> In general I’m frustrated that patients can’t just order the exact tests they want.
See jasonhealth.com (for Quest) or ownyourlabs.com (for Labcorp). The main issue is that you can't bill insurance without a provider's order, but a lot of tests are cheaper when not billed through insurance.
I did this recently and it was so easy I felt like I was cheating somehow.
For me to get an appointment with and talk to my doctor to try to convince them to prescribe the test cost, not including the actual draw and test results themselves, would have cost several times more than paying for the test myself.
It's similar to how getting my prescription with insurance costs three times more than getting it from Cost Plus Drugs.
See jasonhealth.com (for Quest) or ownyourlabs.com (for Labcorp). The main issue is that you can't bill insurance without a provider's order, but a lot of tests are cheaper when not billed through insurance.