By MATTHEW HOLT
To affix in the enjoyable I’m having with Blue Protect of California & Brown & Toland Physicians IPA being unable to inform me why I’ve a $34.94 invoice for lab work (see picture) that ought to both be lined as preventable beneath the ACAor have co-pay of $50 (see picture of the BS of CA screenshot for the $50), I known as Labcorp.
After 6 minutes I bought a really confused particular person. BTW there may be NO method to talk with Labcorp on the web site, and if you happen to put your bill quantity into their IVR system there may be NO method to get a human. The one manner to do this is to hold up and begin once more, NOT put in your bill quantity and hit 0. Then wait on maintain with muzak to get a human. They then ask your DOB and cellphone quantity. The decision heart is within the Philippines BTW.
I defined that I wished info on which check was not lined beneath the ACA. Brown and Toland/Blue Protect’s EOB says I’ve a $0 co-pay (see picture).
The Labcorp rep advised me that of the 5 checks achieved (with CPT code and worth), 3 weren’t lined. The Lipid (85027 $107.10), the A1C (80061 – $81.90) Uric Acid (84550 $43.05). 2 of these 3 clearly are lined beneath the ACA. The Uric Acid one will not be in accordance with my studying of the CMS web site. Labcorp submitted that invoice to Blue Protect. The rep persistently advised me the declare was despatched to Blue Cross Blue Protect of CA, which doesn’t exist.
At that time — quarter-hour in — the decision dropped. I don’t know if they only hung up however they’d requested for my cellphone quantity. They didn’t name me again.
However I’m a ache within the ass, and I known as them again. After roughly 4 minutes on maintain, I bought one other rep. She advised me ALL of the CPT codes/lab checks had been topic to copay. She advised me that Blue Protect (NOT Brown & Toland Physicians) has bundled all of those codes and there’s a co pay for all of them. Which is what the invoice says.
So the one factor I can do is to ship an e-mail with the screenshot of the EOB, which is from the IPA not Blue Protect. So I did that and should get a response in 3-5 enterprise days.
I do know you might be on tenterhooks. Let’s see what occurs subsequent however the full absence of something resembling client transparency or entry to the related info makes a mockery of the whole lot Paul Markovich says on stage.
Matthew Holt is the founder and writer of THCB
