Uninsured pay different amount for same service

I had been paying for my daughter’s allergy visits out of pocket, because the doctor was not on our plan’s network.  Our plan changed and now they are on the new plan’s network.  I noticed when I got a statement that they are billing the insurance more than I used to pay out of pocket for office visits.  Are they allowed to do that?

Who Pays What

Dear Who Pays What,

Yes, they can. What they bill the insurer is based upon the contract they have with them. They did not have the same contract with you and can charge you differently.  Count yourself lucky that you paid less when you were “uninsured”.   Some uninsured people actually are charged more than a health plan would pay.

Linda Riddell

About Linda Riddell

A published author and health policy analyst with 25 years’ experience, Linda Riddell's goal is to alleviate the widespread ailment of not knowing what your health plan can do for you.