$400 for a Canker Sore

I went to an in network doctor (California) a few weeks ago for an annual physical, which was supposed to be fully covered by my health insurance.

At the end of the visit, the doctor noticed a canker sore on my lip and said he wanted to swab it for HSV. Test came back negative, and I just got an EOB from my insurance for $400.

I called the insurance and asked why it wasn’t covered, and they said the doctors office did not bill it as a routine physical. Called the doctors office and they said because of the HSV test, my visit was no longer considered preventative. They said they would re-run the billing to see if there was anything they could do, but it sounded like I’m probably stuck paying for it.

Is there anything else I can do in this situation? Seems absurd that this ended up costing twice what a visit to urgent care would have run. If I had known the test would cost $400, I would have just gone to planned parenthood or something and gotten it done for free.

submitted by /u/SalmonTreats
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