My son is covered by Medicaid, and he’s been getting speech therapy. The therapist has hinted that I should be paying, because it takes so long for her to get paid. Should I? My son really likes the therapist, so I want to keep things positive with her.
Speechless
Dear Speechless,
To your son’s speech therapist, you say one word: no. A provider who accepts Medicaid has agreed to certain rules. One of those rules is that the provider cannot charge the patient for services that will be paid for by Medicaid – no matter how long it takes. The provider can only charge the patient a co-pay, if there is one.
You can sympathize with the therapist – yes, it’s tough to have to wait for money. But you should not pay her.