I had an appointment for a non-WLS condition when Doc noticed that my labs were due. I usually get them done locally because his office is about 75 miles away and I don't want to get up at 0-dark-hundred and drive there on a fasting stomach. Yet he said if I get them done there I could pay his cash price for the ones Medicare won't pay for. Then I tell him, I had breakfast so I can't get them done anyway. He said they could pull out the non-fasting tests to get done then, and he'd write the orders for the fasting ones for me to get locally. His billing person runs the numbers and if I get them done there, they cost $296.05 as opposed to $787.00 I'd get charged. No brainer, eh? I sign the ABN and get 15 vials drawn for the ones that can be done.
His lab is run by LabCorp in his office under LabCorp protocol billing. The woman in charge is convinced that not everyone follows LabCorp protocol and the ones they can't do, required specialized vials. She hands those two tubes to me to take to my local lab. I'm a bit embarrassed to get them done locally with the vials I had, because I didn't want to insult my local tech. Yet I figured since I probably already paid for them, I'd gently explain why I had the vials with me. She was cool with it and told me those were the specialized vials she would have used.
It's insane the way egos make decisions about where I get my labs done and even crazier when it comes to the billing. Note, I'm including my ego and money into the mix as well. It's almost enough for me to want single payer health care. My main reason for opposing single-payer is that insurance companies set up the exclusions. When I was employed and actually had a choice of say Aetna, Cigna or BlueCross, I'd make that decision based on coverage and exclusions. I don't like having such little choice now. Since I also have Tri-Care through my husband's career in the military, I'm excluded from most Medicare HMOs. Now my choice is very similar to my childhood at meal times, take it or leave it, there is no other option. That was resolved by making my own meal and self-paying for healthcare when I can.
His lab is run by LabCorp in his office under LabCorp protocol billing. The woman in charge is convinced that not everyone follows LabCorp protocol and the ones they can't do, required specialized vials. She hands those two tubes to me to take to my local lab. I'm a bit embarrassed to get them done locally with the vials I had, because I didn't want to insult my local tech. Yet I figured since I probably already paid for them, I'd gently explain why I had the vials with me. She was cool with it and told me those were the specialized vials she would have used.
It's insane the way egos make decisions about where I get my labs done and even crazier when it comes to the billing. Note, I'm including my ego and money into the mix as well. It's almost enough for me to want single payer health care. My main reason for opposing single-payer is that insurance companies set up the exclusions. When I was employed and actually had a choice of say Aetna, Cigna or BlueCross, I'd make that decision based on coverage and exclusions. I don't like having such little choice now. Since I also have Tri-Care through my husband's career in the military, I'm excluded from most Medicare HMOs. Now my choice is very similar to my childhood at meal times, take it or leave it, there is no other option. That was resolved by making my own meal and self-paying for healthcare when I can.
