Consumer Reports detailed the problem in July 2020 in an article titled “ How ‘Free’ Coronavirus Testing Has Become the New Surprise Medical Bill.” “Price gouging on COVID-19 tests by certain providers continues to be a widespread problem, threatening patients’ ability to get the testing they need,” the group said in a press release.Ī Peterson Center on Healthcare and Kaiser Family Foundation study of prices at 93 hospitals in April 2021 found COVID-testing prices ranging from $20 to $1,419, not including additional fees such as those for specimen collection, which ranged from $18 to $240. Seven percent of labs charged more than $390 for a test. On average, COVID-19 tests cost $130 within an insurance company’s network, and $185 out of network, according to a July 2021 study by America’s Health Insurance Plans, an industry trade group. Such tests can be processed quickly on the spot with simple equipment, as opposed to more accurate molecular tests (such as PCR) which require lab processing with expensive machines. In addition, the rules allow anyone, in a few easy steps, to offer rapid antigen tests, the same kind you can buy over the counter in a pharmacy. The law does not set any upper price limit. That essentially means that insurers must pay if you feel symptoms or were exposed to someone with the virus. When Congress passed the more than $2 trillion Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in March 2020, it required health insurance companies to pay whatever price labs advertise on their websites for medically appropriate testing. “The good news is that in many areas, public health departments are delivering free tests to communities with poor access otherwise.” “Our healthcare system is well-acquainted with the concept of making a profit from diagnostic testing, so it’s no surprise that some have found a way to do so,” he adds. “When tests are scarce, and their use is not directed by public health authorities, the price in the private sector is likely to rise.” “The key issue is the supply,” says Joshua Sharfstein, MD, vice dean for public health practice and community engagement at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. ![]() And this number of tests excludes simpler antigen tests, which you can do at home or at a testing center.Īmid the latest surge caused by the omicron variant, getting tested remains surprisingly difficult and time-consuming. “The limited supply, caused by suboptimal public health policymaking, creates this very attractive market opportunity for businesses to exploit.”īy early January, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recorded more than 735 million COVID-19 tests during the pandemic, with almost 60 million coming up positive. “These companies are taking advantage of the limited supply of COVID tests to make money,” says Ge Bai, PhD, a professor of accounting at Johns Hopkins Carey Business School who has studied the price of COVID-19 tests.
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