Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
A friend of mine is pregnant and she told me that the dr. she is going to has been charging her $100 or so every time she goes. The office visit co-pay is only $30 under her plan...which is BCBS, state health plan. They said they are charging her this to pay off her deductible...BEFORE she even has the baby. They are not submitting claims until the end of the pregnancy. Is this common practice in the area or in general? I know when I had my kids I paid for it after I actually delivered them!!
My DD had a baby a month ago. She was given a flat rate to pay for the pregnancy from the practice she chose that included all routine prenatal care (not ultrasounds) and it also supposedly covered the Dr's portion of the delivery. They divided the payment up into however many months she had left (she started going around 3 months, so had 6 months left). So yes, the dr's fee was basically covered before delivery. I don't think they submitted anything until the end either (she's still on my insurance).
That said...my DD delivered under emergency circumstances by a hospital staff Dr, not by the Dr at the practice she was paying for all along. So we are in the process of trying to determine if she is owed any money in return. (not expecting to actually get anything, but somehow it doesn't seem right that she's basically paying for 2 doctors, the one who was supposed to deliver athe baby and the one on the hospital emergency staff who actually did).
We also have BCBS and we went through this about 2.5 years ago and it seems to be common-practice. Apparently, it is somewhere around $700-$800 in total payments for the prenatal care. This includes the testings, ultrasounds, bloodwork, wellness appts, etc. We appreciated being able to spread the payments out during the 9 months, but I agree that it's a bit overwhelming when you assume that you would only be charged $30/visit.
My wife's OB/GYN practice calculated up what her expected deductible payments were going to be, and then we paid it in installments over the course of her prenatal visits. It was $2400.
But they don't actually file anything with insurance until after the delivery, and by that point she'd pretty much met her deductible through other charges, so we got almost all of it back from the doctor.
My wife's OB/GYN practice calculated up what her expected deductible payments were going to be, and then we paid it in installments over the course of her prenatal visits. It was $2400.
But they don't actually file anything with insurance until after the delivery, and by that point she'd pretty much met her deductible through other charges, so we got almost all of it back from the doctor.
We had a similar situation. They assumed the worse case scenario with the whole deductible remaining at the time of birth even though there were numerous, separately charged tests and procedures in between. They ended up owing us like $500 and it was like pulling teeth to get it back. The practice apparently went bankrupt and broke up not too long after that, so they may have been having cash flow problems.
Anyway, if I had to do it over I would look at how they came to their figure and tailor my payments accordingly if the projections they made months earlier don't match reality as the big day gets closer.
I have BC/BS it's $15 co-pay the first visit and that covers everything for a year up to and including vaccinations, no more co-pay no deductible...I would seriously make a phone call
Actually there might be one more $15 co-pay in there somewhere, I cannot remember.
Wow - I had a totally different experience. I have BCBS (but federal employee version) and went to Duke docs. I had $0 copays for prenatal care, and a $100 deductible for the delivery, which I paid at the time of delivery and that was it. My insurance was billed quickly after each prenatal appointment, as evidenced by the EOBs that they sent to my house.
I have BC/BS it's $15 co-pay the first visit and that covers everything for a year up to and including vaccinations, no more co-pay no deductible...I would seriously make a phone call
Actually there might be one more $15 co-pay in there somewhere, I cannot remember.
Insurance companies offer different plans. Often higher deductible plan have a lower cost ( out of your paycheck). So it may all be correct however when it comes to insurance you need to be your own biggest advocate and review all of your EOBs and bills to make sure they are correct. That being said, if you are uncertain call you insurance company and verify what charges you should expect with a pregnancy and delivery. The doctor's plan to space it out is a nice option if you want it or tell them you prefer to be billed at the end when everything is submitted.
With most BCBS insurance plans, maternity benefits are subject to the deductible/coinsurance and there are no copays. Also they call it global billing...when they wait till after the baby is born then submit all claims at once to the insurance company. I do see that some OBs are starting to get away from this type of billing, though, and are submitting claims as the pregnancy progresses.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
