June 2025  |  ✓  Medically Reviewed by: Gary Falcetano, PA-C, AE-C 

The financial benefits of an accurate diagnosis

An accurate diagnosis can result in more effective and targeted treatments. This not only improves health outcomes but can also save money in the long run. For example, knowing which specific allergens are causing symptoms can help you avoid guessing which environmental interventions may be effective for reducing your symptoms.

You can be allergic to more than one thing. Most people with allergies are reacting to multiple allergens. When you are exposed to multiple allergic triggers (pollen, pet dander, dust mites, mold, etc.), it has a cumulative effect, known as passing your "symptom threshold." 

So, getting to the bottom of what's causing symptoms and identifying all allergic triggers can potentially make medications more effective and reduce the overall need to take multiple medications to achieve the same symptom control. Also, targeted treatments, such as immunotherapy, can reduce the need for ongoing medication, leading to long-term savings.

Why you shouldn't put your health on hold

In times of financial uncertainty, it’s tempting to put off healthcare expenses. However, delaying allergy testing and treatment can lead to more significant health issues down the line, which can be even more costly, leading to increased medical visits and higher overall healthcare costs.¹

And it's more than just financial impact. There's quality of life to consider as well. When people are dealing with symptoms that aren't under control, it can cause problems. If you are congested and not able to sleep well at night, you might miss work. Or if your child has allergic asthma and isn't able to manage symptoms, they might miss school.

For example, asthma is also one of the leading causes of school absenteeism. In 2008, asthma accounted for an estimated 14.4 million lost days of school among children nationally.⁴ And the total aggregate of workdays missed for adults with allergic rhinitis (allergies) in the U.S. in 2007 was more than 10 million.⁵

We know that no one is going to pick a visit to their healthcare provider over buying groceries for their family, but we want to encourage you to get all the information before you assume that a test and treatment will automatically be a budget buster.

What are the next steps?

1. Take the allergy symptom questionnaire.  It can help summarize your specific symptoms and provides you a downloadable document you can share with your provider.
   
   
2. Prepare yourself for your visit with your healthcare provider. Have your questionnaire information ready and review our article about how to be your own healthcare advocate. 
   
   
3. Review and get detailed information from your health insurance provider about what is covered, what isn't, expected costs, etc. before any appointments.
   
   
4. If your provider does recommend a specific IgE blood test, they can provide you with a diagnosis code that will be used for billing. You can pre-emptively check with your insurance before a test is ordered and they can tell you what out-of-pocket expense you might have (if any) based on your deductible.
   
   
5. Consider alternative options that might be less expensive (even with insurance) like a telehealth visit with your provider.
   
   
6. Incorporate any expected expenses in your budget so that you can make sure you are prioritizing your health.