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How To Get Your Vitamin D Levels Measured (Even Without Insurance)

Author:

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

July 21, 2023

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

By Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

Molly Knudsen, M.S., RDN is a Registered Dietician Nutritionist with a bachelor’s degree in nutrition from Texas Christian University and a master’s in nutrition interventions, communication, and behavior change from Tufts University. She lives in Newport Beach, California, and enjoys connecting people to the food they eat and how it influences health and wellbeing.

Image by Tatiana Timofeeva / Stocksy

July 21, 2023

By now, you're probably used to getting a blood test with your annual physical. You fast, go to a lab early, get a few vials of blood drawn, and then (possibly) receive a call or electronic notification with an "all good" or a "this is out of range." At least that's how it works in traditional medical practices.

Depending on your health history, your doctor may just order the blood tests covered by insurance (which often include cholesterol tests and a complete blood count panel). But there's an essential indicator of health that's often not included during this process. And that's vitamin D.

Here's what you need to know about vitamin D blood testing and insurance, and how to get your levels measured.

Insurance doesn't always cover vitamin D tests

Previously, some insurers included vitamin D as part of routine preventive screening (aka services that monitor your health status). But as recently as 2022, insurers have deemed this testing as not medically necessary for most people.

Vitamin D testing can be covered by insurance if it meets certain medical necessity criteria. For example, those who have previously been diagnosed with vitamin D deficiency (aka having blood levels below 20 ng/mL) or who are at risk of vitamin D toxicity (which is quite rare 1) may qualify. People with a condition or diagnosis that puts them at higher risk for a deficiency (like Crohn's disease or osteoporosis) may also be eligible.

But maintaining optimal vitamin D levels is essential for health and longevity, and if you or your physician don't intentionally seek out this lab value, it won't get measured.

Vitamin D's role in health

Vitamin D is both a vitamin and a hormone when it's activated in the body. And it's essential for almost every body system. For example it:

Helps regulate thyroid hormone production
Supports mineral absorption to help balance calcium and phosphorus (which are crucial for bone health)
Promotes a healthy immune system and white blood cell function
Plays a key role in helping maintain the integrity of the gut lining

Being low in vitamin D can have negative implications on health, especially on bone density and cognition. An estimated 29% of American adults 2 are vitamin D deficient, and 41% have insufficient levels 2(blood levels below 30 ng/mL). And it's really hard to increase these low levels from food and sunshine alone. A high-quality supplement is often needed to achieve and sustain optimal vitamin D levels (which is 50 ng/mL). Here's a list of our favorite supplement choices.

Knowing where your vitamin D levels stand is essential for forming the proper supplementation plan. Because of the vitamin's role in health and the widespread prevalence of inadequacy, everyone should have access to vitamin D testing.

Tips for getting your vitamin D levels measured

If you're currently working with a functional medicine practitioner, they are likely already diligent in making sure you get your vitamin D levels measured at least once a year (if not more)—even if you do have to pay out of pocket for it.

But if your current doctor isn't being proactive about vitamin D blood testing, here's what you can do to get your vitamin D levels tested:

Call your doctor's office before your appointment to see if they can add a vitamin D test to your already scheduled bloodwork. And ask for pricing of it if they say it won't be covered by insurance.
If you know you've had low vitamin D levels in the past, tell your doctor before your appointment! That may be enough reason for them to bill your insurance, and it gives them time to add the order to the lab slip.
Take matters into your own hands and try out an at-home testing option. Several companies offer testing kits for you to take a sample of blood at home to find out your levels. As you are the one taking the blood sample in this scenario, there's more room for error with the results. Many testing companies accept payment from Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Health Savings Accounts (HSA), but they aren't covered by insurance either.

The takeaway

Insurance-covered blood testing for vitamin D is becoming more and more restrictive—although research continually points to the benefits of maintaining optimal levels. Functional medicine providers are often great at working with their clients on their vitamin D levels, but if you're in the traditional health care system, you may have to advocate for or seek out this testing yourself. Knowing your levels can help you start or maximize your supplement routine with a high-quality and potent vitamin D source (like one of these great options).