Edit: I didn't even get glasses! I haven't ordered them from the healthcare provider or from anyone else. And the bill was from my healthcare provider's OPTOMETRY office and the person who did my exam has an OD, not an MD, so was definitely an optometrist and not an ophthalmologist.
Called my healthcare provider before Jan 1 to schedule an eye exam. They said I was fully covered for the eye exam even though I didn't have a vision plan (Anthem Blue Cross HMO).
On Jan 1 my employer switched me over to an Aetna HMO. On Jan 13 I showed up to my appointment.
I asked the receptionist at the eye institute if I would still be fully covered under my new insurance without a vision plan and they said yes. I go ahead with my exam and I'm told I have 20/20 vision but there's some room for correction if I decide to get glasses anyway to reduce eye fatigue (increased eye fatigue in recent months is the only reason I went in).
Boom, I now have a bill for $552.
I just got off the phone with the billing department and they said that they will call my insurance tomorrow morning but if it doesn't go my way I'll be treated as a cash patient. I asked for an itemized list of charges and the only two items were "PROVIDER VISIT" each with different procedure codes (92004 for $468 and 92015 for $84).
I'm upset because I have 20/20 vision and I had an eye exam that I could have paid $75 for out of pocket at Costco. Can I haggle with the billing department and offer a smaller amount, like $150-175 up front to get them to leave me alone? I've never haggled over debt/bills before but I've read here that it's always worth trying with medical bills.
Submitted January 28, 2021 at 08:32PM by ohdeargodnotthisguy https://ift.tt/3iWxNIp
