$8,400 bill for COVID-19 tests stuns Lodi couple

When John Weston found out that Adventist Health Lodi Memorial was offering drive-thru testing for COVID-19, he and his wife got in the car and headed over.

“My wife and I were both ill for about a month, and we had all the symptoms of COVID-19 except for the fever,” he said.

His doctor had declined to refer them for a test because neither had a fever, but when Weston called the hospital and shared their symptoms, they were told a test would be a good idea.

The Westons were relieved when they got their results: both had tested negative for the deadly new virus that has sparked a global pandemic.

That relief disappeared a few weeks later when the Westons received the bill: approximately $4,200 each had been billed to their insurance company. That included $2,560 per person for a visit to the emergency department.

“We never even stepped out of our car,” Weston said. “That seemed excessive, as well.”

Jason Whitney, the finance officer for Adventist Health Lodi Memorial, said that privacy laws prevent him from commenting on any specific patient’s bill.

However, whenever a patient visits the hospital, it gets billed to their insurance, he said. That’s what pays for the doctors and nurses who staff Lodi Memorial or any hospital.

“Insurance is always billed for services provided,” he said.

From there, it’s the responsibility of the insurance company to determine which costs they cover and inform the hospital.

“If there is a patient portion, that then gets billed out to the patient,” Whitney said.

That said, no patient should be billed by their insurance company for COVID-related care or testing, he said. Under the CARES Act, insurance companies are responsible for paying for their members’ coronavirus-related care, including medical visits and testing.

Anyone who receives a bill from their insurance company for COVID-19 care should contact their medical provider and insurance company immediately to correct the issue, Whitney said. If they received their care at Lodi Memorial, he invited them to get in touch with the hospital’s Patient Financial Services department at 209-339-7543.

“We’re more than happy to work with them on that,” he said.

The hospital also has assistance available for uninsured patients, he said.

Whitney couldn’t comment on the Westons’ case directly.

However, when a patient arrives at Lodi Memorial for any labwork or tests with a physician’s referral, it’s considered outpatient care. If they don’t have a

referral from a physician, the hospital legally cannot provide care unless the patient is under the care of one of the hospital’s physicians, which is generally through the emergency department, he said.

When Weston and his wife arrived at Lodi Memorial for their tests, a hospital staff member did ask for their insurance information, he said.

“I remember questioning the nurse about it, because I thought it was free,” he said.

She told him that the hospital needed their insurance information, but didn’t say anything about a charge, Weston said.

“I am 100% sure they did not tell us there would be any charges when we did that drive-thru,” he said.

A physician’s assistant or doctor took the Westons’ temperature, checked their blood oxygen level, and asked them a few questions about their symptoms, he added.

The Westons are now in contact with a representative of Lodi Memorial’s financial department and their insurance company to get their testing costs covered.

John Weston had already paid out his deductible for the year and was not charged out-ofpocket, he said, but his wife was billed $2,789.

“They’re going to work on it and get back to me,” he said.

Weston wanted to share his story so that anyone else hit with an unexpected bill for COVID-19 testing knows they can fight it. Once he was able to get in touch with the hospital’s billing department, they were very reasonable and explained everything to him, he said.

Even though he’s been reassured that he won’t need to pay the large bill, Weston is disappointed that the test cost so much. He hopes the hospital will negotiate with his insurance company and come down on the bill a little.

And he worries that other patients have been hit with the same bill, and won’t have the time or energy to fight it, or even realize they can.

“We went on the very first day of testing, so I imagine they’re going to be getting quite a few inquiries on this,” he said.

Still, even though it has cost him several hours — so far — to work out the billing issue, he’s glad he and his wife were able to get the test and rule out COVID-19 as a cause of their symptoms.

“I don’t regret getting the test,” Weston said. “I think there should have been an explanation that it might be free to the patient, but it’s not a free test.”