Have you ever wondered what the cost of a stress test without insurance is? That’s because your doctor has recently told you that it may be advisable to have this type of test to determine the health of your heart.
The stress test is so-called because it refers to physical exertion. When there is a suspicion that a person may have an arrhythmia or cardiovascular disease, this test is very helpful.
But what exactly does the test consist of? And most importantly: How much can this test cost you if you do not have insurance? We will discuss everything to have a clear idea of what to do if you need this medical test.
How is a stress test performed?
The stress test consists of putting our heart in a stressful situation to see how it reacts. The person has to do some physical exercise, such as using an exercise bike or treadmill.
When the heart pumps faster and works harder, a machine can measure whether the heart muscle is working properly. This is when we can conclude whether we have an arrhythmia or coronary artery disease that needs to be treated.
The person who takes the test only has to do the exercise they are told to do. But there may be different machines that measure the physical activity of the heart, and these other machines will have an additional cost.
The different machines can be:
- The physical exercise test. Wires will be placed in your chest, and these will give information about your heart’s activity to a computer.
- The ECO stress test uses an echocardiogram. This stand-alone device will measure your activity using images taken of your heart.
- The nuclear stress test injects a radioactive dye that your heart will absorb. This will make it possible to see the inside of the muscle through images. First, when it is at rest and then exercising and pumping more.
The medical staff performing the test will be the ones who will give you instructions on what to do. At first, the physical exercise will be moderate, and then it will increase to increase the heart rate.
Depending on the person, their age and physical condition, and their machine in a particular hospital, the test may be. In all cases, if a person has insurance, it can cover up to 80% of the money for the test. But if you do not have insurance, the cost can be quite high, and it is important to know this.
What is the price of the stress test without insurance?
There can be a huge difference in an uninsured stress test price. This will depend mainly on the machine they use and the US state you are in. If you don’t have insurance, you will pay more than if you pay for health insurance every month.
Now, this is the data on the price of stress tests in the United States that has been compiled during the year 2022:
- The national minimum price for the stress test without insurance is about $1200. This includes the entire ordeal and analysis of the results, generally.
- Considering that there are states where it is much more expensive, the average cost is usually around $4400. This average includes the possibility that they use a nuclear machine with you to do it, instead of the more traditional one.
- If your test is in the most expensive state in the United States and uses the least cost-effective procedure, you can expect to pay $11700 for the entire ordeal and analysis of the results. This will be the case if you do not have insurance.
As we have told you, we can also see that there is a lot of difference between whether you take the exercise test, the ECO, or the core test. This decision will increase the price of the whole ordeal. Sometimes it is not something that you can decide, but it will depend on the type of machinery they have in the hospital you have gone to.
In any case, it seems advisable to have medical insurance to cover at least part of the cost of this test. It is also important to seek information on which states have the most economical price, as there is quite a difference between them.