Health Insurance for AZ and CA - Tips to Help you Save $$
Posted by Rachel Ricks on Wed, Dec 01, 2010 @ 05:48 PM
Call around and SHOP the best price for laboratory procedures and even Doctor care!
Recently I was out of town for the holidays - away from my regular Doctor and regular labaratories. I needed to find a lab to run some STAT (or ASAP results) blood tests for treatment I am undergoing (this treatment is not covered by my HMO medical plan).
So I was looking for a lab in Phoenix do blood tests - paying cash out of pocket. Not unlike if I was under an HSA (Healthcare Savings Account) plan where I had to be concerned with the cost of treatment because I was utilizing my pre-tax saved dollars for eligible medical expenses. In these type of plans you want to control the costs tightly.
I called Sonora Quest and the cost was $324 for the 2 bloods tests. Ouch! I called Labcorp of America and the cost was $125 for cash patients - much better - so I headed over there and got the lab test done.
Since I've been home - I found an even better solution - Direct Labs.com where I could have gotten my two blood test done for $113 - or about a $12 savings. DirectLabs.com offers a wide variety of important health and wellness blood chemistry tests directly to you online at discounted prices up to 80% off. Confidential results are available online in as little as 24 hours for most tests.
What I like is then it would have taken the guess-work out of finding the least expensive solution for my lab testing. I could have just ordered from them and not worried about calling around and shopping all the local labs.
Controlling your healthcare spending costs isn't easy - watch our blog and newsletter for tips from YourVirtualBenefits.com - health insurance for AZ and CA!
