A recent Durango Herald article mentioned insurance and hospital monopolies in Southwest Colorado. I’d like to bring attention to disparities in other health care costs, like blood work.
The only lab I was made aware of in our area through my insurance, Aetna, was Mercy Regional Medical Center, which charges $180 for a basic thyroid test. Quest Diagnostics lab offers the same test for $39 (but not in our area).
Mercy can charge these inflated prices since their labs are processed through the hospital even if they aren’t drawn there. Additionally, since 2018, patients having labs through Mercy get a second bill without explanation from Mountain States Pathology, adding even more cost per lab.
I have since discovered that Cedar Diagnostics in Durango offers the same thyroid test for $30 without insurance. This means Mercy is charging six times the cost of Cedar for the same lab (and this doesn’t include the additional Mountain Pathology charge)!
This adds up for people who have high deductibles. Deceptive and opaque charging practices not only harm us with unexpected costs, but contribute to increases in insurance premiums as insurance companies pay out inflated charges.
Mercy should have to advise their patients about more affordable lab options in our area, like Cedar Diagnostics, so their patients may make a more informed decision on where to go for labs. Otherwise, this is just another example of hospital monopolies taking advantage of the lack of competition in our area.
Jennette Cross
Durango
