Health Tests · Labcorp OnDemand
Diabetes Risk (HbA1c) & Cholesterol Test, $99
$99 single · $189 for 49 markers
- Order online, walk into 2,000+ locations — no appointment
- Physician order included — no doctor visit required
- Results in your portal in days
Same certified lab your doctor uses. HSA/FSA accepted.
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Order online for $99, fast 12 hours, then walk into any of 2,000+ locations — no doctor's visit needed. One draw measures your three-month blood sugar average and your full cholesterol panel, with results in a day — and the honest limits on what two numbers can tell you.
The short version
$99, one fasting walk-in visit, results in a day
The Diabetes Risk (HbA1c) & Cholesterol Test ($99) pairs the two numbers that matter most for metabolic and heart risk: hemoglobin A1c, your average blood sugar over 8–12 weeks, and a full lipid panel — total cholesterol, LDL, HDL, VLDL, and triglycerides. Order online, fast 12 hours, walk in for the draw, results in a day. It is a risk snapshot, not a diagnosis: the numbers say where you stand, not whether you have diabetes or heart disease.
Shopping links on this page go directly to Labcorp OnDemand. We don't earn a commission on orders.
Price
| Option | Price | Per marker | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes Risk (HbA1c) & Cholesterol Test | $99 | $16.5/marker | Order → |
| Comprehensive Health TestBEST VALUE HbA1c + lipid panel plus CMP, CBC, and urinalysis | $189 | $3.86/marker | Order panel → |
Prices checked Nov 11, 2026. HSA/FSA eligible. Self-pay; insurance not billed.
What the two tests measure
Two tests, one draw. Hemoglobin A1c is the percentage of your hemoglobin carrying glucose; because red blood cells live about three months, it reflects average blood sugar over roughly 8–12 weeks, smoothing out the day-to-day spikes a fingerstick meter catches. The cholesterol and lipid panel measures the fats in your blood: total cholesterol, the sum of all cholesterol circulating; LDL cholesterol, the “bad” cholesterol and the main treatment target; HDL cholesterol, the “good” cholesterol that helps clear LDL; VLDL cholesterol, the triglyceride-carrying particle; and triglycerides, the blood fats that rise with excess calories, alcohol, and uncontrolled blood sugar. Together the two tests cover the two slow-moving risks that most often go unnoticed: blood sugar creeping up and cholesterol building up, both without symptoms.
Why pair them — the silent-numbers problem
Both conditions hide. Nearly one in four adults living with diabetes — about 8.5 million Americans — did not know they had it, and high cholesterol has no symptoms at all, so many people do not know their levels are too high. High blood cholesterol raises the risk for heart disease, the leading cause of death, and stroke, the fifth. That is the case for testing the pair together: the same risk factors — weight, diet, inactivity, insulin resistance — push both numbers in the wrong direction, and the same lifestyle changes move both. A single draw that checks both is a more honest screen than either number alone, and it costs one visit instead of two.
The fast: why 12 hours, and what it changes
The cholesterol portion is what makes this a fasting test. Triglycerides spike after a meal, so a non-fasting draw can read high for the wrong reason — and the LDL figure is often calculated from total cholesterol, HDL, and triglycerides, so a fed triglyceride number distorts the LDL too. The A1c half needs no fasting at all: a three-month average does not move with one meal. But the draw is one visit, so the fast applies to the whole appointment: no food or drink except water for 12 hours before the draw. A morning appointment makes the fast easiest — most of it happens while you sleep.
Reading the results: two numbers, one story — and their honest limits
Your report prints each marker against the lab’s own reference range — read the numbers there, not against figures from the internet. The A1c bands are the familiar ones: below 5.7% is considered normal, 5.7–6.4% is the prediabetes range, and 6.5% or higher on repeat testing meets a diabetes criterion; each percentage point corresponds to roughly 29 mg/dL of average glucose. The lipid numbers are read the same way: LDL is the main treatment target, HDL higher is generally better, and triglycerides above the range point at calories, alcohol, or blood sugar. The honest limits: neither test diagnoses anything on its own. A1c assumes normal red blood cell turnover, so anemia, recent blood loss or transfusion, pregnancy, kidney disease, and hemoglobin variants can all make it misleadingly high or low. And no single cholesterol cutoff decides treatment — guidelines combine LDL with overall risk: age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, family history. Two people with the same LDL can get different recommendations. A normal result does not rule out problems if symptoms exist, and an abnormal one is a reason to talk to a clinician, not to start or stop medication on your own.
These two tests screen for risk; they do not diagnose diabetes or heart disease. Abnormal results deserve follow-up with your healthcare provider, who reads them against your history and decides what, if anything, changes.
The math: the pair, the pieces, or the wider baseline?
The two components bought separately list for about the same as this bundle, so the bundle is not a discount play — it is a one-visit play: one order, one fast, one draw, one report instead of two of each. Buy the pair when the question is diabetes-and-heart risk and you want both numbers at once. Buy a single test when you only have one question — an A1c alone for blood sugar, a lipid panel alone for cholesterol. Buy the wider baseline when you want the routine panels too: the metabolic panel, blood count, and urinalysis ride along in the same draw for less per marker than the pair alone, and they answer the kidney, liver, and blood-cell questions this test does not ask. The wrong way to use this test is as a fishing expedition with no question in mind — two numbers with no follow-up plan are just two numbers.
How walk-in diabetes and cholesterol testing works
You order the test online, then visit a patient service center for a standard venous blood draw — no doctor’s order, no appointment, and no insurance needed. The one prep rule that matters: fast for 12 hours before the sample collection (no food or drink, except water) — the fast is what makes the triglyceride and LDL numbers comparable. Results typically post to a secure portal 1 day after your sample arrives at the lab. HSA/FSA accepted. Testing is performed in a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory. The test must be taken by the purchaser, and it is available to adults 18 to 100. A 20% off promo code (MARKER20) is currently running — check the product page for the current price before ordering.
Common questions
Do I need to fast before this test?
Yes. Fast for 12 hours before the blood draw — no food or drink except water. The cholesterol portion requires it: triglycerides spike after a meal, which can also distort the calculated LDL. The A1c half needs no fasting, but the draw is one visit, so the fast applies to the whole appointment.
What is the difference between A1c and a fingerstick glucose reading?
A fingerstick shows this-minute glucose; A1c shows the three-month average. Both are useful — meters catch spikes and lows, A1c shows the overall trend. A fasting glucose number is a third view: one morning, after an overnight fast.
Can this test diagnose diabetes?
No. It screens for risk: an A1c in the prediabetes or diabetes range on repeat testing meets a diabetes criterion, but diagnosis needs a clinician and usually confirmatory testing. A high result is a reason to seek medical advice, not a diagnosis by itself.
What can skew the A1c result?
Anything that changes red blood cell turnover: anemia, recent blood loss or transfusion, pregnancy, kidney disease, and hemoglobin variants (like sickle cell trait) can make A1c misleadingly high or low. If any of these apply to you, the result needs clinician interpretation — or a different marker.
How often should I retest?
That depends on your health goals, age, medical history, risk factors, previous test results, and guidance from your healthcare provider. Healthy adults are often advised to have cholesterol checked every 4–6 years, more often if numbers are elevated or risk factors are present. Retest sooner if a result was out of range and your clinician advises it — there is no reason to rebuy the whole panel to recheck one number.
Is this a home test kit?
No. This is an in-person blood draw at a patient service center — you order online, then walk in for the sample collection. Your results arrive through a secure online portal, typically 1 day after your sample reaches the lab.
Ready to order?
Check blood sugar and cholesterol this week
Order the Diabetes Risk (HbA1c) & Cholesterol Test for $99 and walk in after a 12-hour fast this week — no doctor visit required.