Economical Basic Lab Testing

By Lee Aase • September 8, 2021

If you have recently gotten fasting glucose and a basic lipid panel done through your health care provider, you have three of the five measurements you need for your metabolic health baseline.

One of our goals through HELPcare is to help our members better understand both their laboratory readings and other relevant measurements, and so we want to make lab testing available at greatly reduced cost.

In the future we expect to negotiate direct contracts for even greater savings, but in the interim we suggest a citizen science initiative, OwnYourLabs.com (OYL), for those who want economical updated testing.

Through OYL you can get testing from one of the nation's largest lab companies at a fraction of the customary price because you pay directly instead of funneling it through your insurance.

As I write this the OYL prices for the lab tests you need for a metabolic syndrome evaluation are:

While these are the basic minimum tests for metabolic health, for a bigger picture of your health you might also consider:

  • Fasting Insulin - This, combined with your fasting glucose through the metabolic panel, can enable calculation of your insulin resistance. It's the most important medical test you've probably never had. It's only $12.60.
  • Vitamin D, 25-Hydroxy - This hormone is essential to your immune system and many bodily functions. Low levels are associated with much greater likelihood of being hospitalized or needing ICU treatment for patients with COVID-19. At $44.28 it's a bit more expensive than the others, but it's well worth it if you haven't had this test done recently.
  • TSH - Thyroid Specific Hormone - an initial marker of thyroid function. $11.55

The total cost for all six of these tests is less than $94, and you pay by credit card. Here's how it works.

If you agree to share your data anonymously with the Citizen Science Foundation you save even more (as I recall it was about 10%).

We look forward to being able to offer testing like this directly through HELPcare in the future, but for now OYL is a great option.

Lee Aase

Lee Aase is the founder of HELPcare LLC, which provides comprehensive membership, marketing and management services for provider-owned HELPcare Clinics, as well as metabolic health education and coaching for people interested in restoring health and reversing disease through lifestyle changes. Lee and his wife Lisa live in Austin, MN and have six married children and 18 grandchildren.
Please sign in or register to post a reply.