Community› The Bump Month Clubs› April 2016 Moms
April 2016 Moms
New Discussion

need some insurance advice...

ejledejled member
in April 2016 Moms
Any guidance would be appreciated as I have next to no experience with insurance....
A few weeks ago I went for my 7 week appt for lab work only (urine, blood). I called the ob office prior to this appt to let them know I did not have insurance, and I wanted to know the costs of the lab work i was scheduled for. (I had just started my new job, had not received insurance cards yet) I was told to call the lab and inquire, and was subsequently told the "prenatal panel" would cost $39 cash pay. So, good deal no problem. I could definitely handle that.
So 3 weeks after that visit I receive 3 separate bills from 3 different lab companies totalling $850!!
Of course now I have my insurance cards, and had I known this would happen, I would have gladly waited 2 more wweeks to go in for lab work.
So my question, will my OB office be able to do anything about this? Or do I need to call the lab companies? I certainly cannot Fork out $850, and more importantly i feel misled in regards to the tests the Dr. Ordered when I had no clue!

Very frustrating, but thank you for reading my rant, and any guidance or advice would be appreciated!
Report Reply to Post

Re: need some insurance advice...

  • mrstraxmrstrax member
    I would start with your OBs billing department. It may be that the actual blood draw costs $39 (which gets paid to the office) and then the labs that process the blood/urine are billed separately.
    If your insurance was started by the day you got your tests done and you just didn't have the cards yet, you may be able to get them processed still. Otherwise you may be out of luck :(
    Anniversary 
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Baby Birthday Ticker Ticker
    Report Reply
  • Loading the player...
  • seasidesweeteseasidesweete member
    You can also call and try to negotiate the bill. The insurance company probably writes off 60% on those services so start with saying you will pay $250. And see what you can work them down to. Good luck.
    Report Reply
  • UnbreakableKimmySchmidtUnbreakableKimmySchmidt member
    edited October 2015
    Are you sure you did not have insurance when you started your new job? Even if you didn't have the cards I believe you would be covered starting on your employment start date.  That's the way it would work with my employer.  

    If you just didn't have your cards you should call your current insurance company and explain to them that you didn't have the cards and make sure they can process the claims.  

    I assume you don't have a Health Savings Account (HSA)?  You could also use that to pay your bills.

    All the visits can be expensive.  Yesterday I called my insurance company to see what was covered/not covered and it was very helpful.  You may want to do the same if you have new insurance.  Would also be helpful if you need to meet a deductible right away so you know how much to budget.
    Report Reply
  • ejledejled member
    Thanks for the ideas. I have an OB appt tomorrow. I will start with asking the office staff. I will ask my HR rep if my insurance went into effect on my start date, or i was thinking it was 30 days later. Hopefully they can file my insurance.
    Report Reply
  • ejledejled member
    @seasidesweete would I call the lab company to negotiate the bill?
    Report Reply
  • kimey1kimey1 member
    I agree with OP. Hopefully your insurance was effective when you saw the doc and you can get your bills adjusted. If your insurance wasn't effective when you were seen, you can negotiate with both the doctor's office and the payment sector at the labs.
    Usually the insurance companies take such a big portion that the doc's office may give you a nice discount. When I was in between my insurances, my doc slashed the charges on my doc visits to 50% of whatever they'd normally charge.
    If you nicely explain to the ppl in charge at the lab payment sector, they may delete some of the urine tests or other small stuff which will cut down your bill by a hundred or a couple hundred dollars in total.
    Report Reply
  • ejledejled member
    I really appreciate the advice! Crossing my fingers this works out today. Thanks ladies!
    Report Reply
  • mumidimumidi member
    Was your insurance in effect already and you just didn't have cards yet?  I would check because if so they could still bill your insurance.  

    Also, I checked on my bloodwork and it was crazy expensive as well, over $1200.  Thankfully insurance covered it.
    Report Reply
  • ejledejled member
    My insurance effective date was actually after my appointment. Unfortunately it did not begin on my hire date.
    Report Reply
  • kimey1kimey1 member
    Hope you can haggle it down to a reasonable price!
    Report Reply
Sign In or Register to comment.
Choose Another Board
Search Boards
"
"