Prenatal drug screen

pajohnson731 · December 2014

Hi I'm new to posting I just have to have someone else's opinion on this. I received a bill for a prenatal drug screen for 475$ that I did not consent to or even know was occurring. Let me back up and give a little history I'm a married mother to three boys with a baby girl due in April. This is my fourth pregnancy with the same clinic. I am gainfully employed as a nurse practitioner. I have never been tested before and my children are 4,3 and 17 months. I am deeply offended not to mention very aggravated about this huge bill that I did not agree to. I just feel like legally they have to inform me of this testing? Am i wrong? Please no rude remarks I realize there are an extremely large amount of women on drugs but I am not and have never been one of them and I feel like someone should have had to have gotten my consent .

redneckmomma25 · December 2014

My office told me but I know another woman who goes there and they did not inform her of these tests and she was charged for them. I consented. I think it's actually mandatory in NY. I'm not sure though. It was part of a blood draw. I think it was a few tests in 1 which included drugs.

I would probably be upset especially if it's a test my insurance didn't cover and yes I'd want to be informed.

canadianttc1st · December 2014

I've personally never heard of this before but I would be pissed if I was handed that bill.

redneckmomma25 · December 2014

And plus also. You cannot dictate how people respond to your post on the Internet.

jackieanddan1989 · December 2014

Call your insurance. If it's considered part of your routine prenatal care, it should be covered. If you're in the US, tha Affordable Care Act mandates coverage of *basic* prenatal care, so all plans should cover the basics now, and you can challenge the insurance company on this-so I hear but I am admittedly not an expert on insurance so maybe I am misunderstanding this. But it is worth the research to look into that. I received a 300 bill for my dating u/s and when I called my insurance they said they had reimbursed my office, the u/s was covered, and they billed me as a mistake. So dont just pay it without calling. If it was beyond basic prenatal care, as in the office tested you but they dont routinely test all pregnant women for some reason, then they may not be covered. I dont know if they are required to inform you of drug testing or not, that may vary state to state.

Cliffhaven · December 2014

I'm not sure what would make me more angry: being drug tested without my consent or someone spending my $500 without my consent. I'm not a lawyer but I hope you have some recourse because this just seems wrong.

DPandMB · December 2014

My experience in the clinics I have worked in is that they can test for anything if you signed the consent to treat at the begining of your appointment. Did you sign a consent to treat? Did you get an EOB from your insurance company? That should tell you all of the different tests, how much it should cost, and how much they covered. I agree with the PP that a drug test alone shouldn't cost that much.

pajohnson731 · December 2014

I did speak with my insurance today they said it isn't covered because we haven't hit our deductible yet :-/ so it's still an out of pocket expense

Smash1215 · December 2014

I was sent a big bill after my first tri blood work from the state (I'm in CA). I filled out a form with my insurance information and sent it to them--I think it's all taken care of now.

pajohnson731 · December 2014

I thought it was a very high cost for the screen as well so I called the billing center of the clinic and they verified that was the cost for the single urine drug screen

dana1047 · December 2014

When I looked at my tests, I also had this done early in my pregnancy. I think my state requires it. My insurance did cover it. You can file a dispute usually online for your insurance to review it again. I did this with the genetic testing I had done & won.

DPandMB · December 2014

pajohnson731 said:
I thought it was a very high cost for the screen as well so I called the billing center of the clinic and they verified that was the cost for the single urine drug screen

What did your insurance company tell you the cost should be?

missab · December 2014

This would annoy me. But so does being told how I am suppose to reply. Apparently I should buy these pills:

https://elitedaily.com/news/world/pills-lets-you-poop-glitter/880489/

redneckmomma25 · December 2014

If you haven't hit your deductible then I'm not sure there is anything you can do. You can try and ask for a cash price or OOP price but then you still have to reach your deductible.

taahira · December 2014

I also was tested. I thought it was mandatory in my state. I wasn't offended even though it's my regular clinc and my OB knows me very well. I don't have anything to hide so whatever tests they need to do to ensure the safety of my baby I'm completely ok with.
I didn't get a huge bill though and would be upset not knowing or expecting such a bill. That sucks, sorry your having to deal with that.

ally3242 · December 2014

mbm1983 said:
My doctor does the drug screen as part of prenatal screening in first tri. Do you pay for your prenatal well check ups? My lab tests are covered under week check ups. Wondering if maybe doc coded it wrong?

I'm in the same boat. Also, sometimes we sign things in a hurry without reading every single sentence or paper. Are you positive you did not consent to this drug test?

pajohnson731 · December 2014

Yes I'm sure I didn't consent I had them fax a copy of the consent for treatment you sign in the beginning of pregnancy and it's no where on that because honestly I wasn't sure what was included in that ... Hopefully I will hear back from my provider afye

pajohnson731 · December 2014

Oops that last word should've been soon not afye

lexyraejay · December 2014

pajohnson731 said:
Yes I'm sure I didn't consent I had them fax a copy of the consent for treatment you sign in the beginning of pregnancy and it's no where on that because honestly I wasn't sure what was included in that ... Hopefully I will hear back from my provider afye

Are your regular prenatal visits 100% covered? If so, maybe you can ask your doctor's office to rebill your insurance, coding the test as prenatal. I had an ER visit for dehydration due to the stomach flu, and I thought I'd be paying an arm and a leg. Thank goodness it was billed as prenatal, so it was 100% covered.

purple_2012 · December 2014

My office did this at my first appointment. They said it was either me get drug tested or the baby after he was born.

Mushibamboo · December 2014

Like PP stated, it can be the policy of a hospital or state to test for drug use. There is a sign up in the bathroom at my OB that says something about it and consent ... I can check the web page and see if there is any useful info.

Scarlettg · December 2014

I would continue to argue the charges OP because that is crazy! Unfortunately, you may lose and have to pay. If you do, you should know that you can set up a payment plan with the testing company and make minimum payments with no interest. I actually did this after getting a $900 bill from a lab after being hospitalized. They took their sweet time billing the insurance, so I actually didn't even get the bill until 3 days shy of the 1-year mark, which is the cutoff for being able to deny payment. I called the insurance company and spoke with a rep from the lab company, but unfortunately there was nothing I could do. I was so angry that I now pay them just $20/month, even though I could technically afford to pay much more. I figure it'll get paid off eventually, but if they want to drag their feet then so can I.

kuchick1 · December 2014

pajohnson731 said:
I thought it was a very high cost for the screen as well so I called the billing center of the clinic and they verified that was the cost for the single urine drug screen

This was a urine test!?! Not even a blood draw?!

That's highway robbery. It's probably not enough that you would find it worthwhile to sue... But I would call a lawyer for a free consultation. At that amount it would probably not be done on contingency, so the cost benefit is not good. But maybe this is a pervasive scam & some eager law firm would take it on contingency for a potential class action lawsuit!

Or you could say that money is fungible, this is going toward your out of pocket costs, and oh well...

Regardless, I would check if it's required or routine in your jurisdiction, and -if not- ask for s cost reduction or complete waiver...and (after securing such $$ reduction) consider changing doctors.

Mushibamboo · December 2014

Just updating that my OB's website says HIV tests are now mandatory before delivery. Consenting to prenatal care includes this (like getting your pap, afp, blood counts, urine tested for protein, etc). Still think that's steep ... might be on your insurance rather than the OB (though if I were you I would suggest they post an FYI).

DPandMB · December 2014

pajohnson731 said:
Yes I'm sure I didn't consent I had them fax a copy of the consent for treatment you sign in the beginning of pregnancy and it's no where on that because honestly I wasn't sure what was included in that ... Hopefully I will hear back from my provider afye

If you get the consent, read it closely. I've seen clinics get by with testing under a statement like "...will perform any tests deemed medically necessary..." Still sorry about the amount. That seems so high. If your insurance company is saying it's because of your deductible, you may want to ask them how that will apply to your pregnancy. Generally pregnancy is billed as one episode of care. Since your pregnancy spans two years, I wonder how that will work. Hopefully they won't try to make you meet your deductible twice. Good Luck!

Prpljade · December 2014

I would ask your clinic why it wasn't coded under prenatal testing. Unless your insurance is grandfathered in under the ACA all prenatal testing is considered preventative care and has to be covered at 100%.

cwiceangel · December 2014

I had a $575 charge from the prenatal screening. Insurance eventually took care of it. But yeah total bullshit. From what I gather it's a standard test. Shouldn't be ridiculously priced in my opinion. Fight the charges.

topaz7777 · December 2014

My insurance charged me for a lot of the mandatory tests because I hadn't hit my deductable yet. Doesn't seem to matter much though since no matter what I'm paying the yearly max by the end anyway by the time I get the hospital bill.

Sharon&Paul · December 2014

I work as a physician assistant. I can not drug test someone without their permission or a court order. Plus for a true drug test the specimen need to be given in a controlled environment and a temperature taken. I would fight this one.

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