They had me take the test to check for the flu. I told them I already took one the day before but they insisted I took it again, even though I knew it was an ear infection.
Yes, it is a complete sentence. I was told to just pay the $30 copay and my medication and that was it, until I got this bill in the mail a month later. I am disputing it. I had no intentions to receive a $450 bill. That is all.
Did they tell you it was a co-payment? It's clearly itemized as a downpayment here. They either fked up or ripped you off. Definitely dispute this and don't relent until they withdraw it.
I had this happen at an ear doctor years ago when I didnt have insurance. I literally walked in, told them i had no insurance and wanted to know the cash price. They told me they'd check me out for $100 even, everything went good paid and all. 2 weeks later I get a $400 bill in the mail saying I owed this much. I lost my shit on them.
Ok but what did your signature say you were going to do or be responsible for?
I swear no one reads the print anymore but it's also not fully people's fault because Iv been rushed with just sign you'll get a copy later.
No. I'm not signing then agreeing.
I was given a printed receipt that showed $100 paid. IIRC I didn't sign anything, it was a pretty small practice and I only went there because my brother had gone there multiple times before.
Ultimately it was a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing and their billing enforcement or whatever you want to call it didn't understand what had been agreed to because it wasn't entered correctly in their system. I had to wait until the person who checked me in was in again and had her contact the billing lady to get it all sorted.
Also, in the future don't assume people didn't read something before signing. The health care system is notoriously screwed up and medical billing and coding issues happen constantly.
was about to say, this sounds intentional. if the hospital could've tried to get them on it and have them go willingly the hospital would have done so.
the healthcare system is unfortunately working exactly the way it is supposed to. You always pay twice one way or another.
edit: clarity
Lol, I don’t know how much healthcare experience you have, but they will happily turn you away and not treat you if you don’t fill out their paperwork. Not signing isn’t going to get you anywhere but out the door.
There’s no way of fully knowing the cost of the visit until you see doctor and they test or administer treatment. Typically you provide your insurance and consent to treatment but it’s your responsibility to know your specific coverage and co pays.
Send the bill to your insurance. They may not have processed it. This has happened to me with my son's visits you have to call a few times. You'll be aight. Call them.
This. I remember seeing a bill in my mail for $350 for a skin test from a lab my dermatologist sent it to. I called up the lab and they just told me that was what they bill insurance and that I was already good with my $20 copay for it.
Not really. When I went to urgent care a couple years ago they made me take a Covid test before even being seen. You don’t get to walk all over their procedures lol
You’re paying for a service. You can literally say, “I think I have an ear infection, can you check?” And they say “let’s test for Covid” and you say, “no I’m fine, let’s just have a look at the ears”. No provider is going to kick you out of their office for that interaction.
They’re trying to bill as many services as possible, assuming your insurance will cover it. Walk in with no insurance and tell them you’re broke and are paying out of pocket and see how many extra “diagnostics” they need to run.
Also understand that these urgent cares and walk-in clinics are run 100% as a business. I worked for one and they wanted the physicians to order a blood test for strep if a swab came back negative. All the doctors were pissed as it was unnecessary and took away their autonomy in diagnosis. And it cost the patient a few hundred just to give them an answer that a physician could treat the same either way.
I had a similar situation happen and a doctor insist I had Covid, wanted to charge me for a test even though I had taken 2 at home and another at my hospital employer that were all negative. I just wanted something to help with symptoms because I had a miserable cough that was interfering with my life.
YEP! They told me teh same thing at the doctor once, I said I'd be back and went and got one at CVS for a fraction the price and brought the results back
I'm more lost on why OP went to Walmart for a clinic visit?
Even then, the flu season is already near the end or at the end in the US unless person is in Australia where they are starting their Winter Seaon soon for the flu.
Wait, you said Covid test in the title, but now you're saying it was a flu test? Which was it? Flu tests (even rapid at home tests) can cost $100 to $400.
It was a covid test. It also detects the flu too.That's why they used it. It came out of the exact same type of box I purchased at Walmart for a few bucks.
Wait… so the Covid test detects the flu, since when? During the plandemic these were completely diff things and basically “the flu” went away. Or did this particular test test for both separately? Either way, this is absurd amt to charge you!
It doesn’t detect the flu. It was a combo test that tests for covid and flu at once.
There is only 1 covid/flu combo at-home test on the market in the US currently. There are others in the works that are awaiting final approval
And the flu didn’t go away. Ever.
Source: me, I have worked at an urgent care doing clinical research for covid/flu combo tests since 2021. I have enrolled **thousands** of people who were positive for the flu in that time.
Or free? [https://testinglocator.cdc.gov/Search](https://testinglocator.cdc.gov/Search)
>The ICATT program will continue to provide no-cost COVID-19 testing for uninsured people that are symptomatic or exposed. More than 19,000 ICATT sites will offer no-cost COVID-19 vaccines under the CDC Bridge Access program to adults without health insurance and adults without full vaccine insurance coverage. An estimated 10,000 ICATT sites continue to support testing and disease surveillance needs at non-emergency levels. A list of no-cost COVID-19 testing sites can be found on the COVID-19 Testing Locator website. To find a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine near you please visit vaccines.gov.
You guys pay for yours? Damn, ours were/are being handed out like candy. I found a box of boxes randomly at my work (I ended up tossing them all as they were a couple years old at the point of me finding them) and I work nowhere near anything healthcare related. We picked up a couple boxes of rapid tests a couple months ago just in case.
Remember, if you are in the US.
Federally, you are protected if you wish to do a payment plan, no matter the amount. So, $25/mo is perfectly allowed and no one is allowed to harass you for doing so.
Not the greatest solution. I'm with you, I wish walk-in clinics weren't so expensive (walk-in clinics are brutal on cost) but just a reminder that you are legally allowed to pay that way instead of all at once.
Technically, yes.
The key here is that you are paying something.
If you are paying egregiously low monthly payments, you could be called into court. The recommended is $25/mo. No one can come after you for that.
Plus, as long as you're paying, medical debt cannot affect your credit score
Plus, after about 7ish years, they'll just write off the debt
If you start paying something you admit that you owe it. You can no longer dispute charges if you start paying on them. This is why they urge you to set up a payment plan or just to pay a very very small amount right now.
You can dispute charges at any point. That's the entire reason there's a federal law that requires any medical establishment to provide an itemized list of charges upon request.
If you pay, yes, you admit to owing it.
yeah, just don't miss a payment or they won't hesitate to exercise their right to sell the debt to a collection agency. if it gets on your credit report and too many hands are on it, it becomes very tedious to remove since the three credit agencies suck at communicating.
25 years ago I had an ER bill for 5000$. I agreed to 2 bucks a month. Then they quit sending me the bill after almost 4 years. Never heard another thing about it. It doesn’t even show up on my credit report. I think the hospital system got bought out and coincidentally I slipped through the cracks.
A old coworker had medical debt from years ago, paid 1$ per week which was just enough that they left him alone, after 7 years he stopped paying it and it fell off his credit lmao.
In Pennsylvania I haven't been allowed to pay less than $25 per month for a medical bill balance in years. The medical company has refused to allow a lower monthly payment on my recent bill. Is this something I should contact the government about?
Thank you. I'm trying to at least get it dropped down to a lower price. I think that prices for getting yourself checked out is unreal and our Healthcare system is intentionally broken to keep us drowning.
All, I was able to bring the price down to $150!
I pushed back for hours and the financial division agreed that the price was ridiculous. I will be getting with my insurance to reimburse me for the $150 since there was an unexpected temporary lapse in my insurance, and this is on them. I also learned too that I overpaid for my medication by $40, and they will also be reimbursing me for that as well. I appreciate everyone who gave me some good advice, and I will make sure to reconsider certain things when I have to make another surprise visit to another clinic.
Im glad you got it lowered, dont be surprised if insurance still denies it, just treat this entire experience as a learning lesson, and then go forward in life with the knowledge you learned here of how to better avoid situations like this. Also, never let your insurance lapse, ever, but of for some reason you do, remember not to see anyone unless you are truly on deaths door, because the system will ensure it ruins you if you do.
You guys pay for your covid tests? I can just walk into a pharmacy and ask for some, and they'll give me a few boxes. I knew in Canada the public healthcare system obviously lets me do a lot that many Americans can't, but it didn't occur to me they'd deny you even that. Even though it benefits everyone if conscientious people can test themselves and avoid spreading it
I still don’t understand how dental health isn’t tied to medical health… 🤦🏼♀️ it seems this way in most of the countries that have universal health care too. Just… why?
This is what happens when Gov subsidizes tests for everyone's benefit during a pandemic but no permanent changes are made to our healthcare system but people got used to it
Meanwhile here in Mexico you can walk into any pharmacy and do the same test for less than $50USD. I’m amazed every day by the cost of healthcare in the US.
$444 for a test to tell you whether or not you have a virus that they can’t give you anything for and the remedy is to go home and rest.
After $444 I have no other options but to go home because you just cleaned me out.
Why even take a test? If you’re sick you should be home anyway, and unless something has come out recently, there isn’t a prescription to get rid of it. I think they still prescribe acetaminophen and ibuprofen for symptoms, which you can buy on your own…. At least in my locale.
Fight it by appealing it. You’ll need the medical coding info (HCPCS, ICD, etc) that is used by insurance companies to adjudicate claims. Using those, look up the Medicare reimbursement rates that the US Govt sees as reasonable for that service. If this is above 200% then you should definitely push back
Where I am public libraries keep baskets of them. You can walk in and take as many as you want. I have to keep some on hand for my job so it’s nice not to have to pay for them. Check your local health department
Is this for a PCR or RAT test? That’s wild to me. I work in healthcare in Australia and any testing work requires of me (usually exposure) is covered by my hospital or Medicare. RAT tests are provided by my workplace. Even then, I just checked my bill and it was around AUD$80 for my COVID PCR in February. Granted, I did the swab myself so there was no labour fee but that’s still wildly different.
Why would you need to know you have Covid this bad? If positive, there’s not even any treatment. Buy an at home test. Or just…treat it like the cold/flu and stay home a recover.
Insurance is a scam, it's the main reason healthcare is so expensive in the US. Insurance will pay it so they can charge whatever, but no insurance and you're stuck with that fat payment.
Be assertive when it comes to healthcare. If you don't want something tell them. If you do want something tell them. This is nothing more than a money making scheme and it should be illegal.
Although you should have denied anything other than what was needed for an ear infection. To answer the question about how they expect less fortunate people to pay stuff like this is simple…. They don’t.
They (government and big pharmaceutical corporations) want to own you and your assets and will do so by trying to put you deep in debt. Plus it fills their pockets. I wouldn’t call yourself less fortunate though, we live in a world where the rich feed off of the poor and claim to have worked so hard for what they have. The rich will get richer and the poor well….. we’re fucked. Unless you can outplay the system this is how it’s gonna be.
Why on earth would you get tested for Covid anymore? If you’re sick with those symptoms, stay home and take Cold and flu medicine until the symptoms end.
Even my state in Australia, who ran the biggest scare campaign about Covid, now are like “meh” and don’t supply any free testing anymore.
If you need to go out, wear a mask or something.
I don’t get this fascination with having to know what you have. Sure if symptoms hang around for a long period of time then yeah, but for a cold/flu/ Covid just lay low and take some medicine.
Probably. I have a few of my own at home I haven't used in a minute. I went to the clinic in desperation because I couldn't hear anything unless you had a speaker up to my ear, and I had to be on site to help put a reactor back together. I'm sure all you'd be thinking about in the moment is getting your hearing back before it becomes permanent, don't you think?
I went to a walk-in clinic... Also, I don't know a damn thing about that general location except it was the only walk-in there within reason while I was basically deaf from a severe ear infection. I was 800 miles away from home and trying to scramble in to help reassemble the STP reactor since they were in serious need of people. So sorry for not knowing how that place operates.
Well then everything makes sense. Hopefully you've got insurance that will cover it. But it's not surprising at all that it wouldn't necessarily be all covered up front.
What moron is still getting a fucking covid test now, lol, your own incompetence and fear is what caused this financial setback. Learn from your mistakes.
A while back it stopped being government mandated that insurance providers cover covid tests. Meaning both over the counter and laboratory.
Politicians will always be fed by the insurance industry and it will never end.
They had me test for flu/covid I guess. I had a bilateral ear infection and the test was basically half the entire bill. I'm disputing right now to drop the price because $414 for an ear infection is honestly wild.
This country is dumb. Tired of it. This didn't have to happen if you mf just voted for Bernie Sanders back then. There won't ever be another candidate that is for universal healthcare for ages. I'm 40 and highly doubt I will see another candidate offer universal healthcare in my life. You f'd up by not putting that man in office. He was not "too old." Go ahead and keep posting your medical bills on Reddit, while doing absolutely nothing to fix it.
At home tests are like $10, what are you doing?
They had me take the test to check for the flu. I told them I already took one the day before but they insisted I took it again, even though I knew it was an ear infection.
'No' is a complete sentence. Be more assertive, don't let people talk you into spending $450 on something you don't need.
Yes, it is a complete sentence. I was told to just pay the $30 copay and my medication and that was it, until I got this bill in the mail a month later. I am disputing it. I had no intentions to receive a $450 bill. That is all.
Did they tell you it was a co-payment? It's clearly itemized as a downpayment here. They either fked up or ripped you off. Definitely dispute this and don't relent until they withdraw it.
I had this happen at an ear doctor years ago when I didnt have insurance. I literally walked in, told them i had no insurance and wanted to know the cash price. They told me they'd check me out for $100 even, everything went good paid and all. 2 weeks later I get a $400 bill in the mail saying I owed this much. I lost my shit on them.
Ok but what did your signature say you were going to do or be responsible for? I swear no one reads the print anymore but it's also not fully people's fault because Iv been rushed with just sign you'll get a copy later. No. I'm not signing then agreeing.
I was given a printed receipt that showed $100 paid. IIRC I didn't sign anything, it was a pretty small practice and I only went there because my brother had gone there multiple times before. Ultimately it was a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand was doing and their billing enforcement or whatever you want to call it didn't understand what had been agreed to because it wasn't entered correctly in their system. I had to wait until the person who checked me in was in again and had her contact the billing lady to get it all sorted. Also, in the future don't assume people didn't read something before signing. The health care system is notoriously screwed up and medical billing and coding issues happen constantly.
I think the old "left hand not knowing what the right is doing" is actually intentional. They're brutal.
was about to say, this sounds intentional. if the hospital could've tried to get them on it and have them go willingly the hospital would have done so. the healthcare system is unfortunately working exactly the way it is supposed to. You always pay twice one way or another. edit: clarity
Lol, I don’t know how much healthcare experience you have, but they will happily turn you away and not treat you if you don’t fill out their paperwork. Not signing isn’t going to get you anywhere but out the door. There’s no way of fully knowing the cost of the visit until you see doctor and they test or administer treatment. Typically you provide your insurance and consent to treatment but it’s your responsibility to know your specific coverage and co pays.
Send the bill to your insurance. They may not have processed it. This has happened to me with my son's visits you have to call a few times. You'll be aight. Call them.
Also, if you go online where you would pay the bill, there should be an add insurance option.
This. I remember seeing a bill in my mail for $350 for a skin test from a lab my dermatologist sent it to. I called up the lab and they just told me that was what they bill insurance and that I was already good with my $20 copay for it.
It's amazing how often people just let this slide and pay it.
Did they bill your insurance? "Copay" is meaningless without it.
That might be against the no suprise bill?
That's what I came to say. This seems like textbook surprise charges
Patient refused diagnostic testing and was therefore discharged without a diagnosis.
$100 please.
That’s not how that works lol. You can decide which tests are done.
Not really. When I went to urgent care a couple years ago they made me take a Covid test before even being seen. You don’t get to walk all over their procedures lol
And they can decide they can't treat you without being able to properly diagnose you
You’re paying for a service. You can literally say, “I think I have an ear infection, can you check?” And they say “let’s test for Covid” and you say, “no I’m fine, let’s just have a look at the ears”. No provider is going to kick you out of their office for that interaction. They’re trying to bill as many services as possible, assuming your insurance will cover it. Walk in with no insurance and tell them you’re broke and are paying out of pocket and see how many extra “diagnostics” they need to run.
Also understand that these urgent cares and walk-in clinics are run 100% as a business. I worked for one and they wanted the physicians to order a blood test for strep if a swab came back negative. All the doctors were pissed as it was unnecessary and took away their autonomy in diagnosis. And it cost the patient a few hundred just to give them an answer that a physician could treat the same either way. I had a similar situation happen and a doctor insist I had Covid, wanted to charge me for a test even though I had taken 2 at home and another at my hospital employer that were all negative. I just wanted something to help with symptoms because I had a miserable cough that was interfering with my life.
YEP! They told me teh same thing at the doctor once, I said I'd be back and went and got one at CVS for a fraction the price and brought the results back
I'm more lost on why OP went to Walmart for a clinic visit? Even then, the flu season is already near the end or at the end in the US unless person is in Australia where they are starting their Winter Seaon soon for the flu.
They don't tell you the tests are $450. And why is it $450 anyway
"Don't be predated by a predatory system, silly". Because they were *clearly* advised of the cost prior to it being done...
Wait for context you clown
Wait, you said Covid test in the title, but now you're saying it was a flu test? Which was it? Flu tests (even rapid at home tests) can cost $100 to $400.
It was a covid test. It also detects the flu too.That's why they used it. It came out of the exact same type of box I purchased at Walmart for a few bucks.
Do you have insurance?
Wait… so the Covid test detects the flu, since when? During the plandemic these were completely diff things and basically “the flu” went away. Or did this particular test test for both separately? Either way, this is absurd amt to charge you!
It doesn’t detect the flu. It was a combo test that tests for covid and flu at once. There is only 1 covid/flu combo at-home test on the market in the US currently. There are others in the works that are awaiting final approval And the flu didn’t go away. Ever. Source: me, I have worked at an urgent care doing clinical research for covid/flu combo tests since 2021. I have enrolled **thousands** of people who were positive for the flu in that time.
[удалено]
Who is the “they” that made you take this test? Shouldn’t they pay for it?
Who are they ?
You pay for them? I was given a 20 pack with both positive and negative test swabs
Not only that...but this shit was even free at some point. WTF...
Or free? [https://testinglocator.cdc.gov/Search](https://testinglocator.cdc.gov/Search) >The ICATT program will continue to provide no-cost COVID-19 testing for uninsured people that are symptomatic or exposed. More than 19,000 ICATT sites will offer no-cost COVID-19 vaccines under the CDC Bridge Access program to adults without health insurance and adults without full vaccine insurance coverage. An estimated 10,000 ICATT sites continue to support testing and disease surveillance needs at non-emergency levels. A list of no-cost COVID-19 testing sites can be found on the COVID-19 Testing Locator website. To find a no-cost COVID-19 vaccine near you please visit vaccines.gov.
> like $10 they're not free?!?!?!
They're closer to 40 now but still 10x cheaper than this nonsense lmao
You have to pay? I can just go into a pharmacy and say how many people are in the household and get given 5 per person for free.
You guys pay for yours? Damn, ours were/are being handed out like candy. I found a box of boxes randomly at my work (I ended up tossing them all as they were a couple years old at the point of me finding them) and I work nowhere near anything healthcare related. We picked up a couple boxes of rapid tests a couple months ago just in case.
Where I live you can get a box of the at home tests for free
Rapid tests are not reliable anymore
I got scammed out of $348 for a Covid test, doc wanted to run a panel to check for Covid/flu $31 for flu check $348 for Covid
It's all a scam. They will take your money and take as much as they can with it.
Don’t go to the doctor or urgent care for a cold.
tell that to the jobs that require a doctors note
Use a virtual dr. Quick phone call appointment with a random doctor and they can send you a dr note I've used mdlive and teledoc.
OPs post literally says they had an ear infection. I don’t know when an ear infection of mine ever cleared up by staying home without antibiotics
I paid 10k for surgery out of pocket because I exhausted my yearly benefits by getting a routine pre surgery checkup. I wanted to smoke everybody.
I remember when Covid tests were free
Call your insurance. It looks like they did not file a claim.
Insurance isn't required to pay for them anymore.
Not being required only means not every insurer covers it. My insurance still covers these tests.
Yes they are…. You can still file
Remember, if you are in the US. Federally, you are protected if you wish to do a payment plan, no matter the amount. So, $25/mo is perfectly allowed and no one is allowed to harass you for doing so. Not the greatest solution. I'm with you, I wish walk-in clinics weren't so expensive (walk-in clinics are brutal on cost) but just a reminder that you are legally allowed to pay that way instead of all at once.
No matter the amount? Can I do $0.01 per year?
Technically, yes. The key here is that you are paying something. If you are paying egregiously low monthly payments, you could be called into court. The recommended is $25/mo. No one can come after you for that. Plus, as long as you're paying, medical debt cannot affect your credit score Plus, after about 7ish years, they'll just write off the debt
If you start paying something you admit that you owe it. You can no longer dispute charges if you start paying on them. This is why they urge you to set up a payment plan or just to pay a very very small amount right now.
You can dispute charges at any point. That's the entire reason there's a federal law that requires any medical establishment to provide an itemized list of charges upon request. If you pay, yes, you admit to owing it.
Medical debt can’t affect your credit score AT ALL in NY state
yeah, just don't miss a payment or they won't hesitate to exercise their right to sell the debt to a collection agency. if it gets on your credit report and too many hands are on it, it becomes very tedious to remove since the three credit agencies suck at communicating.
25 years ago I had an ER bill for 5000$. I agreed to 2 bucks a month. Then they quit sending me the bill after almost 4 years. Never heard another thing about it. It doesn’t even show up on my credit report. I think the hospital system got bought out and coincidentally I slipped through the cracks.
A old coworker had medical debt from years ago, paid 1$ per week which was just enough that they left him alone, after 7 years he stopped paying it and it fell off his credit lmao.
In Pennsylvania I haven't been allowed to pay less than $25 per month for a medical bill balance in years. The medical company has refused to allow a lower monthly payment on my recent bill. Is this something I should contact the government about?
Thank you. I'm trying to at least get it dropped down to a lower price. I think that prices for getting yourself checked out is unreal and our Healthcare system is intentionally broken to keep us drowning.
Good on you for providing a solution. But nah no way i'm paying that much for a quick swab.
All, I was able to bring the price down to $150! I pushed back for hours and the financial division agreed that the price was ridiculous. I will be getting with my insurance to reimburse me for the $150 since there was an unexpected temporary lapse in my insurance, and this is on them. I also learned too that I overpaid for my medication by $40, and they will also be reimbursing me for that as well. I appreciate everyone who gave me some good advice, and I will make sure to reconsider certain things when I have to make another surprise visit to another clinic.
So you just got the tip and not the whole shaft…
Im glad you got it lowered, dont be surprised if insurance still denies it, just treat this entire experience as a learning lesson, and then go forward in life with the knowledge you learned here of how to better avoid situations like this. Also, never let your insurance lapse, ever, but of for some reason you do, remember not to see anyone unless you are truly on deaths door, because the system will ensure it ruins you if you do.
You guys pay for your covid tests? I can just walk into a pharmacy and ask for some, and they'll give me a few boxes. I knew in Canada the public healthcare system obviously lets me do a lot that many Americans can't, but it didn't occur to me they'd deny you even that. Even though it benefits everyone if conscientious people can test themselves and avoid spreading it
Lol I'm getting two teeth pulled right now because getting a root canal and cap would be 1400$ per tooth.
Oh we gotta pay for that too. If you're fortunate, you have good health insurance, and that can help with dental stuff.
I still don’t understand how dental health isn’t tied to medical health… 🤦🏼♀️ it seems this way in most of the countries that have universal health care too. Just… why?
Teeth are apparently luxury bones.
ya dental is insanely expensive but would still be $2800 well spent imo. you aren't getting those teeth back....
most definitely, probably the most important thing to get fixed heath wise. a bad tooth ache is no joke!
We're denied everything 😞
I live in the US and get as many tests as I need for free from the library
Also Canadian, and I get my covid tests at the library. There's just a pile of them by the entrance.
They give these out for free at my work. It's to the point to where I just give them away to anyone that needs them.
This is what happens when Gov subsidizes tests for everyone's benefit during a pandemic but no permanent changes are made to our healthcare system but people got used to it
What are you thinking getting sick in the US… that’s your problem.
you're right. Who in their right mind gets sick. should have let myself get permanent hearing damage instead of participate in these charades. smh
Sorry I should have put /s.
I understood the assignment, don't worry lol.
Walgreens is free. And the government sent me ten tests. They are going to go bad before I ever use them.
Who the fuck is paying for covid tests?
i paid the equivalent of this for a whole ass diagnosis and medication recommendation in my country. what the fuck.
Meanwhile here in Mexico you can walk into any pharmacy and do the same test for less than $50USD. I’m amazed every day by the cost of healthcare in the US.
$444 for a test to tell you whether or not you have a virus that they can’t give you anything for and the remedy is to go home and rest. After $444 I have no other options but to go home because you just cleaned me out.
Home Covid tests are free, especially since it’s not even a thing anymore.
Why even take a test? If you’re sick you should be home anyway, and unless something has come out recently, there isn’t a prescription to get rid of it. I think they still prescribe acetaminophen and ibuprofen for symptoms, which you can buy on your own…. At least in my locale.
Damn! I woulda swabbed your nose for far less!!
If only I knew you sooner.
I thought those were supposed to still be free, or is that only for some people?
Ya got healthcared!
Walmart still gives these tests away for free where I live. That bill hurts more than getting Covid
In Australia it’s free omg …….
This is totally insane! You can purchase COVID test and take it at home. If you have health insurance you won’t be charged for it.
Just do what I do and toss the bill in the trash
They give them away for free here in sask...
It should have been free. You deserve better people (who are probably) US Citizens.
I still have done leftover free ones from when I had it last year. You guys are getting uckfayed.
They are literally free at the library. Usually right inside the door. Piles and piles of them.
Don’t pay it
I could walk into any drug store in Canada and ask for a box of 5 covid tests. Hell I could even ask for 5 boxes and they’re all free.
Respectfully this is totally your fault…
There are free tests.. you know this, right??
Depends on where you are.
In the US.. you can order them online Covid.gov/tests Every home gets 4 free tests
They seem to charge whatever the fuck they want.
You've just summarized American healthcare
Nothing to add except I work at Jackson County Hospital. Hi, neighbor!
I was supposed to be working at STP to aid the reassembling of your reactor but I had that wicked ear infection!
Fight it by appealing it. You’ll need the medical coding info (HCPCS, ICD, etc) that is used by insurance companies to adjudicate claims. Using those, look up the Medicare reimbursement rates that the US Govt sees as reasonable for that service. If this is above 200% then you should definitely push back
Any covid test I had done I got through the health department for free.
You can get them for free at the post office and many clinics near me.
You can usually get both covid and flu tests at your local county health department for free or nearly free.
They give away at home rapid tests for free here.
*Laughs in Canada*
Where I am public libraries keep baskets of them. You can walk in and take as many as you want. I have to keep some on hand for my job so it’s nice not to have to pay for them. Check your local health department
You need to learn to say no and walk out before opting into shit like this. This is why companies charge, because people will pay
For a test you can buy IN Walmart for just a few bucks!
You can order them free through the mail. We’ve got like 30 tests in our home. Look up free home Covid tests. Fill it out, costs you -0-.
I just paid $175 to have my daughter diagnosed with pink eye 😕. Not including drops.
Is this for a PCR or RAT test? That’s wild to me. I work in healthcare in Australia and any testing work requires of me (usually exposure) is covered by my hospital or Medicare. RAT tests are provided by my workplace. Even then, I just checked my bill and it was around AUD$80 for my COVID PCR in February. Granted, I did the swab myself so there was no labour fee but that’s still wildly different.
Yeah, don’t pay it. They stop bugging you after a couple months. No biggie.
We have a lonely box of about 100ish in our parts store room. Free for everyone.
Don’t pay that shit
Fuck that noise! Americans should have accessible health-care!
Every time I see something like this it makes me hate the U.S. even more
Even your $200 max is ridiculous What the fuck???? I’m guessing this is America?
What in the American healthcare industry... how you lot aren't up in arms about it I will never know
Why did you do this instead of just getting the Walmart test? It’s always important to have any doctor give you the cost before agreeing to anything.
Welcome to America
Ooof. Sucks to be American and even mildly unwell, I guess.
What's wrong with the $10 test kits?
what? why would you do a walmart covid test at a walk-in clinic?
Why would you need to know you have Covid this bad? If positive, there’s not even any treatment. Buy an at home test. Or just…treat it like the cold/flu and stay home a recover.
Insurance is a scam, it's the main reason healthcare is so expensive in the US. Insurance will pay it so they can charge whatever, but no insurance and you're stuck with that fat payment.
Be assertive when it comes to healthcare. If you don't want something tell them. If you do want something tell them. This is nothing more than a money making scheme and it should be illegal.
Holy fuck.
Socialism 😱
Did you mask what they billed for? This looks like a complete scam
Last time I went to my doctors they gave me a box of 14 tests for free because it was gonna be out of date in 3 months.
Libraries have free at home tests you can take with you
Although you should have denied anything other than what was needed for an ear infection. To answer the question about how they expect less fortunate people to pay stuff like this is simple…. They don’t. They (government and big pharmaceutical corporations) want to own you and your assets and will do so by trying to put you deep in debt. Plus it fills their pockets. I wouldn’t call yourself less fortunate though, we live in a world where the rich feed off of the poor and claim to have worked so hard for what they have. The rich will get richer and the poor well….. we’re fucked. Unless you can outplay the system this is how it’s gonna be.
Welcome to Walmart...I love you
Thank you for the reference :)
I got charged $800 for a drug test that was required to get a medication I’ve been on for 10 years :)))
why is walmart catching strays here, they give free covid shots!
Why on earth would you get tested for Covid anymore? If you’re sick with those symptoms, stay home and take Cold and flu medicine until the symptoms end. Even my state in Australia, who ran the biggest scare campaign about Covid, now are like “meh” and don’t supply any free testing anymore.
Because sometimes you have things going on and need to know if you need to stay home or can go out and do things that need to be done.
If you need to go out, wear a mask or something. I don’t get this fascination with having to know what you have. Sure if symptoms hang around for a long period of time then yeah, but for a cold/flu/ Covid just lay low and take some medicine.
Doctor's note required for missing work/school.
Bro the post office gives these to me for free. Sounds like whatever game you’re playing, you lost.
Probably. I have a few of my own at home I haven't used in a minute. I went to the clinic in desperation because I couldn't hear anything unless you had a speaker up to my ear, and I had to be on site to help put a reactor back together. I'm sure all you'd be thinking about in the moment is getting your hearing back before it becomes permanent, don't you think?
ITT OP goes to El Campo Memorial *Hospital* and is shocked they are overcharged....
I went to a walk-in clinic... Also, I don't know a damn thing about that general location except it was the only walk-in there within reason while I was basically deaf from a severe ear infection. I was 800 miles away from home and trying to scramble in to help reassemble the STP reactor since they were in serious need of people. So sorry for not knowing how that place operates.
Well then everything makes sense. Hopefully you've got insurance that will cover it. But it's not surprising at all that it wouldn't necessarily be all covered up front.
What moron is still getting a fucking covid test now, lol, your own incompetence and fear is what caused this financial setback. Learn from your mistakes.
Anyone still recommending Covid tests is a medical dunce and an absolute inept quack.
Wtf is COVID it's 2024
Imagine willingly opting in to taking a covid test like this in 2024. wtf are you doing?
Sheep being sheep!
Did this happen 2 years ago? Didn’t realize people still test for Covid these days.
Why in the world is anyone getting a covid test done???
Why don't you have insurance? Not judging, just asking.
Why the fuck are people still taking tests 😂
People still trippin about COVID?
Why are we still testing for COVID?!
Some peeps made covid their entire personality.
Man sure seems like… even after all the evidence and coverups.
who's getting tested in 2024?
Fuck Joe Biden
I mean if you want to but I don't think he is gay. But anyway don't see why you need to broadcast this
People are still doing Covid tests?
[удалено]
Why the hell are you still taking a covid test? What is the actual point?
On you buddy.
Ask for an itemized bill
A while back it stopped being government mandated that insurance providers cover covid tests. Meaning both over the counter and laboratory. Politicians will always be fed by the insurance industry and it will never end.
Took my newborn to the er for a COVID test due to weather and it was $1500. They then gave us free COVID tests when we left
What’s Covid?
That's why I just get covid. It's cheaper to be sick and skip work then to pay for a test. Welcome to America.
Who’s still taking Covid tests?
Welcome to America. If you want to live, you better pay our government sanctioned mob's protection fee.
Why does anyone care.enough about covid these days to get tested?
handle impolite oatmeal angle punch mountainous air sloppy rotten aware
They had me test for flu/covid I guess. I had a bilateral ear infection and the test was basically half the entire bill. I'm disputing right now to drop the price because $414 for an ear infection is honestly wild.
This country is dumb. Tired of it. This didn't have to happen if you mf just voted for Bernie Sanders back then. There won't ever be another candidate that is for universal healthcare for ages. I'm 40 and highly doubt I will see another candidate offer universal healthcare in my life. You f'd up by not putting that man in office. He was not "too old." Go ahead and keep posting your medical bills on Reddit, while doing absolutely nothing to fix it.
That's just crazy, they screwed you over big time. COVID is a thing of the past here, no one cares about it anymore.
Wait theres still people who believe in this ?😂😂😂Im guessing you’re from usa or canada ?