Colonoscopy Costs

Colonoscopy Costs

I mentioned a while back that it appears that Medicaid only reimburses a few hundred dollars for a colonoscopy--which might explain why poor and black people (who are more likely to be on Medicaid than non-poor and non-black people in America) aren't getting colonoscopies. I wasn't sure what the total bill came to for mine--but now I know.

The total billed cost for doctor, clinic, and lab, was $2509.39. The negotiated amount with my insurance company was $1798.21. Considering what Medicaid reimburses, and that you have to be poor to qualify, I can see why poor people aren't getting colonoscopies done. And this is an example of a destructive inefficiency in the current system. Assuming that colonoscopie are cost-effective (which I am inclined to think that they are), our current government-run system actually discourages a sensible preventative procedure.