Most private insurance do not cover “screening” colonoscopies. They will only cover IF you have a reason blood in stool, change in bowel habits etc. The stool quiac cards are a poor screen. May only pick up 15-20% and likely to be more advanced. But, if it is positive your colonoscopy is now diagnostic and covered not a screening exam. Now before you get bent out of shape just think how much insurance rates would have to increase to pay for everyone to have a screening colonoscopy. Cost here is about 3,800 nothing like a 120.00 mammogram.
No, I wasn’t getting a screening. I had a problem otherwise I never would have had it done. And I had just had back surgery so my deductible had already been met.
My insurance will not cover PET Scans, CT scans, MRI’s and certain xrays and scans. Only basic xrays for example a chest xray. And yes, I have had an illness or a disease at the time. It goes under the deductible and we have a $5000 deductible. I had to pay for a bone scan out of pocket too. I had already been diagnosed so that wasn’t a screening either. I’m still making payments on that.
I’m certainly not “bent out of shape”. I was just stating a possible reason why people were not running to get these done. Between the nasty prep the night before and the cost for those whose insurance doesn’t cover I think that may be a possible reason why there are such a low number of people getting these. I feel very blessed to have any health insurance at all and realize that insurance companies have to draw the line somewhere.
My husband works for a small company and they need to keep insurance costs down. I understand that completely. I’m not complaining.
Costs vary depending on where you live and what hospital or clinic you have these done at. I obtained the cost estimates through my insurance company website.
One thing people can do is have them done when they have already reached their deductible for the year for something else.