|
Post by twoboyzmom on Aug 27, 2016 1:28:29 GMT
Maybe it's Me, but can a facility really ask you to pay for a service before services rendered? I'm suppose to have another shoulder surgery in a few weeks, and informed today I have to pay my 20% co insurance to the Dr and surgery Center before I have it? I didn't think they could do that? And I do insurance billing!
|
|
|
Post by littlemama on Aug 27, 2016 1:29:55 GMT
Sure. If they have already had it preauthorized and know what your portion will be, why couldn't they?
|
|
|
Post by Crazyhare on Aug 27, 2016 1:31:57 GMT
We have had to do that I the past. Both times my husband has carpel tunnel surgery.
And they required me to do a pre authorization and pre-pay my copay when I had a planned c-section. They did give me a discount for doing that. If we would have waited until I was admitted for the c-section it my normal copay amount. But paying it early, then knocked $50 off.
|
|
|
Post by lisae on Aug 27, 2016 1:32:13 GMT
I don't know about procedures but it has become customary for doctors to collect their copays up front. I had to pay a $25 one at the doctor to get a cut on my head stitched up and I'm standing there with my hand with a cloth pressed to my head. It's my hometown, they all know me and all of my family, but they got their money before I got my stitches.
|
|
|
Post by twoboyzmom on Aug 27, 2016 1:34:24 GMT
At a dr Office sure but before surgery when anything can change? It is typical to file the claim then bill the patient. And lots of times people make payments on that amount..I'm sure lots of people can't afford all that cost up front?
|
|
|
Post by Eddie-n-Harley on Aug 27, 2016 1:36:18 GMT
I always have to pay my co-pay upfront, but I only have a co-pay for office visits.
My co-insurance portion is billed to me, because they first have to submit it and get it down to the contracted rate and whatever that other nonsense is on my EOB.
|
|
|
Post by krazykatlady on Aug 27, 2016 1:37:18 GMT
I had to do it 26 years and 25 years ago when my sons were born.
|
|
|
Post by twoboyzmom on Aug 27, 2016 1:38:04 GMT
I always have to pay my co-pay upfront, but I only have a co-pay for office visits. My co-insurance portion is billed to me, because they first have to submit it and get it down to the contracted rate and whatever that other nonsense is on my EOB. Which makes perfect sense...I do the same in our office. Just threw me when I found this out today. Surgery is 2 weeks, and may have to postpone since it's more than I can afford at one time.
|
|
YooHoot
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,417
Jun 26, 2014 3:11:50 GMT
|
Post by YooHoot on Aug 27, 2016 1:38:13 GMT
I'm sure with so many people not paying their portions after insurance has paid, this is how they protect themselves. I'm sure if you can't pay, they can help with arrangements. Makes good business sense to me.
|
|
|
Post by bc2ca on Aug 27, 2016 1:39:41 GMT
Yes, they can ask for prepayment. DH prepaid about $600 IIRC for a recent tricep surgery at an outpatient surgical center.
We also had to prepay 2 nights hospital stay a few years ago for hip replacement surgery. DH only stayed one night and they did eventually reimburse us.
|
|
|
Post by cindyupnorth on Aug 27, 2016 1:52:11 GMT
Yep. It's pretty normal these days. DD has to have all 4 wisdom teeth out. We have to put 40% down before surgery. It's a lot of money to be paying right up front. We have delayed it for a year now, but am having to bite the bullet and do it over cmas now. UGH!!
|
|
christinec68
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,129
Location: New York, NY
Jun 26, 2014 18:02:19 GMT
|
Post by christinec68 on Aug 27, 2016 2:06:36 GMT
When I had surgery a few years ago, I had to pay the copay in advance. I did have the option to pay when they gave me the schedule or the day of but it before the surgery happened.
|
|
|
Post by mom on Aug 27, 2016 2:06:51 GMT
Yep. Totally normal and legal. This is how they know they will get their money.
|
|
|
Post by cindyupnorth on Aug 27, 2016 2:10:52 GMT
It also used to be that as long as you were paying on your bill they couldn't take you to collections. Nope, they do that now too!
|
|
dantemia
Full Member
Posts: 306
Jun 27, 2014 19:28:17 GMT
|
Post by dantemia on Aug 27, 2016 2:45:09 GMT
Yes they can!
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Aug 27, 2016 2:45:36 GMT
I think they do it because people would get the surgery and then bail on the bill. I know a friend of mine had to do that for her pre-planned surgery through the exchange insurance. They did not have to when her dh was diagnosed with cancer.
With our insurance, for an expensive treatment, they tell us how much we will probably pay before we get the treatment and make us sign that we will pay it. Then they submit it and bill us later.
I just got the bill for radiating my thyroid. Before the treatment, they told me I would be responsible up to $250 (my deductible)
ETA: I almost always have to pay my co-pay up front for office visits, urgent care, ER
|
|
|
Post by melanell on Aug 27, 2016 2:51:51 GMT
Maybe it's Me, but can a facility really ask you to pay for a service before services rendered? I'm suppose to have another shoulder surgery in a few weeks, and informed today I have to pay my 20% co insurance to the Dr and surgery Center before I have it? I didn't think they could do that? And I do insurance billing! Your situation is a larger scale, of course, but for instance, every time I take my kids to their pediatrician, or DH or I go to our family doctor, we pay our copay at check-in. Our visit hasn't occurred yet, but we pay anyway. It's definitely not something I have come across before in terms of larger medical procedures, but it wouldn't strike me as something they cannot do. Save
|
|
scrapaddie
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,090
Jul 8, 2014 20:17:31 GMT
|
Post by scrapaddie on Aug 27, 2016 4:00:26 GMT
I had to pay for an MRI upfront because I hadn't met the deductible, yet. Also had to pay Dr for a large part of surgery and had to pay for the presurgery exam... All because I hadn't met the deductible yet. Once claims were filed I was owed several refunds because my deductible was paid several times over
|
|
tuesdaysgone
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,832
Jun 26, 2014 18:26:03 GMT
|
Post by tuesdaysgone on Aug 27, 2016 11:30:56 GMT
My husband had gallbladder surgery in April. We arrived to check him in and right up front they asked us to pay $1400. I was shocked. Due to DH's health issues, we've unfortunately done a lot of business with this hospital and that was the first time they asked us to pay on the spot. I put it on a credit card and then asked the lady what happens if people couldn't pay. She said the surgery would be post-poned. While his gallbladder surgery wasn't exactly an emergency, he was in a great deal of pain. I can't imagine having to walk away if you couldn't pay.
|
|
Deleted
Posts: 0
May 18, 2024 18:26:27 GMT
|
Post by Deleted on Aug 27, 2016 11:36:36 GMT
We always have to pay our portion the morning we check in for surgery. They do a payment plan. $200 down and the rest spread out evenly over 6 months with no interest. I always do that because sometimes when they pre-authorize not all the bills leading up to the surgery have hit. My last surgery I did'nt have to pay the last two and a half payments.
|
|
|
Post by librarylady on Aug 27, 2016 13:56:11 GMT
Yes, it is common.
Back in 1976, when my son was born, we had to pay the copay at the hospital by the time I was 7 months along, or no delivery there.
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Aug 27, 2016 14:24:16 GMT
I had to pre-pay for my daughter's birth 15 years ago. And then pay some more after because we ended up with a c-section, which is a lot more expensive than vaginal birth! Fortunately, at that time, hospitals did not send you to collections as long as you had set up a payment plan. I think we paid that baby off twenty dollars at a time.
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Aug 27, 2016 15:09:26 GMT
Dentists usually require you to pay up front but I have never had to do that for Medical appts other than the office copay.
|
|
|
Post by librarylady on Aug 27, 2016 15:16:03 GMT
I had to pre-pay for my daughter's birth 15 years ago. And then pay some more after because we ended up with a c-section, which is a lot more expensive than vaginal birth! Fortunately, at that time, hospitals did not send you to collections as long as you had set up a payment plan. I think we paid that baby off twenty dollars at a time. When our son was born, the hospital had not imagined that I would have to be hospitalized in midst of pregnancy, so when the total bill was due we still owed several hundred dollars. They sent a bill--I sent them a check for ? amount (it has been too long to remember) with a note that I would pay xx amount each month until it was paid off. Imagine my surprise when the check was returned with a letter saying they would not accept installment payments, and either pay it all or they would write it off as a bad debt. I am not sure if I even answered the letter or not. For many years I wanted to write a letter to the local newspaper and call the hospital out for costing the taxpayers money and rejecting money when offered. ( I didn't ever do that.) I still am amazed that my check was returned to me.
|
|
|
Post by cindyupnorth on Aug 27, 2016 15:21:08 GMT
I think there are only 2 groups that can afford medical insurance these days, The poor and the rich. It's sad. I work in Health care, you would think I would have good health insurance,right? nope. we have the worst in town. Sad.
|
|
|
Post by Merge on Aug 27, 2016 15:23:34 GMT
I had to pre-pay for my daughter's birth 15 years ago. And then pay some more after because we ended up with a c-section, which is a lot more expensive than vaginal birth! Fortunately, at that time, hospitals did not send you to collections as long as you had set up a payment plan. I think we paid that baby off twenty dollars at a time. When our son was born, the hospital had not imagined that I would have to be hospitalized in midst of pregnancy, so when the total bill was due we still owed several hundred dollars. They sent a bill--I sent them a check for ? amount (it has been too long to remember) with a note that I would pay xx amount each month until it was paid off. Imagine my surprise when the check was returned with a letter saying they would not accept installment payments, and either pay it all or they would write it off as a bad debt. I am not sure if I even answered the letter or not. For many years I wanted to write a letter to the local newspaper and call the hospital out for costing the taxpayers money and rejecting money when offered. ( I didn't ever do that.) I still am amazed that my check was returned to me. That is really too bad. I do remember having to go in and set up a payment plan and sign for it, and there was interest applied to the account, but as I recall it wasn't egregious. I know we had her "paid off" by the time her sister was born 21 months later.
|
|
|
Post by Patter on Aug 27, 2016 15:25:22 GMT
Before my daughter's first open heart surgery this year, we were required to pay our portion up front. Her sister looked at her and said "You are a walking Ferrari." We haven't paid for anything else this year including her second surgery and meds. It was all met with that first surgery this year but we paid up front.
|
|
|
Post by mommaho on Aug 27, 2016 19:20:12 GMT
Yep. It's pretty normal these days. DD has to have all 4 wisdom teeth out. We have to put 40% down before surgery. It's a lot of money to be paying right up front. We have delayed it for a year now, but am having to bite the bullet and do it over cmas now. UGH!! Even with proof of what our out of pocket should be and information that our deductible had already been met, the dentist wanted the same for our daughter - but didn't tell me about it until the morning of the surgery. I refused payment until the checked with insurance company and by that time she was already knocked out. I agreed to pay 20% and ended up with a zero balance bill.
The billing clerk told me that they would gladly refund any overpayment, and I told her I didn't intend in paying anything over what was due.
|
|
|
Post by freecharlie on Aug 27, 2016 20:14:29 GMT
Yep. It's pretty normal these days. DD has to have all 4 wisdom teeth out. We have to put 40% down before surgery. It's a lot of money to be paying right up front. We have delayed it for a year now, but am having to bite the bullet and do it over cmas now. UGH!! Even with proof of what our out of pocket should be and information that our deductible had already been met, the dentist wanted the same for our daughter - but didn't tell me about it until the morning of the surgery. I refused payment until the checked with insurance company and by that time she was already knocked out. I agreed to pay 20% and ended up with a zero balance bill.
The billing clerk told me that they would gladly refund any overpayment, and I told her I didn't intend in paying anything over what was due.
isn't that a point of getting it pre-approved? It is ridiculous is the insurance says yes, this is what is covered, that they can't bill you for anything over. How do people that don't have the money get medical services?
|
|
|
Post by kellybelly77 on Aug 27, 2016 21:56:26 GMT
Even with proof of what our out of pocket should be and information that our deductible had already been met, the dentist wanted the same for our daughter - but didn't tell me about it until the morning of the surgery. I refused payment until the checked with insurance company and by that time she was already knocked out. I agreed to pay 20% and ended up with a zero balance bill.
The billing clerk told me that they would gladly refund any overpayment, and I told her I didn't intend in paying anything over what was due.
isn't that a point of getting it pre-approved? It is ridiculous is the insurance says yes, this is what is covered, that they can't bill you for anything over. How do people that don't have the money get medical services? When I worked at the state insurance dept I had a caller one time who had recently been diagnosed with a brain tumor. He didn't have insurance. No doctor would perform the surgery to remove it unless he had half the amount as a down payment. The cost was going to be near $100,000. I gave him the info to the state high risk pool to see about coverage. He told me he would die before he would ever be able to save up the 50%. Talking to people like him every day for years is why I started advocating for single payer. Citizens in this country die everyday because they can't afford medical care and that is disgusting. I often wonder what happened to him. I never heard back from him. That was probably 7 or 8 years ago and I still think of him often.
|
|