LabCorp. Advice needed.

Re: LabCorp. Advice needed.

• IdigDirt member

  February 2011

  Ugh, this happened to me but with surgery. I was told it was covered but having never having my own insurance before I didn't know that my work offers some kind of discount insurance. Long story short I agreed to the surgery only because I had no idea I would have to pay and now have $4000 in medical bills.

  You can try to call them and see if they will work out a deal. I had a labcorp bill of almost $1000 (something unrelated) and they made me only pay half but that was because insurance did not cover any of the test. It can't hurt to try.
  

  
  

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• jjones59 member

  February 2011

  I had the same issue, for the beginning Pregnancy Blood Panel, I had to pay nearly $300.00 out of pocket, plus they billed me separately for the beginning of PG Pap, so I think in total I've paid lab corp like $350.00, it is unreal, I cannot imagine what the GD test is going to cost me. I asked my dr. if I could go somewhere else and she said well most insurances don't cover other places. I'd bring it up with your dr, I'm going to request I go somewhere else for my GD test, I'm in the same boat as you and its ridiculous.
  

  
  
  

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• jlsimon56 member

  February 2011

  I think it also depends on your insurance.  Do you know what your deductible is?  We got two bills for $300 each, it's b/c my deductible is PER YEAR not PER EVENT.  So we had one appt. back in November and another in January, so I am paying double.  Next time, I will get pregnant and have the baby, all in one year! 

  Most places are really lenient too.  When I had a hospital bill of $1700, they let me pay them $25 per month, interest free.  It was going to take them over 5 years to get all their money, but they were ok with it.  So be sure to ask about that, too!  Though getting them to cut the bill in half is also nice!

  I learned that asking if something is covered by insurance doesn't mean $0 for me.  :-(  I am definitely asking how much tests are before I agree to them from now on.  (The optional tests.)

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• britt1141 member

  February 2011

  I had a bill that seemed outrageous and when I called our lab company they said there was a glitch in the system that day and my insurance hadn't been billed. You might check and see if something similar happened. I also found out if I pay my lab bills online I receive a 20% discount which can really add up with all these bills! If those suggestions don't work I agree with pp that they will be willing to work with you on a payment plan. Good luck!

  

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• MommaA117 member

  February 2011

  If the bill does end up being legit and not a mistake you can also ask them if they give a cash pay discount. Lots of places do for cash pay customers. I had an ultrasound that was $150 and in the paperwork I realized had they billed it to insurance it would have been around $400...they jack up prices for insurance.

  
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• hurricane1212 member

  February 2011

  Thanks girls. I know this sounds terrible, but it does feel better not to be the only victim of their thievery. I called the insurance company and they are going to end up owing me money after my OB's office files my global pre-pay for delivery/appointments. That made me feel a little better. LabCorp worked out a payment plan for me. I'm still upset about the amount, but I'm happy they were willing to work with me. I will DEFINITELY be asking about the price of any and all tests that remain during this pregnancy. DH wanted me to change doctors because he was so upset and convinced they were receiving kickbacks galore. We will be discussing it with them at my next appointment, but I'll be doing the talking. 

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• kmv68

  February 2011

  Call your insurance company first.  You also should have gotten a statement from your insurance company stating how much they paid and how much you will still owe.
  

  

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• 11kacey member

  February 2011

  My doctor's office advised me to call and ask my insurance company myself to make sure everything was covered. My insurance company said that they would pay only if medically necessary. A lot of those tests I had were not (Fragile X and CF and the NT Scan and associated blood tests). I found out the costs and decided that I was willing to pay for them if they did get bounced back from the insurance company. It has been four months and I have not heard boo from them. I am not holding my breath though.. I think I will owe about $1400 in total.

  I am sorry you were misled that really sucks! 
  

  

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• PhotoCat82

  February 2011

  Office manager here - I highly recommend asking the doctor, lab, radiology center, etc what CPT (procedure) codes they are going to bill for and the ICD-9 code(s) (diagnosis) code that they bill with the CPT code.  Then call your insurance and find out the details.  Yes, your blood work was covered by insurance, but there are so many plans out there that it is impossible for a doctor to be able to tell you what you are going to owe out of pocket.  Sorry you had to deal with that.  Insurance, billing, etc is quite frustrating!
  

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