Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!ucla-cs!usenet
From: IQTI400%INDYCMS.BITNET@mvs.oac.ucla.edu (Phil Paxton)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: (3039) Re: HIV Testing of Blood Samples
Message-ID: <1991Feb27.142646.13009@cs.ucla.edu>
Date: 27 Feb 91 14:05:50 GMT
Sender: usenet@cs.ucla.edu (Mr. News Himself)
Organization: UCLA, Computer Science Department
Lines: 18
Approved: phil@wubios.wustl.edu
Note: non-commercial reproduction.
Nntp-Posting-Host: squid.cs.ucla.edu
Archive-Number: 3040

On Wed, 27 Feb 91 03:44:47 pst Support Account for SCI.MED.AIDS said:
>
>There has been some discussion about ELISA tests for HIV-antibody
>costing $30.
>
>FYI: The actual cost of the test in laboratories designed to batch
>said tests together ranges from $2.67 to $6.00 each. This is the cost
>of the test kit. Add in overhead and the cost of drawing the sample
>and we're probably at $10.00 each draw (no counseling involved).
>

Steve, thanks for commenting on this.  I forgot to get back to this since
the inquiry was directed at a thread I had provided at one point.

The bottom line is most procedures in the hospital (or any other business,
for that matter) do not cost what they cost the company.  If you look
at how much it takes to run some businesses and how much money they'd take
in /c no markup, the difference has to come from somewhere.