Providers of expensive medical tests are very profit oriented. They will try to get payment from you before any such test is given. One technique they use is to say, "We called your insurance company and they said they you have not met your deductible yet so you need to pay us X hundreds of dollars before we will do the test." Maybe they called, maybe they didn't. Even if they called, maybe they were given correct information, maybe they were not. Maybe there's another charge out there that would meet your deductible but it won't be processed until the next day but before the testing lab would have presented its statement. In all events, if you say to them: "I am happy to sign anything that says I will be responsible for any proper bill after you have exhausted my insurance, but otherwise, I'm going to go elsewhere for this procedure," given the ferocious competition among testing labs, and their not wanting to lose any gig, they likely will accede to your request. On the other hand, if you just proceed to pay them, they will have no incentive to collect anything from your insurer and, Katie bar the door, you likely will find trying to collect from your insurer a painful experience. Finally, in this example, where you have not reached your deductible, once the lab is paid in full, it has no incentive even to advise your insurance company that you've paid so the insurance company will not know to "give you credit" against your deductible for having paid unless you then alert your insurance company--and when you do so, it is best to use email if you can so you have a written record and if phoning is the only option, be sure to follow up with a confirming email.
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