GougeStop

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