I don’t think that’s necessarily true anymore, at least in my neck of the woods (LA). Most of the doctors around here include HbA1c in a routine blood panel. I’ve had several primary care Drs over the last five years due to insurance changes and each year during my physical, they have gone with HbA1c over fasting glucose - and my results are always normal, never unusual. Same with H. Seems to be the norm around here.
Also, I have noticed the Drs are moving away from the fasting blood lipid panel to the non-fasting panel. This is a welcome change in my book. My current physician now considers fasting old school except in some special cases.
https://www.statnews.com/2016/04/29/fasting-cholesterol-testing/