Colonoscopy Cost - Buyer Experiences and Price Information

The total "list price" was $10,016 (!) - $1,575 for the young doctor and $8,440 for the operation. The actual (in-network) rate was $3,890 - $343 for the doctor and $3,550 for the operation. My co-pay for this policy is 20%, so my out-of-pocket expense was $710.

So I'm on the expensive end of out-of-pocket expenses, and they found 1 tiny polyp. On the plus side, this is a work-paid insurance policy, and Cedars-Sinai is considered a pretty darn good hospital (which is why I signed up with them). Oh and it's good to know you don't have colon cancer!

I just hope that this is it, and I don't suddenly find additional bills in my mailbox from the anesthesiologist / biopsy lab.

Had my Colonoscopy the end of November 2012...THANK GOODNESS I had already met my deductible...Insurance was billed $13,000, which they reduced as "reasonable & customary" costs to $8,300 which I feel is totally out of control!!! Needless to say I WILL NOT be having this done again.....EVER!!! rnrnBEWARE - I was told this procedure would run approx $1,200 (What a farce....how does $1,200 turn into $13,000 with insurance paying $8,300?

Have had many colonoscopy procedures due to Ulcertive Colitis, all covered except for $20 co pay. Switched insurance to BCBS thru my employer. Called to ask about colonoscopy procedures, was told free if preventive, or full cost if they 'find anything'? What? So, I won't know what I will be paying for until after the procedure? I won't be having a colonoscopy this year.. I'll be waiting until I can go back to Group Health in 2014 annual enrollment. Hope I don't regret it.. very disappointing process.

The dr fee was quite reasonable $616, but the hospital clinic ridiculous at $4,400 for a easy procedure, not polyps. I paid because there was a concern noted by physician so it was diagnositc, not on my regular 10 year schedule. I had google'd in advance and was expecting $1700 fee! I am quite surprised and disgusted with the medical clinic and plan to pursue with them.

This doctor charges for his service $1100. I heard the average insurance pays the doctor $500. I offered $600 cash in advance and his office accepted. The Hospital service was about $1700 but was excused.

I did my homework. I looked at the informaton on the United Health Care website under colonoscopy. The only information I could find said simply "free preventitive care, covered 100%" I then called them twice to confirm that all charges would be covered 100% and was repeatedly told "yes". At the hospital, the nurses told me twice that any polyps that are found would be removed as part of the procedure. It wasnt until I recieved a bill in the mail that this "free" procedure was going to cost me $1457.00 for a polyp removal! When I questioned this , they explained that polyp removal is considered a separate procedure. REALLY? I am under anistesia and unaware that they are doing a separate procedure. Shouldnt they require my ok on that? This is what I call gross misrepresentation...

Providers are incorrectly coding the ENTIRE colonoscopy as "diagnostic" if they find a polyp, etc. Only that portion related to the polyp should be coded as diagnostic and the rest should be coded as preventative. Insurance companies will say "We can't force providers to code correctly", which is bogus because if a provider overbilled, they'd be the first to take action. We pay high monthly rates with ever increasing high deductables, and end up with less than what we are entitled to. There must be a watchdog group that can force insurance companies to enforce our policy coverage.. In the meantime, request a "Predetermination of Benefits" of your insurance co. BEFORE the procedure so nothing is left to question after the fact. Again, the insurance company will resist doing anything that holds them accountable, but ask for it nonetheless. It's our only protection at the moment.

I don't have insurance so I paid out of pocket $1300.00 and $150.00 for the initial office visit. Thank God nothing was found. Each follow up visit after is $75.00 but I only went for the initial.

This whole medical system is a disgrace, people moan about Obama care but in reality is the present setup fair. The charges on here make one wonder how they come up with a price. My late Father was an doctor in England, the system back home may not be perfect, but at least it does not involve daylight robbery. The current system is based around greed, not health care. I was billed $8500.00 for a double dip, in and out in forty minutes. I have a brother who came here because of the money doctors make, he has turned into a greedy Judas. Complains about middle of the night calls where he says he will not get paid. My old man was always having to spend half a night, once a week in the Hospital when he was on call, he never ever complained never, came back at breakfast time, showered, changed clothes, ate breakfast, then took me to school on his way back to the Hospital for a full day's work.
This country needs to wake up regarding health care robbery. The procedures need a price regulation

HAP's policy toward colonoscopy is considered preventive but if polyp is found it will be considered diagnostic and the patient will have to pay the whole cost from deductible which is outrageous!!! I don't understand why can't HAP just pay for the colonscopy and let the patient pay for other expense if polyp is found!

Dr. Bortz, rnrnThank you for your feedback. We have reviewed our source materials and believe our article accurately reflects options for our readers. We are aware conditions may vary, and that is why we recommend readers consult their personal physicians before making a medical decision. Our comments section is designed as forum for readers to share their personal experiences, and we encourage comments that foster productive conversation. rnrnSincerely, rnrnStephen CurranrnEditor, CostHelper.com

Your comments about Virtual colonoscopy is totally misleading and inaccurate. You must correct it.
Colonoscopy costs 20% of the cost of a regular colonoscopy. It is as accurate as regular colonoscopy for detecting small polyps and even more sensitive in picking up CANCER than the regular colonoscopy.{ All published in peer reviwed articles}
It does NOT perforate the colon compared to 1 in 500 cases of regular colonoscopy.It does NOT require anesthesia and does not cause Hepatitis B or C infections.
See report from Las Vegas of 400 cases of Hepatitis C from 2 centers using unsterile equipment.
Also tell the patient the small tube is actually 6 feet long- that is why anesthesia is required because of the pain.
You definitely need to research your facts carefully before making these wild statements.

Procedure was painless until I received the bill. I'm 63. Monthly health insurance $540, my copay for the Colonoscopy $2000+ I'm feeling squeezed between the medical industry and the OIl companies. I have my own business and can't just raise the price or charge a service charge. I don't want the government in the mix. Unless they expand Medicare to age 60-64 group.

Had colonoscopy done at mcgee woman's hospital. They did not contact my insurance before doing procedure. So my insurance did not pay anestiologist charges so I was billed 1,500 dollars for that. The hospital billed my insurance 9,000 dollars. With my 20 % copay they billed my another $1,500 dollars. So with insurance they want me to pay $3,000 dollars. I could have walled into 3 other local hospitals in the area for less then $2.000. I am not pay mcgee that's what u call over pricing an price gouging if I've ever seen it in my life. My daughter had the same procedure done at st. Claire hospital one month before mine and it was less then $2.000. Is mcgee nuts r what. Now you know why the cost of insurance is so much.

There was a change in 2010 regarding what insurers will cover re: colonoscopies. The first one should be 100% covered as 'routine" or screening, but if anything (polyp, hemorrhoid, diverticulitis) is discovered/removed in subsequent ones, MOST insurers will not share the cost and patients are stuck with a big expense. My husband just had his second colonoscopy, was told by the nurse at Vancouver Clinic during the pre-op meeting that it would be covered 100% by our insurance (she knew his first involved polyp removal) but...three weeks later we got a bill of $2600. Clearly she mispoke and in retrospect, regardless of what the clinic told us, we should have doublechecked w/ insurance. Ask for a "predetermination" of benefits prior to a second procedure to ensure coverage amt. Again, not all insurers refuse to cover 'pre-existing', but many will not.rnrnI

My colonoscopy bill $5,287 on March 16, 2012 Flower Hospital in Sylvania, Ohio It was really a big bill, glad I had insurance. Someone drove me home but no complications.

Outpatient - removed one polyp. BCBS was bille $7,078.88. Procedure done as a preventative screening. Covered 100%. No co-pay. No deductible. Cost to me - $0

Have had insurance with this company for 20 years. Switched to "new" style policy in november,2011, to get screening colonoscopy as i am 57 and never had one. Even advised by thier phone agent to update my policy for these benefits.One polyp removed and you know the rest of the story-now is coded as preventative. My bill for full cost. I dont borrow money and have my house paid for so think i will just let my credit rating take a hit and not pay the bill-have never not paid a bill in my life--time to take a stand.

I don't have insurance, just turned 60, and haven't had a colonoscopy since I was 50. I had no colon problems at 50. I've called several gastroenterologists to compare the price of the procedure. I have saved enough money to pay for it, but don't want to pay more than I have to. A few offices I've phoned can't give me a quote because they only know the doctor's fee (between $300. and $700)and don't know the anesthetist's fee or the "facility" fee. Others have quoted me $1500 to $5000, and more if problems are found. It's just a screening and I'm tempted to skip it and use my savings to buy groceries and pay the power bill!

Hospital charges totalled $2660, with the negotiated insurance rate knocking it down to $1743. We paid 20% which represents the $348.48 above.

The GI doctor's fee was billed at $1050, but insurance knocked that down to $330. For some reason, we were not responsible for that charge and the insurance paid the whole $330.

So total charges were $3710 before insurance, $2073 taking into account negotiated insurance rates, and $348 out of my own pocket.

Note that the colonoscopy was clean so no polyps were removed, etc. Had their been any issues, I'm sure the cost would have been higher.

Make sure you read your policy and ask informed questions about getting a colonoscopy. In most of these cases, your ins company is giving you the CORRECT information about undergoing a colonoscopy. It is preventative, and thus a fairly low out of pocket cost. The problem most folks are encountering is that everything changes once you get a polyp removed. It is not the insurance company's fault that you did not understand your policy. It is not enough to just ask about your coverage! Talk to your doctor! Yes, it can be expensive to get a polyp removed, but it is generally assumed that this is what will happen when you undergo a colonoscopy. Do your research before getting any medical test done. Generally, you want to get any polyp removed, regardless of the cost. This is what the POINT of a colonoscopy is! The problem with the health care system in the US is not just greedy physicians, it's consumers that enter into medical procedures without doing their homework.

Had my colonoscopy 5 years ago and it cost me $400 with my BCBS insurance.
Now I don't have insurance for 2 years and I called my local hospital and they quoted me $4,000 and said it could be more if they had to do pathology.
Ended up using a program called colonoscopy assist to get it done for much cheaper. They wouldn't schedule me at the same hospital so I had to go to a different one instead but was worth saving $3000. Colonoscopies are a rip off for the 30 minutes it takes to do them.

Great experience. No pain,comfortable area and compassionate staff.

I had rectal bleeding (age 55) and was referred for colonocopy. I checked with BCBS and they said no charge for the first exam unless a polyp was removed and they couldn't tell me if anesthesia was covered in full or not. I told the doc to do a screening exam only and to not but not remove any polyps that she may find; I put this on the consent and she reluctantly signed it (actually this is no different from a virtual where no polyps can be removed so I told the doc not to get her panties in a bunch; she agreed). Nobody could tell me if anesthesia (propofol, not the garbage conscious sedation with Versed given by a nurse) was covered so I politely asked to skip it especially when I was told that a CRNA (nurse) would do it not an anesthesiologist. The CRNA offered to do the propofol free as a professional courtesy, but I declined for safety reasons.

I had a colonoscopy 4 years ago, it was considered preventive wellness, less than $50.00. This time the Hospital bill alone is $5,250.70 my pay is $1,167.86. Not only is the cost over 100% they code it as "Abdominal Surgery".
When I questioned the cost and thought it was due to wrong coding. PLCM Hospital just rattled off their sing song response, saying the medical cost have increased significantly and the coding is correct! Procedure had nothing to do with my stomach!!! Go figure. We do need monetary control in health care. I feel the start of all these exorbitant fees/charges started years ago when "get-rich" lawyers talked millions of people into frivolous(not the ones w/merit) medical lawsuits that in turn caused Medical personel and Providers to charge more to cover lawsuits. Domino effect.

Quoted $0 as required under new health care law. Removed 3 polyps so they changed code from screening to surgery as a result the $0 quote was thrown out. deductible was $1500 and the 25% Bill $7332, write down $4061, insurance paid $1321, cost me $1950. Consumer beware. The insurance company will always find a way to screw you.

A routing colonscopy changes to surgery if even one tiny polyp is found and removed the insurance company now charges you for the procedure. What a scam. The polyp was not sent out for biopsy. So if the doctor did not think the polyp was suitable for biopsy why is it removed? Why does the insurance company not assume that the patient pays out of pocket for half the cost of the procedure. Tufts is going to be one less subscriber next year. They really suck! Plus I pay $1700 per month for this crappy policy while all the illegals and free loaders get it carte blanche! Just waint until the system is FREE!

Total cost was around $2,200 - facility and dr. I don't remember what the costs were on the two previous colonoscopies.
It has been almost 5 years, and I guess I am going to be inquiring about another since I am considered high risk (precancerous polyps found during 1st one and have active diverticculosis)

Told it was cover 100% if the doctor use a screening code ,I told the Dr. office this , the said no problem as my insurance is owned by the Hospital . Now I owe at least $450 , hosp. says its the Docs fault . the billing people will not help , Beware of OPTIMA HEALTH .BTW I have to pay 4400 for a hernia repair too ( done 2 weeks later ,

Blue Cross paid $1268 total for the doctor and facility; this is about a %75 discount from MN Gastro's stated bill of $1630.
Because this screening colonoscopy fell under the new health care reform, it cost nothing out of pocket with an individual, high-deductible policy.