Why Should you Compare Lab Test Prices Before You Go for Diagnosis?
There are reasons you should compare lab test prices before you order online lab tests or prior you go to your doctor's office for diagnosis. What are they?
Other than the simple reason of saving money as if you do not compare the price, you’d pay twice…yet to get the most accurate test results. When you care about your health, take preventing steps, study your genetics, or when you are sick, you want the right treatment that fits your needs right away. That is why it is critical to know how much your lab test will cost to ensure it covers all required health parameters and is accurate.
First and foremost, like hospital bills, lab test bills are a nightmare! They're a huge hassle to go through, even if you have insurance. What if you don't have insurance? Those bills can be in the thousands of dollars. It's just too easy to get caught up in it and not realize exactly what you're paying for until it's too late.
Why is it important to compare lab test prices?
Lab tests can vary widely in price, depending on your location, what type of insurance you have, if you order them directly from the lab provider, or using at-home medical test kits. You may have a high-deductible policy and worry that a single expensive test will leave you paying out of pocket. Or, if your insurance covers lab services through a provider network, you may not expect much variation in prices from doctor to doctor or lab to lab. Also, when you order out-of-pocket at-home lab tests, your price can be more than double depending on your selected lab providers. Either way, though, you should still shop around for the best price on your lab work before you order by yourself or go for a diagnosis appointment. There are three main reasons to compare lab test prices before you order: content, cost, and quality.
Do some research on test content on your own!
We’re not just talking about tests necessary for diagnosing life-threatening conditions; we're also talking about the kind of tests that people perform for something as simple as determining their hormones, like testosterone levels. Health problems need to be diagnosed properly. Also, lifestyle or food sensitivity should be included in all relevant parameters and this is where lab test prices come in!
You can do some things yourself before you see a doctor or before ordering online a lab test to help determine what's included in this service. In many lab tests with the same name, like thyroid function, one lab can include a single hormone while another lab will measure four hormones. So, a price that might be 20% higher actually is much cheaper if you’d compare these test features. When you visit a physician, they usually run a few different kinds of tests to find out what's going on with your body and what they can do to help you with it. We call it ‘analyted included,’ which means what parameters a lab will analyze. Sometimes, a lab might promote more analytes or biomarkers they actually measure. They are also counting calculated items, e.g., adding, subtracting, multiplication or dividing results values to generate a sum or a ratio. Yes, it is more info, but it is mostly based on automatic calculation from the analyzers and not additional measured parameters.
Quality matters
How your samples are collected, transported to the lab for analysis and the tested method affect the quality of your tests. We always add that information as not all tests are equal and some these require a healthcare professional to collect your sample while others can be easily collected by yourself at home. Some test also provides high quality with rapid analysis in your home. Be aware of the method of testing.
Tips to Compare Lab Test Prices
The costs associated with lab tests vary greatly; however, there are ways you can save money on them if you know how much they generally cost beforehand. If you compare lab test prices, that is one less thing you would need to worry about when taking these tests.
Here are some tips that can help you compare the lab test prices, both online and offline:
- Contact your insurance company and ask if they cover the test. For example, although it is extremely important to know your levels, a vitamin D test is not covered by most healthcare providers as its official medical necessity is established with bone health. Vitamin D's recently published results on its ability to reduce autoimmune diseases for people taking a 2000ui/Day for 5 years [LINK] is not yet established in the clinical guideline. Checking it with your insurer is significant because it will reduce the overall cost of your testing. Also, check if there is any limit on coverage so that you don't face any surprises on your bill.
- Ask your doctor about the test; he/she would know more about it than anyone else. If possible, take a printout or write down all the details of your test so that you can compare them with other offers later.
- If you decided to order your lab test online with your doctor and/or without your insurance, check online with different lab providers to find which one gives you great value for money. You can also check at Fantestico, where you will find an extensive database of lab tests that can be purchased online without a prescribing physician or insurance. From here, you can compare multiple lab offerings based on content service quality, health parameters and, of course, prices to make sure it fits with your budget. Moreover, you will find information on how to save money by using coupons—yes, there are discounted online lab tests and labs commonly offer coupons.
Conclusion
Being proactive about your health is not only searching for your symptoms or visiting your healthcare providers. Shopping for healthcare is not less important as paying lefty bills does not improve your stress either. Lab tests are not different than medications or consumers' electronics. You should compare lab test prices no matter if you are going to use it offline in the traditional way or online as prices vary—don’t pay twice, compare the price!
Are you a smart lab tests shopper?