Since her brother died at 52 from colon cancer and her sister was diagnosed at 42, Lisa Gold has prioritized colonoscopies as part of her routine care.  

Gold, a Long Beach, California, filmmaker and screenwriter, paid $132 in 2018 and $190 in 2019 with her Anthem Blue Cross insurance plan covering the bulk of the costs. But for a December 2020 procedure, done by the same Cedars Sinai-affiliated doctor at the same outpatient facility, she was billed more than 17 times as much.