I'm new here. Cost of monthly blood tests for 3 years post transplant

[rom121amy]

Hi folks, my son lives in South Carolina and has to get blood tests every month. Apparently these are costing $83 each time! Is this reasonable? Are these supposed to be covered by insurance or government completely? Thanks!

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There must be a reason why his physician has ordered monthly blood labs. Has the physician told your son the reason? Either way, it would be impossible to know the answers you seek without knowing what type of insurance he has, the reason for the monthly labs and his other health issues.

The fastest way to get those answers is to have him ask his doctor. Best of luck.

[cmaxwell78 NKF Ambassador]

In addition to being a very regular consumer of medical benefits as a CKD patient, I'm also a benefits administrator for my company. I am only having labs pulled every 6 months by my neph, and if I follow my benefit plan and go to a non-facility (hospital) owned lab, my labs are covered. If I go to a facility-owned lab, they run anywhere from $600-$750 at full cost. I look forward to hearing more about the coverage you have any am happy to offer whatever advice I can in helping you maximize it!

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

For the fist 15 years post transplant my center ordered monthly labs. They need to do this at first to catch an early rejection episode. I am now almost 19 years post transplant and labs are quarterly. If something is abnormal, I still have them more often. I think it is the price we pay for LIFE. If you are in the US, you need primary and secondary insurance and then it seems to pay 100% after deductibles are met