Know what you’ll owe — before you go.
The lab hands you a pad and says “sign here, you might owe money.” ClaraCover tells you what Medicare actually covers, what the lab really charges, and what to ask — in plain English, free.
New here? See the step-by-step: what to do before you go →
Free chart: how often Medicare pays for lab tests →
No account. No name. No Medicare number. Ever.
The $366 signature
It started at a Quest counter in Indiana. My 79-year-old mother — on Medicare, on a fixed income — was asked to sign a pad agreeing to pay “whatever Medicare doesn’t.” Nobody could tell us what that meant. Not the lab. Not the doctor’s office. Not the hour-long hold with Medicare.
So I did the research myself. The pad price for her vitamin D test? $366. The exact same test, bought directly from Quest’s own consumer site? $59. Whether Medicare would pay at all came down to one diagnosis code on the doctor’s order — a published rule anyone could look up, if they knew where.
By the end, I’d saved her $600 across three tests. ClaraCover exists so you don’t need a daughter with a spreadsheet habit to get the same answer. — Darlene, founder
How it works
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Find your test.
Search by name or the 5-digit CPT code printed on your doctor’s order.
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See the real numbers.
Whether Medicare covers it (and for which diagnoses), what Medicare pays, and what the test costs to buy directly if it’s not covered.
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Know what to ask.
Before you sign anything: how to get the price in writing, and what to discuss with your doctor.
Plain-English guides
- Does Medicare cover blood work?
- Medicare Parts A, B, C and D explained
- What will your blood work cost?
- What blood tests really cost
- What would each Medicare option have cost you?
- Will a Medicare Advantage plan save you money?
- Can you still get Medigap after 65?
- Switching Medigap plans: same coverage, lower price
- Doctor ordered lab work? What to do before you go
- How often Medicare pays for lab tests
- Medicare Advantage and lab tests
- Normal range vs optimal range
- Fasting before blood work
- How long does a urine culture take?
- Does Medicare cover a bone density test?
- Does Medicare cover mammograms?
- Does Medicare cover a colonoscopy?
- Does Medicare cover Cologuard (the stool DNA test)?
- Does Medicare cover a blood test for colon cancer?
- Does Medicare cover a hepatitis B test?
- Does Medicare cover STI screening?
- Does Medicare cover Pap smears?
- Does Medicare cover an HPV test?
- How to appeal a Medicare denial
- How to appeal a hospital discharge (the fast appeal)
- What Medicare means by "reasonable and necessary"
- What is free T4?
- What does a high or low ferritin level mean?
- What is a “basic blood panel”?
- What is BUN on a blood test?
- What is hs-CRP?
- What does a high B12 level mean?
- What does a folate test show?
Browse tests
The tests Medicare denies most
- Vitamin D test CPT 82306
- Testosterone test CPT 84403
- Ferritin test CPT 82728
- Vitamin B12 test CPT 82607
- Homocysteine test CPT 83090
- Folate test CPT 82746
- Magnesium blood test CPT 83735
- ANA test CPT 86038
- High-sensitivity CRP test CPT 86141
- Iron panel (iron and TIBC) CPT 83540
- Fructosamine test CPT 82985
- AFP tumor marker test CPT 82105
- CEA tumor marker test CPT 82378
- CA 125 tumor marker test CPT 86304
- CA 19-9 tumor marker test CPT 86301
- hCG blood test CPT 84702
Everyday bloodwork
- Comprehensive metabolic panel CPT 80053
- CBC blood test CPT 85025
- Hemoglobin A1c test CPT 83036
- Lipid panel CPT 80061
- TSH test CPT 84443
- Urinalysis CPT 81003
- Basic metabolic panel CPT 80048
- PT/INR test CPT 85610
- Free T4 test CPT 84439
- Sed rate test CPT 85652
- GGT blood test CPT 82977
- Urine culture CPT 87086
- PTT test CPT 85730
- Uric acid test CPT 84550
- Blood-count components CPT 85018
- Triglycerides test CPT 84478
- Acute hepatitis panel CPT 80074
- HDL cholesterol test CPT 83718
- Direct LDL test CPT 83721
- T3 uptake test CPT 84479
Screening tests & their frequency rules
Holding a doctor’s order right now? We’ll look yours up. Free.
Send us the test codes and diagnosis codes from your order (no name, no Medicare number — just the codes and your state). Within 24 hours, you’ll get back a plain-English answer: likely covered or not, what Medicare pays, and what it would cost you either way.
We answer the first 10 requests each day, personally. This is a free service while we build the automated lookup tool.
Never overpay at the lab again.
Get our free guide — “5 Ways to Never Overpay at the Lab” — plus one short, useful email a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime, and we never share your address.
The instant lookup tool is in the works: type a test code, a diagnosis code, and your state — get your answer in seconds. Join the email list above to be first in line. (On Medicare Advantage? Tell us your plan in the concierge form — plan-by-plan support is on our roadmap.)
No account. No name. No Medicare number. Looking up a test collects nothing about you. We only get an email address if you choose to give us one. · Every answer cites its source — the actual Medicare policy and fee schedule, with dates. · Never ads. Some direct-purchase links may earn us a commission at no cost to you — always disclosed where they appear.