Ferritin Test Cost and Medicare Coverage (CPT 82728)

Also called: serum ferritin · ferritin level · iron stores test — all the same test, CPT 82728.

The short answer

Only when your doctor is working up or managing an actual iron problem. Medicare’s national policy (NCD 190.18 — the same rules in every state) covers ferritin for diagnosing and managing iron deficiency and iron overload, and for monitoring treatment. What it doesn’t cover is the way ferritin often gets ordered in the real world: “let’s check your iron” tacked onto routine bloodwork for tiredness, with no anemia finding behind it. That gap is why ferritin lives in our most-denied group.

When Medicare DOES cover it

The national policy’s covered picture, in plain English:

• Evaluating suspected iron deficiency — most often triggered by an abnormal CBC (low hemoglobin with small red cells, or rising red cell variation), blood loss from the stomach or intestines, heavy menstrual bleeding, malabsorption, malnutrition, or after surgery with significant blood loss
• Evaluating suspected iron overload — the hemochromatosis workup: chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, diabetes with suggestive findings, skin hyperpigmentation, certain heart problems, multiple transfusions, and related conditions
• Monitoring treatment — iron therapy, erythropoietin therapy, and iron status in chronic kidney disease (with or without dialysis)
• After treating B12 or folate deficiency — fixing one deficiency can unmask an iron problem, so follow-up iron studies are covered

If one of these genuinely describes your situation, the diagnosis for it belongs on your doctor’s order — and coverage follows.

When Medicare does NOT cover it

• Routine screening — “check my iron while we’re at it,” with a normal CBC and no qualifying condition
• Wellness and energy panels that bundle ferritin without a medical indication
• Re-testing that changes nothing — the policy is explicit that iron studies aren’t for tracking general inflammation when the result won’t change your care

(Never ask anyone to change a code just to get coverage — that’s fraud. But doctors often have a legitimate reason for the test that simply wasn’t coded.)

What you pay if it IS covered: $0

Covered lab tests cost Medicare patients nothing — no deductible, no 20% coinsurance. Medicare pays the lab $13.63 for a ferritin test, and you owe zero.

What you pay if it is NOT covered — read this before you sign

If ferritin is on your order without a qualifying diagnosis, expect the Advance Beneficiary Notice (ABN) — the signature pad — committing you to the lab’s own billing rates if Medicare denies the claim. Before you sign:

1. Ask the lab to print exactly what you would owe. You’re entitled to see the number in black and white first. For perspective: when Medicare covers this exact test, it pays the lab $13.63.
2. Know the direct prices: ferritin sells for $15 at Jason Health (jasonhealth.com — add their flat $18 lab-collection fee per order, one fee for the whole order), $59 at Labcorp OnDemand, and about $59 at Quest’s consumer site (questhealth.com, plus a $6 physician fee — Quest sells it as a panel that also includes iron and iron-binding capacity). Same certified labs, same blood draw.

Before you sign the pad — 60-second checklist

1. Ask: “Can you print what I’ll owe if Medicare doesn’t pay?”
2. Ask your doctor: “Is there a finding — like my CBC results — that makes this test medically necessary?”
3. Compare the printed price to the direct-purchase prices before deciding how to proceed.

Quick questions people ask

What is ferritin in a blood test? Ferritin is the protein your body uses to store iron, so the blood level works as a gauge of your iron reserves: low ferritin is the earliest, most specific sign of iron deficiency, and very high ferritin can signal iron overload (though inflammation raises it too). On billing paperwork it’s CPT code 82728.

Is ferritin the same as an iron test? No — a serum iron test measures the iron circulating in your blood right now; ferritin measures what’s in storage. They’re different tests with different codes and prices, often ordered together as “iron studies” when a real workup is underway.

How long does a ferritin test take? The blood draw takes minutes, and results are typically back in one to three business days — direct-purchase orders included.

Sources and data dates

Medicare payment amount: CMS Clinical Laboratory Fee Schedule, 2026 Q3 file (national rate). Coverage rules: CMS Medicare Coverage Database, NCD 190.18 (Serum Iron Studies) — a national policy, identical in every state. Consumer prices checked September 2026. Information current as of the date shown above; coverage is always determined by Medicare when your claim is processed.

ClaraCover provides information, not medical, billing, or insurance advice. Talk to your doctor about what tests you need.