Looks like Labcorp made over 3 billion dollars last year, so I think probably that number would go up instead of collapsing?
It is true - you can’t test every patient for everything. There is an estimated 1B primary care visits in the US each year. Assume every patient get 5 tests at $50 a test and you just spent a quarter of a trillion just on tests.
The frustrating part for me is when people think of the symptom as the cause. Like they understand that multiple things can cause a fever, but they don't understand that multiple things can cause bronchitis.
When I was a kid I had "sinusitis" multiple times a year, but my doctor never explained to me that it could be the same or different causes. When I learned that '-itis' just meant inflammation, it blew my mind. I have done my best to spread that knowledge ever since.
It definitely helps as a patient to advocate, and add anything that a physician like myself maybe wouldn't always ask, like if you've been a tick-infested area and/or discovered a tick attached to yourself recently.