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Comment by IndrekR | Hacker News Reader

Just as a reference, in Estonia COVID antibody test costs 13.21€ for the state (14.40€ if you are private person) and PCR test costs 51.81€ for the state (58€ private). This includes PE, sampling and analysis. Most tests are paid for by the state. You may want to take privately funded one if you have no symptoms and want to travel; or are returning from affected area and want to shorten the 10 day isolation requirement to 6 with two sequential negative tests.

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In Canada, it is free through public healthcare if it is for health concerns (e.g. if you are symptomatic). If you need it for non-health reasons, e.g. travel, it goes through a private company and the cost is 250 C$ (195 US$/165€) in Alberta.

In India, RT-PCR test costs Rs 500, about $7 at any private testing centers. And one can get the results in four hours. Also one can get Covid-negative report for travel purpose for $12 (a certificate in addition to the test). Even we quadruple this price in the developed world like US, it should be about $50; instead, 95% of Americans are fleeced to death.

Where I live in Austria they charge just 45€ for a PCR test and the antibody test is free.

Not sure about LFT, but in the UK private PCR tests (required for travelling, professional elite sport etc.) cost between £80-130.

Here in California tests are $150 if you want to pay yourself (say because you're curious, or require a negative test to travel), or paid 100% by insurance (so no out of pocket costs) if you have symptoms and are referred to a test by your doctor.

The issue at hand in the article is the amount being charged to insurance companies for the latter - due to lobbying and obscure regulations (which the article points out the Trump administration attempted to overcome), it is not uncommon for medical providers to charge insurance companies exorbitant amounts for services, and also charge them for unnecessary services.

The tests are actually free in the USA. The contention here is about how much these testing sites are charging insurers.

I'm not sure why I'm being downvoted. In the United States Covid 19 testing is free with or without insurance. Nobody needs to pay anything for a covid 19 test in the USA, regardless of their residency or insurance status.

> The Families First Coronavirus Response Act ensures that COVID-19 testing is free to anyone in the U.S., including the uninsured.

https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/community-based-testing-site...

The issue here is these testing sites were performing more than a covid 19 test and then billing for those tests without a person's consent.

> Dr. Murphy wasn’t just billing for coronavirus tests, as his patients thought. He was billing for 20 other respiratory pathogens, too.

As somebody who pays taxes, pays insurance premiums, and owns dollars, I contend that unnecessary medical services are not free.

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