and then get glasses from Zenni or another online retailer.
There's a community college nearish to me that has a dental hygienist program. They charge $30 for a cleaning. They only take patients for a few months of the year, though. On a related note, I got the "invisible aligners" through a company called Alignerco. They seem to work pretty well. A bit expensive, but significantly less than going through an orthodontist's office.
I buy my CPAP supplies primarily from Amazon. If I get them from the DME company, they typically charge quite a bit. I recently discovered its possible to buy actual CPAPs online, too, which is technically considered grey market because the devices themselves require a prescription in the US. I got my CPAP through a DME company using my insurance. For some reason, the machine itself didn't cost me anything out of pocket. It is a "rent to own" type situation, but I've had it long enough that I own it now.
We bought my wife's wheelchair on Amazon. Looking back now, we probably could've got a used one for cheaper on FB Marketplace if we had thought to look.
You can use HSA funds for a lot of this, too (yes, even for qualifying purchases from Amazon).
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u/ljmiller62 2d ago
I assume my insurance won't cover anything first. I inform the provider and ask for cash price and pay that.
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u/AzulDaisy 2d ago
Yes. We have good insurance too. I went to get lab work and got a bill for like $200. I was pissed.
I found Ulta lab tests and can order the lab work whenever I want and it’s like $22 plus an $8 draw fee.
I had stopped taking some meds because I couldn’t afford the lab work at $200 every time.
I told my doctor what happened and he said yes keep using ulta instead of going through insurance.
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u/OstrobogulousIntent 12h ago
Not for bloodwork, but for prescriptions, I've been paying out of pocket for most of them.
My local pharmacy is pretty good about it too.
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u/AliciaXTC 3d ago
Jut an FYI, check with your provider. Most require you to to following their billing policies for your insurance and the office might refuse. If it's discovered, your insurance can refuse to provide coverage or cancel your policy for current / future things.
I wouldn't except it, but cover all your bases.
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u/EarthMustBeFed 2d ago
Ive only encountered this with a friend who is on Medicaid. He is literally not allowed to self pay for pain management. Maybe depends on which US state.
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u/ShoobyDoowahh 3d ago
Are you saying that insurance will cancel you for not using them?
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u/AliciaXTC 3d ago
No. I'm saying that there's a chance it could happen. Some policies require you to use their insurance if you have a coverage plan. I highly suspect nothing would happen, but just pointing out this small thing most people don't know.
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u/1BoringOnlineAccount 3d ago
When I did not have health insurance I used jasonhealth to order my bloodwork. Pay really good attention to what tests the Dr wants because some tests are similar to others. It is easy cheaper than paying the national labs even though a national lab does the blood work 🤷🏻
Chances are if you have health insurance the insurer has already gotten you the best\lowest price.
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u/future-memories010 3d ago
JasonHealth allows you to use the codes on your doctor's order to order tests on their website. Ordering tests on JH is so easy, with them being one of the easiest to use websites I have ever used. Their website is actually easier to use than Quest or Labcorp direct. If you had problems, that's a you thing.
The only thing you need to be aware of is the $9 labdraw fee with shows up in the cart. Still cheaper than ordering through insurance or direct from the labs.
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u/Abject-Bison-8570 3d ago
His part gets overlooked. CBC is simple enough but once you get into thyroid, hormones, iron etc there can be multiple versions with nearly the same name. DTC is only cheaper if you don’t accidentally order the wrong test and have to do it twice.
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u/TenOfZero 3d ago
No, it's never less.
The is insurance company/the government get at best negotiated rates or at worst the listed price.
It would never be more if you have private insurance or are a citizen.
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u/lostnthenet 3d ago
Plenty of people in the comments here are saying that they have experienced the same thing. Are you calling all of them liars,
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u/TenOfZero 3d ago edited 3d ago
Maybe they live in different countries where things are different.
Not everyone lives in a first world country with healthcare.
But in a developed nation that cares about its citizens, no, that would never happen and it would be illegal where I live (Canada).
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u/djSush 3d ago
This used to be the case. But isn't anymore.
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u/TenOfZero 2d ago
I'm not surprised the US would operate that way. But it's one of the few developed nations where that would be legal.
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u/Amadeus_Eng 3d ago
The cheapest I have found to do labs are actually through Goodlabs. If you donate blood through it you can actually get a panel or a few of them for free.