Authorizing Labs?

I recently went to an OBGYN at a larger hospital.

The Dr. wanted to take some labs due to some symptoms I described and after the exam sent me to the onsite lab where I had blood drawn. I was not told what exactly was being screened as it was explained as "checking for irregularities" in very vague terms. I was never asked if I even wanted to take labs, it was just: "Head to the lab on your way out". At the lab, I asked if I needed to present my insurance again and they said they already had me in their system from when I just had the exam a few minutes ago. The place was empty and the whole thing took less than 2 minutes.

On my way out, I asked if I need to present anything or owe a co-pay or anything. They said nope, it will be billed through insurance. Okie dokie.

Well you probably know where this is going. Smash cut to today and I have a $1800 lab bill. Surprise! The Dr. had ordered extensive screening.

First and foremost, I feel pretty dumb. I guess I should have interrogated everyone along the way to see what my potential costs could be. That's my bad.

At the same time, I feel pretty scammed. I literally had no idea they would take so much blood. The person switched out the vials like a NASCAR pitstop crew. Not that I have any idea what the different tests costs or even what tests were being run. Because I had symptoms, it's also considered diagnostic rather than preventative, so my insurance is covering exactly $0 since my deductible has not been met.

Do I have any recourse here? I am going to call the billing department today, but I'm feeling like I'm just another sucker and they are going to have a well-used script explaining it-is-what-it-is.

submitted by /u/Strict_Run
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