“We Want You to Pay Cash”
Here is a scam run by some health care providers after you have been in an accident.
You seek treatment because of the accident and you go to a doctor that is under your health insurance plan plan’s program. This means that the doctor and the insurance company have already negotiated a fee for the office visit. You have paid a premium to the health insurance company to benefit from the negotiated, reduced fee.
This time however, because you were an accident, the doctor says “let’s not put this through your health insurance company” or “we are we are not going to put this to your health insurance company” and we want you to pay cash.
Why would they do this?
They do this in order to get paid full list price for their medical services. They are violating their contract with the insurance company. Doctors are not allowed to pick and choose which medical procedures or office visits they will submit to the insurance company and which they will charge you cash for. This is a benefit that you paid for with your insurance premium.
A variation of this scam is for the doctor to say that they will not submit a claim to the insurance company but will “take an assignment” of your personal injury proceeds. Again this is not good for you. At the end of the case they will expect to be paid 100% for their visit where, if they had submitted a claim to the insurance company they would’ve been paid some discount from that.
If your doctor tries to pull this scam when you call your insurance company and complain.
