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Shhh... don’t tell anyone, the actual cost of a #COVID19 test is nowhere near what is charged. Many companies/labs in US are making millions, limiting access to tests. Amid a global emergency & tragedy, costs driven by excessive medical reimbursements are a national embarrassment
We all know medical reimbursements are out of control and bankrupting the US economy. But that it has bled into the pandemic response is terrible. The average markup in a pathology lab is something around ~20x (with a large distribution around it)
As far as limiting access - I’m referring to disparate access. There are many tests that require fees. A $110 fee quite precludes whole segments of population from obtaining equal access to tests. Frequently these segments are the hardest hit with this virus too.
The 20x I was referring to was across all assays - not just CoVID. It is a reflection of how medical reimbursements have inflated prices.

And note, in hospitals, the labs don’t set the prices. And usually the labs don’t make the $. the $ goes to the ordering physician dept.
To further clarify... I am referring to high throughout commercial labs. Not most hospital and clinical labs that do not have economy of scale on their side.

High throughout labs testing 1000’s or 10,000s per day even w $50 reagents/test shouldn’t charge $110/test
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