Did you know that you could buy a strep testing kit over the counter? I just learned that this year after spending a few hundred dollars at the doctors office!
Strep throat made the rounds at our extended family Thanksgiving dinner - we shared a little more than we planned that weekend. We have a high deductible insurance plan which means we do not pay a co-pay for a strep test at the doctor's office - we pay the entire fee. With seven of us in the house, this can get quite spendy when sore throats start making the rounds. Untreated strep can lead to other complications, so I want to take the kids in when they really need to have a prescription, but sometimes it's hard to know if it's really strep.
I purchased this at home kit over Amazon for about $35. It allows me to test 25 times! That's a little over a dollar per test instead of $100 a time - huge savings! It is the exact same brand and box they used at our doctor's office when we took people in after Thanksgiving. That gives me confidence that it will be as accurate as theirs.We have already used it a few times and ruled out strep so we didn't need to take the kids in. Their sore throat was from a different source and we just had to ride the virus out. If they ever do test positive, then I know to take them in and get the medicine they need.
The kit comes with all the instructions you need and is quite simple to use - even for those of us without a medical background.
Over time, this kit will save us nearly $2500 dollars! It's one of the best money saving tips I can share with you.
Good to know!
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