Heart & Lipids
Lipid panel test cost: $17–$39
By Elo. Last updated August 2026.
A lipid panel costs $17 to $22, and it's the rare case where the bundle is cheaper than any single part of it. One panel reports total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, and triglycerides; ordering just one of them costs $12 to $19 at the same lab, and buying all four separately runs about half again as much as the panel.
That's because LDL isn't measured directly on a standard panel, it's calculated from the other three. So a lab selling you “LDL” alone still has to run most of the panel, and charges more for less. The exception is triglycerides above roughly 250 mg/dL, where the calculation breaks down and a directly measured LDL is worth paying for.
Below, we compare what a lipid panel costs at each lab, inside a bundle, and what insurance pays.
How much does an Lipid panel test cost?
Lipid panel costs $17–$39 on its own, or $99–$499 in a bundle. Those are cash prices, so that's also what Lipid panel costs without insurance.
Lowest Lipid panel self-pay prices
The lowest cash price we found for Lipid panel is $17–$22 at Mito Health, followed by Ulta Lab Tests ($36) and Walk-In Lab ($39). These are all-in prices that include the draw fee: Mito Health lists Lipid panel at $7.42 and adds a $9.50–$15 draw fee, for $16.92–$22.42 total.
Cost of Lipid panel in a bundle
Eleven packages we track include Lipid panel, and every one of them tests dozens of other markers from the same draw. The cheapest bundle with Lipid panel is Vitals Vault's 37-biomarker panel at $99, then Mito Health ($126 for 77 markers), LabCorp OnDemand ($169 for 48 markers), Empirical Health ($190 for 100 markers), Superpower ($199 for 59 markers), Parsley Health ($275 for 41 markers), WHOOP Advanced Labs ($349 for 65 markers), Function Health ($365 for 114 markers), Everlywell ($399 for 86 markers), Marek Health ($495 for 56 markers), and InsideTracker ($499 for 48 markers). Goodlabs includes Lipid panel in a 14-biomarker panel that's free with a blood donation.
How much does an Lipid panel test cost at Quest Diagnostics?
Quest Diagnostics doesn't sell Lipid panel on its own. It only comes in Quest's Cholesterol (Lipid) Panel, at $65. Ordering Lipid panel alone from another lab we track costs from $17, or $99 if you want a 37-biomarker bundle.
Is an Lipid panel test worth it?
Yes. This is the one cholesterol test almost everyone should have, it's cheap, and it's the rare bundle that costs less than any single part of it. The four numbers feed the risk score that decides whether a statin is worth discussing, which is a real decision rather than a number to collect. Recheck it when something changes: a new medication, a big weight or diet change, or a few years passing.
Either way, the price shouldn't be what decides it: Mito Health sells Lipid panel for $17 all-in. The cheapest panel that includes it is Vitals Vault at $99, which is only worth it if you want the other 36 markers too.
What is a normal Lipid panel level?
A normal Lipid panel is total cholesterol below 200 mg/dL, LDL below 100, HDL 60 or higher, and triglycerides below 150. Those are the levels MedlinePlus lists as healthy for adults over 20. It also treats an HDL below 40 in men or below 50 in women as a risk factor. Your LDL target tightens with your overall risk, so someone with heart disease or diabetes is usually aiming well below 100.
Reference intervals differ between labs, so read your own result against the range printed on your report.
Does insurance cover an Lipid panel test?
Insurance usually covers Lipid panel as preventive care, at $0 with no copay for eligible adults. Medicare covers the screening lipid panel once every 5 years, not annually. If you don't meet the criteria, the negotiated cost is about $15 to $25, and paying cash is $17. Drawn at a hospital lab, the same test can be billed $150 to $800, so an in-network or direct-to-consumer draw site is the cheaper place to have it done.
Aetna calls total cholesterol, HDL, and triglyceride screening medically necessary “for screening and diagnosis of lipid abnormalities.” A directly measured LDL is covered only with triglycerides above 250 mg/dL or type 2 diabetes, since a standard panel calculates it otherwise. A standard lipid panel is the one blood test almost everyone can get covered, so don't order a standalone direct LDL unless your triglycerides are high.
The $20 allowed amount is an estimate, about 1.5x Medicare's $13.39 rate for CPT 80061, and it moves with the lab and the market: the same test is contracted around $18 at one national lab and into the $40s at another. Coinsurance is assumed at 20% once your deductible is met. Your own plan decides both, and most plans apply lab work to the deductible first, so the second outcome above is the one most people land on.
Lipid panel is billed as CPT 80061, which bills the whole lipid panel rather than Lipid panel alone. That's the code to quote if you call your insurer to ask what you'd owe.
Do medical guidelines recommend an Lipid panel test?
The lipid panel is one of the few blood tests with an unambiguous screening recommendation behind it, because of what the result is used to decide.
- Preventive treatment. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends a statin for adults 40 to 75 with at least one risk factor (dyslipidemia, diabetes, hypertension, or smoking) and a 10-year cardiovascular risk of 10% or more, a Grade B recommendation. Your lipid numbers are the main input to that risk estimate, which is why the panel matters more as an input than as four separate targets.
- Measured or calculated. Standard panels calculate LDL rather than measuring it, and the calculation degrades when triglycerides run high. That's the case for paying extra for a direct LDL, and the reason insurers cover a standalone one only when triglycerides are elevated or you have type 2 diabetes.
Frequently asked questions about Lipid panel testing
What is the cheapest way to get an Lipid panel test?
The cheapest Lipid panel test is $17–$22 at Mito Health. If you'd rather get more markers out of the same draw, Vitals Vault's 37-biomarker panel is $99.
Do I need a doctor's order to get an Lipid panel test?
No. The standalone Lipid panel tests listed above include the physician order in their price, so you can buy online and have your blood drawn without seeing a doctor first. You'd only need your own doctor's order if you want to bill the test to insurance.
What tests are included in a lipid panel?
A standard lipid panel reports four numbers from one blood draw: total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. Most labs also print a total-to-HDL ratio and a non-HDL cholesterol figure, which are calculated from those four rather than measured separately.
Do I need to fast for a lipid panel?
Traditionally yes, 9 to 12 hours, because LDL is calculated from triglycerides and triglycerides rise after you eat. Many labs and guidelines now accept a non-fasting panel for routine screening. Fast if your triglycerides run high or if you want the result to be comparable to a previous one.
Is it cheaper to buy a lipid panel or the individual tests?
The panel, and it isn't close. A full lipid panel is $36 all-in at Ulta Lab Tests, while the same labs charge $28 to $49 for a single one of its four components. There is no case where buying the parts separately saves money.