Balance Billing
When you get services from doctors and hospitals that are not part of your health plan's network, you may come across balance billing.
What Is It?
It's the difference between what a doctor (or hospital) who is not in our network charges for a serviceand what we agreed to pay.
If a doctor charges more than we agreed to pay, you may get a bill requiring you to pay that difference. We call that difference balance billing.
Example
Last month Sidney went to see Dr. Smith, a doctor who is not in the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts network, and had an outpatient surgery. Dr. Smith submitted a claim to us charging $300 for the surgery. We agreed to pay $200 for this surgery. This leaves Sidney with a balance billing amount of $100.
Sidney's total (not including co-insurance or deductible) for her surgery came to $250. Here's why:
Balance Billing Breakdown | ||
---|---|---|
Dr. Smith's charge amount for surgery: | $300 | |
Our agreed payment for surgery: | - $200 | |
Balance billing amount | $100 |
What Sidney Owes | ||
---|---|---|
Her out-of-network copayment amount: | $150 | |
The difference between the doctor's charge amount and what we agreed to pay: |
+ $100 | (balance billing amount) |
Total | $250 |