Coronary Calcium Score

Annie :
I have no idea what a coronary calcium score is. Educate me please mam. Would your insurance cover???

We haven't had that test done but I've heard about it and thought it was around one hundred dollars a few years ago, maybe up to two hundred dollars these days. Ask the financial department folks at Kingwood Hospital how much that test would be if you pay cash.

I will call Mem Hermann tomorrow too. Really surprised.

HappyHerself : Paying in cash might be a good option. I will ask about cash and insurance prices.

Annie : Statements arriving from my dh's health insurance company amaze me every time at how extremely huge the charges are from his medical care team -- hospital, ambulance, doctors, lab work, rooms and care, etc. Insurance company statements show how much they were billed and how much they actually paid, plus our expected amount to be responsible for (co-payments or no payments needed from us). You might not be able to get the pre-negotiated prices that insurance companies get, but I've heard you can get a cost not much beyond that if you pay cash.

Here's a small scale example from my dh's April 2025 Explanation of Benefits. On April 1 dh fell and broke his hip. A lot of testing was done and surgery repaired the fractured area of his upper hip bone. Here's just one little line item from that day:
"CT scan of upper spine without contrast" Provider billed plan $126.00. Plan paid $43.84. Your share 0.

Here's a larger example, dh's "medical and hospital cost summary" for this year through April (what had been billed so far):
Providers billed plan: $108,512.84
Plan paid: $14,480.66
Your share: 931.06

Annie :
Go or call other facilities - maybe try Memorial Hermann by HEB. I don't think you need to pay that much. I have Medicare and mine and H's was 100% covered.

HappyHerself :
So sorry your DH fell.
Prayers he healed without complications.🙏

I have not met the retirement years do I am still doing insurance through work. All the posted prices look so much better than my coverage!

Annie :
I had one done a few years ago and went through Vital Heart and Vein. I was just under $300. I think I paid for it all because I had not met my deductible.

Cash price for CAC score is usually around $150, if you pay out of pocket. I'm not sure of your age but they are most helpful in individuals between 40-70 years of age. Here is a link for Houston Methodist, their list price is $140.www.houstonmethodist .org/heart-vascular/ prevention/heart-sca n-packages/?utm