Insurance deductibles, co-pays and out of pocket expenses can get confusing. It's why many of us just pay doctors what they say we owe and move on. But if that's you, you could be leaving hundreds of dollars on the table.
It's true that many doctors and insurance policies require you to make a payment at the time of your office visit. But you have to follow up to find out if you paid too much. If you did, sometimes you have to battle to get your money back. Consumer Brian Perry has been waging that battle for months. He paid a $300 co-pay to a free-standing ER after a bike accident in September. Weeks later, he reviewed the explanation of benefits from his insurance company.
"What they paid and what I paid, when you added them together, it became $43 over," Perry told consumer expert Amy Davis. "Well, that $43 is my money."
The third party billing company for the ER agreed with Perry, but a representative told him it could take 30 to 60 days to get him a refund.
"Once it got to be towards the end of the year, it was getting to be a little ridiculous after about 3 months," Perry said.
We checked. A state law that took effect in 2007 gives facilities and doctors 30 days to issue patient refunds once it is brought to their attention. It is in SB1731. You can read the major points of the law here.
Here's what you need to know about required billing disclosures.
