The cost of health care services can vary among clinics, provides and hospitals. And that has been especially true for COVID-19 tests.
Houston Chronicle health care and business reporter Gwendolyn Wu told Texas Standard that test prices range drastically. In a Johns Hopkins University study she cited in a recent story for the chronicle, they ranged from 1 cent to over $14,000.
“The reason why the numbers rage so widely is because in the federal relief packages for coronavirus, you were starting to see this provision saying that, essentially, providers who are out of network, they have full discretion over how much their cash prices are for coronavirus testing,” Wu said.
What you’ll hear in this segment:
– What CARES Act legislation says about COVID-19 test pricing
– Why test prices vary so greatly
– What the actual cost is for a COVID-19 test compared to what providers and insurers are charging patients
