Did You Know This?
Your medical provider has instructed you to get some blood work done and you call your local lab to set up an appointment. You set up the day and time, mark it in your calendar, and make sure you understand the instructions about what you need to be doing in the hours leading up to the test (i.e. fasting, water intake, etc.). Pretty straightforward, right?
Sure.
Except for one little thing. That can be a big thing. And that’s what it’s going to cost you to have this lab work done.
The reality is there can be huge pricing discrepancies in standard lab testing, depending on where you live in the country, what traditional insurance payouts are for those tests, and the continuing lack of transparency surrounding medical procedures and testing.
In recent years, there have been a handful of consumer advocates speaking out on the challenges of the medical marketplace not having standardized pricing and upfront disclosure on those costs for patients. Jeanne Pinder, a TedTalk speaker, medical pricing advocate and founder of ClearHealthCosts, said this in a recent New York Times article: “When you get into M.R.I.s, ultrasounds and blood tests, they are crazy,” she said. “The secrecy in pricing all over this marketplace encourages this behavior.”
Altrua HealthShare is an non-profit health sharing organization that is making a difference in the lab cost arena. They have partnered with Grassroots Labs to offer Altrua HealthShare members clear pricing structures, with national availability to labs.
“We strive every day to cultivate new innovative options for our members,” says John Capezzuti, COO of Altrua HealthShare, “which allows them to receive the highest level of care at the lowest price point possible. Grassroots Labs is a great example of a company that we work with that does exactly that.”
Zachary Aten, the Founder of Grassroots Labs, started his career in the faith-based non-profit sector. In that experience, he continued to encounter people who ended up with significant health issues and trips to the emergency room after having not been able to find an affordable lab and diagnostic testing.
He wanted to establish a company that would help people connect with reputable labs in their own communities and for those people to be able to search for the tests they wanted and be able to price check those tests. That’s where Grassroots Labs was born.
“I think of us as the Amazon for blood tests,” Zachary said in a recent interview. “We want testing to be as affordable, accessible, and convenient as possible.”
Grassroots Labs offers thousands of tests at a network of labs across the country, giving consumers greater options for finding a lab location close to home. While Grassroots Labs will conduct tests as per a doctor’s orders, consumers do not need a doctor’s orders for any testing they want to receive, giving consumers greater freedom to monitor their own health. (The exceptions for this are members in Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey, due to local restrictions.)
As the debate over medical cost transparency continues, healthcare options like Altrua HealthShare and their work with Grassroots Labs offer patients better control, insight, and options for healthcare. To learn more about Altrua HealthShare and its approach for consumer advocacy and top-quality care at affordable prices, click here.
And if you’re already a member of Altrua HealthShare, ‘Share the Care’ and let your friends know about the great affordability and fantastic features you’ve found through your membership.