CA doctors offices mandating payment upfront for services- is this legal? Why is this common practice? (Fortuna: live in, costs)

[NyWriterdude]

I always had to pay upfront in NY. The doctors or hospital would check your insurance and would get get approval from the insurance. What the insurance wouldn't cover you'd have to pay for it.

Really if you know you're going to the doctor you should make sure you cover the copay. It's not a big deal.

As others have said, doctors and hospitals have bills to pay and they cannot spend lots of time and money on procedures not knowing if or when they will get paid.

[UserName14289]

Originally Posted by NyWriterdude

I always had to pay upfront in NY. The doctors or hospital would check your insurance and would get get approval from the insurance. What the insurance wouldn't cover you'd have to pay for it.

Really if you know you're going to the doctor you should make sure you cover the copay. It's not a big deal.

As others have said, doctors and hospitals have bills to pay and they cannot spend lots of time and money on procedures not knowing if or when they will get paid.

I don't think they are talking about covering the co-pay. I understood it as they are requiring you to pay for the procedure, but I could be wrong.

[UserName14289]

Originally Posted by dexter75

You can thank Obama and the Democrats for that. Fools in CA keep voting Democrat, the true definition of insanity.

Idk, dexter, there is Obamacare and plenty of Democrats in MD, and things work *much* better here. Any other ideas where that finger can be pointed? Sacramento, maybe?

[mtnbkr5]

Originally Posted by shooting4life

It is cheaper to mandate payment up front.
Billing has an associated cost, let alone the people who don't pay to begin with.

Like deadbeat illegals.

[Hemlock140]

Here (Washington State) we always had to pay the copay up front when we had the good medical plan prior to the ACA. Now we are on a high deductible and pay nothing at any office or hospital visits, they bill the insurance and then send us a bill for the balance a few weeks later. Same with the dentist.

[bigdumbgod]

Originally Posted by mtnbkr5

Like deadbeat illegals.

Or deadbeat citizens.

[expatCA]

Originally Posted by bigdumbgod

Or deadbeat citizens.

True, and probably still outnumber the illegals, by a bit.

[pittsflyer]

How are Mexican doctors able to charge 1200 pesos for a house call and meds delivered and US doctors you get charged 300-500 us dollars just for an office visit? Sure if your having some kind of experimental mayo clinic advanced treatment done then I suppose the sky is the limit but in most cases there is no excuse for the rates these doctors charge for normal things.


That's really the issue here.

[observer53]

Originally Posted by sunshinelove0000

True. I had never given that much thought. Like I said it was normally never a problem back in MA so this is new to me but I can now see why docs in CA do it

Copays up front are common in many places, not just CA, for decades. I find it easier to pay the copay, knowing that the insurance will cover the rest, and I won't be getting a bill to pay later. I never pay a dime up front for any kind of lab work, and there's no copay. A lot depends on the plan that you have, but as you noted, if they contact the insurance they can find out what your estimated portion would be, which is far below what they bill the insurance or what they are contracted to receive from the insurance.

[Ultrarunner]

Every time my father was asked to pay cash... he demanded a cash discount and got it!

Mostly for dental work... but a few times for other medical services.