Are At-home Blood Tests More Affordable?

Everyone knows good health care is increasingly hard to come by. When it comes to the rising popularity of the at home blood test, it’s understandable to be a little skeptical. All you have to do is compare the upfront cost of a home test with the cost of blood work at your nearby clinics. 

For many, an at-home blood test provides an affordable alternative to a hospital visit, if not the cheapest. 

Affordability of At-home Blood Tests

At-home blood tests can be more affordable in part because they cost one flat fee – often costing less than getting blood work done at a nearby clinic, depending on your insurance situation. You also don’t have to take time out of your busy schedule, saving you time away from work and the cost of the trip. 

The truth is that the cost of blood work can get absurd for the uninsured. Hospitals and health care practices have long been known to hike up prices arbitrarily. Why should someone a few towns over pay hundreds of dollars less than you do? Moreover, why should you have to research insurance co-pays and the pros/cons of every available healthcare provider just to get blood work? Obstacles keep popping up between you and good healthcare – and that shouldn’t be the case. 

Luckily, at-home blood tests have created an opportunity for more alternatives – ones that skip the clinic visits, long wait times, and needlessly high costs. They may not always be more affordable, but they definitely provide more options that are affordable. 

You might find that your local clinic can offer you blood work at $12 thanks to your insurance. However, there are a lot of people who don’t have that luxury, given that the average cost of blood work for the uninsured can cost hundreds of dollars. For them, a flat fee between $50-$100 starts to look more viable. 

Advantages of At-home Blood Tests

Now that blood tests can be scheduled at the click of a mouse and done at home in minutes, you can take this opportunity to check yourself for health problems you might not be thinking about. Many people put off the doctor’s visit, waiting for a clear and decisive reason to go. All the while, high cholesterol has been wreaking havoc on their arteries for months. 

The sooner the diagnosis, the better. Always. If you do an insulin resistance test at home, you could catch signs of diabetes early, saving you years of hardship. A low-stress blood test, done in the comfort of your own home, can alert you to problems before they escalate, preventing serious illness later on. 

More About At-home Blood Tests

An at-home blood test allows you to prick your finger, collect blood in a safe container, and mail off the specimen in a protective envelope for testing. Professionals run the sample through their equipment at their practice or hospital. 

At-home blood tests can give information on:

• STIs
• Glucose
• High cholesterol
• Allergies
• Liver health
• Kidney health 
• Thyroid function

These tests cost a flat fee, and you’ll be sent the results some time later. You may need to schedule an appointment with a telemedicine provider to get further medical advice, but the results themselves will be an invaluable addition to your medical history, providing insight for years to come.