Coronavirus Testing Costs Provide Perfect Example Of Flaws Baked Into America’s Health System
The government doesn't regulate health care prices, and so they vary wildly. That has rarely been as clear to see as in the prices that labs are charging insurers for coronavirus tests.
The New York Times:
Most Coronavirus Tests Cost About $100. Why Did One Cost $2,315?
In a one-story brick building in suburban Dallas, between a dentist office and a family medicine clinic, is a medical laboratory that has run some of the most expensive coronavirus tests in America. Insurers have paid Gibson Diagnostic Labs as much as $2,315 for individual coronavirus tests. In a couple of cases, the price rose as high as $6,946 when the lab said it mistakenly charged patients three times the base rate. The company has no special or different technology from, say, major diagnostic labs that charge $100. (Kliff, 6/16)
WBUR:
Who Should Pay For COVID-19 Tests?
Congress required health plans to fully cover COVID-19 testing, but insurance companies say they should only have to pay if tests are "medically necessary" or ordered by a doctor. (Farmer, 6/15)