$360 for a strep throat test to determine I simply need amoxicillin. That was WITH basic insurance at an "urgent care" facility.
The health care system is so warped in America that I can't even begin to wrap my head around it. I have a better grasp on astrophysics for fucks sake.
Idk if it's an option in your area many drug stores CVS etc have walk in clinics where you can get that done for about 100.
Those urgent cares are pricy. They need to make it so the costs are listed at the door. Medical care is the only thing we buy where the price is a mystery until after the fact.
I have not heard of that before. We don't actually have a stand alone CVS, just a few department stores with a CVS pharmacy. I don't recall seeing anyone other than pharmacists there.
I may be mistaken, but was always under the impression that walk in clinics like urgent care were the most affordable option.
Universal healthcare would reduce the costs significantly. Most countries spend about half of what the US does (By % of GDP). And most provide better care for the average patient.
It is the insurance industry that causes much of the inflation in the costs, and absorbs a large portion of funds that could better be used by the hospitals and doctors.
For example here in Canada we spend about 11% gdp on health care(US spends 19%) and receive a level of service that only the American elite can afford. Our system is deeply flawed and could be run much better, yet it still greatly outperforms the US system, at close to half the cost.
My phone bill costs more than my coverage, and I've had specialists flown in to perform experimental surgery on me.