GougeStop

07/23/2026

Here's something worth sharing: the government is finally making hospitals show their real prices — and the fines just got serious.
A new rule took effect this year requiring hospitals to post actual dollar amounts — not fake estimates — for the services they provide, and to sign off on that data personally. No more filling public pricing files with "999999999" as a placeholder.
CMS began enforcing the tougher rules on April 1, 2026 — and the penalties have climbed fast. Nearly 30 hospitals have now been fined for hiding prices, with the largest penalties approaching $980,000. CMS is enforcing at roughly double the pace of the prior administration.
For Medicare patients, this matters. The same problem GougeStop was built to solve — labs charging 3x, 5x, even 50x more than Medicare pays — is exactly what price-transparency reform is designed to fix. You deserve to know what a test costs before you walk out of the building.
The momentum is real, and it crosses party lines. In the meantime, while hospitals catch up, GougeStop already gives you Medicare's real rates for lab tests — instantly and for free.
👉 gougestop.com

07/16/2026

Every few months, Medicare mails you something called a Medicare Summary Notice, or MSN. Most people glance at it and set it aside. That could be costing you money.
Here's what your MSN actually tells you — and what to do with it:
📋 It's not a bill. It's a record of everything billed to Medicare on your behalf, what Medicare paid, and the maximum you should owe.
📋 Compare it to the bills you receive. If a provider bills you more than the "maximum you may owe" shown on your MSN, that's a red flag — and you shouldn't pay it without asking questions.
📋 Look for services you didn't receive. Billing errors are common, and your MSN is one of the best tools for catching them.
📋 For lab tests Medicare covers 100%, you may not even get an MSN — because Medicare paid in full and there's nothing left for you to owe. If a lab sends you a bill for a test Medicare covered, check your MSN online at Medicare.gov before paying.
One more tip: You can access your MSN anytime through your MyMedicare.gov account — you don't have to wait for the mail.
Questions about what Medicare actually paid for your lab work? That's what GougeStop is for.
👉 gougestop.com (free, 60 seconds)

07/14/2026

Did you know a basic blood count has a Medicare rate of $7.77 — but the average uninsured price at Florida hospitals is over $400?
That's a 52-times markup.
Here's what some common lab tests cost Medicare, versus the average uninsured (list) price at Florida hospitals:
🔬 Complete Blood Count (CBC): Medicare $7.77 / Hospital $401
🔬 HbA1c (diabetes test): Medicare $9.71 / Hospital $250
🔬 Comprehensive Metabolic Panel: Medicare $10.56 / Hospital $957
🔬 Lipid Panel: Medicare $13.39 / Hospital $558
Those hospital figures are the mean uninsured charges across 42 Florida hospitals (Lin & Margo, Cureus 2024); Medicare rates are from the CMS Clinical Lab Fee Schedule.
Why does this matter for Medicare patients? Because that list price is exactly what the lab can bill you if Medicare denies a test and you've signed an ABN — not Medicare's rate.
Most Medicare patients have no idea what Medicare actually pays for lab work. That's exactly why we built GougeStop. Upload your lab bill, lab order, or ABN — and see the real numbers in about 60 seconds. Now Free. If you’re at the front end of your process and just got your lab order, run it through MedCarePrecheck.com (our companion app) to see if the diagnostic codes and timing limitations might result in a denial before you test.
👉 gougestop.com
👉 medcareprecheck.com

07/09/2026

This one is alarming. Please share it with anyone on Medicare Advantage.
A ProPublica investigation found that Cigna's doctors were denying insurance claims at the rate of 1.2 seconds per case. One doctor denied 60,000 claims in a single month. The patients whose claims were denied? They were never individually reviewed.
UnitedHealthcare deployed an AI algorithm that predicted when Medicare Advantage patients should be discharged from nursing homes — down to the minute. Internal documents showed staff were pressured to cut off care when the algorithm said to, regardless of whether the patient still needed help. One 85-year-old woman with a shattered shoulder had payment denied on day 17. She died before the appeals process concluded.
Here are the latest numbers (KFF, 2024 data):
📊 Medicare Advantage insurers made nearly 53 million prior authorization decisions — and denied 7.7% of them
📊 Of the denials that were appealed, 80.7% were overturned — meaning most denials were wrong to begin with
📊 But only 11.5% of patients ever appeal
The system is counting on you not fighting back.
If you're on Medicare or Medicare Advantage, know your appeal rights. If you’re on traditional Medicare and if a lab test gets denied, let GougeStop help you understand what you're actually owed.
👉 gougestop.com (free, 60 seconds)

07/07/2026

Before you pay that lab bill — stop. Here are two facts that might change your mind:
✅ Up to 80% of medical bills contain errors. That's not a typo. Medical billing advocates say they find errors on 9 out of 10 hospital bills and 7 out of 10 physician bills.
✅ 76% of people who tried to negotiate their medical bill got financial help or had the bill canceled entirely. But most people never try, because they don't know they can.

So before you write a check:
1. Request an itemized bill (you're legally entitled to one)
2. Check Medicare's actual approved rate (GougeStop does this in 60 seconds)
3. Read your Medicare Summary Notice (MSN)carefully.
a. The MSN identifies why the test was denied and whether you owe anything as a result. (You may not.)
b. If you don’t remember signing an ABN insist on a copy. If there is no signed ABN with box 1 checked, you are not responsible for the denied tests.

4. Know your appeal rights — and use them
Get your appeal in within the 120 day limit.
5. Negotiate your bill before you pay.
A 2024 JAMA Health Forum study found that 76% of patients who attempted to negotiate got some form of financial help or had the bill canceled entirely.

See the blog post below for more detail to help empower you in this process.

👉 Read "5 Things to Do Before You Pay a Lab Bill" at gougestop.com

07/02/2026

Heads up for anyone on traditional Medicare: the form labs ask you to sign before a possibly-uncovered test — the ABN — was just updated.
As of this spring, Medicare requires providers to use a new version of the Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN). The old form is no longer valid for use after mid-May 2026. The new one is good through March 2029.
Why should you care about a paperwork change? Because the ABN is the single most important document in lab billing — it's the form that decides whether you or the lab pays when Medicare says no. A few things to remember, new form or old:
✅ It must be given to you BEFORE the test — not after.
✅ It has to clearly list the specific test and an estimated cost.
✅ You always have three options on it — including declining the test. Read all three before you check a box.
✅ If the lab can't produce a valid, signed ABN, they generally can't bill you — the responsibility shifts to them.
✅ Here's the part most people miss: even the option that says “bill Medicare” lets the lab ask you to pay the full estimated cost up front — and refund you later only if Medicare pays. Signing doesn't protect you; knowing the price does.
And before you sign anything: open GougeStop and look up what Medicare actually pays for the test in question and recent pricing from other local labs. Use that to get pricing right before your test, or if they refuse to price reasonably, use our lab finder tool to find a lab who will be fair.
👉 gougestop.com (free, 60 seconds)

06/30/2026

Have you ever signed a form called an ABN right before a blood draw — without really knowing what you were signing?
I have- and it was a huge eye opener.
An Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) is a form labs give you when they think Medicare might not cover a test. By signing it and checking box 1, you agree to pay the lab’s price if Medicare says no. But here's what they don't tell you: lab "list prices" are typically 3 to 6 times higher than what Medicare considers reasonable.
On my last ABN the lab bill was over 10 times what Medicare would have paid them!
Here's something else most people don't know: if a lab doesn't get a valid signed ABN before running the test, they — not you — are responsible for the cost. Your signature is the whole game.
You have three options on every ABN. Read them before you sign. And before you do anything, open GougeStop right there at the lab. In 60 seconds, you'll see what Medicare actually pays for every test. Use that to get pricing right before your test, or if they refuse use our lab finder tool to find a lab who will be fair.
👉 Read the full breakdown at gougestop.com/blog/abn-trap

03/25/2026

🚨 Medicare patients: do NOT pay that lab bill until you read this.
Over 80% of medical bills contain errors. And if Medicare denied any of your tests, there’s a document most patients have never heard of — called an
Here are 5 things to do before you pay:
✅ Request an itemized bill with CPT codes
✅ Check what Medicare actually pays (a Hemoglobin billed at $82 — Medicare pays $7.71)
✅ Read your Medicare Summary Notice — and ask your provider for a signed ABN if anything was denied
✅ File an appeal if a claim was rejected (Per KFF study 80% who try win)
✅ Negotiate — 76% of people who ask get some form of relief (per a JAMA study)

On the ABN: if a lab can’t produce a copy of a signed one, under Medicare’s rules you may owe nothing on denied tests. Labs have every incentive to claim one exists — they’re billing you 4 to 10 times what Medicare would have paid them. Ask for the copy in writing.

GougeStop is a free tool built for Medicare patients. Snap a photo of your lab bill and in 60 seconds you’ll see exactly what Medicare pays for each test vs. what you’re being charged.
👉 Read the full guide: gougestop.com/blog/5-things-before-you-pay-a-lab-bill
👉 Check your bill now: gougestop.com

Up to 80% of medical bills contain errors. Medicare patients have more power to fight back than they realize. Here's how.

03/13/2026

ABN Awareness — A lab wanted to charge me $1,183.17 for tests Medicare values at $117.49. I said no so I could shop for a better price before risking that kind of bill.
I knew what an ABN was, but that experience, and that shocking price spread, led me to dig deeper into how ABNs actually work — and what I found is something every Medicare beneficiary needs to know.
Before your next blood draw, watch for a form called an ABN — an Advance Beneficiary Notice. It's the form that says Medicare might not pay for a test. If you sign it without understanding what it means, you could be on the hook for hundreds of dollars.
But here's what most people don't know: If the lab didn't give you a valid ABN when they were supposed to, they can't bill you for tests denied by Medicare. And even if you did sign one, you can still appeal Medicare's denial.We wrote a full breakdown of how ABNs work and what your rights are:
https://www.gougestop.com/blog/abn-trap
Share this with someone heading to the lab this week — it could save them over a thousand dollars.

A real ABN showed $1,183 in charges for tests Medicare values at $117. Learn what they don't tell you — and what you can do about it.

03/10/2026

My lab charged me $173 for two tests Medicare says are worth $27 — a 550% markup.
On the same bill, the lab billed $366 for five other tests. Medicare paid $54. That's 15 cents on the dollar.
When I asked questions, nobody had answers. Medicare customer care was polite but couldn't tell me their own rates. The lab wouldn't budge or explain what Medicare would have paid. I missed the appeal deadline (being unfamiliar with the process) and lost as a result.
Here's the part that really got me: labs routinely require you to sign something called an Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) before running tests. That form obligates you to pay whatever the lab bills if Medicare denies coverage. What they don't tell you is that "whatever they bill" is often 4 to 6 times what Medicare would have paid. Without a signed ABN, the lab is obligated to cover the cost themselves — so that signature is worth a lot to them and very little to you.
After 14 months of fighting one bill, I built GougeStop.
It's a free tool that lets you snap a photo of your lab bill, lab order, or ABN and instantly see what Medicare says those tests are actually worth. It also shows you what other labs nearby charge for the same work — because the price differences are staggering. It's a lot harder for a lab to defend a 550% markup when you can show everyone (including others who might be able to help) the real numbers.
If you or your parents are on Medicare, or you pay out of pocket for lab work, this was built for you.
Try it free: gougestop.com

GougeStop