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 What is joint endorsement?
...


 If a Japanese doesnt have an english name, will the bank require him to have a diff signature?
if a Japanese will open a bank account or apply for insurance and he doesnt have any english name, will the bank or insurance company require him to have a signature other than his signature with ...


 My father passed away and he had a life insurance policy...do I pay taxes on it when I collect?
I'm in MN...not sure if that matters....


 Can we recover the paid amount (premiums) even after the policy get lapse.?
I just wanted to know that can we recover the amount(not total policy amount but the amount what we have paid as premiums) even after the policy get lapse. My father got a LIC policy but it was ...


 SOMEBODY HELP!! How can I get rid of $4200 bill they are trying to charge me for a stupid accident?
OK, I was driving a car without insurance, I was parked, backed up and other car coming in the middle of the street crash my car, he got the left front light broken and may be the bumper, but that...


 Life Insurance as a supplemental investment?
I want to buy universal life insurance as an investment option to supplement my 401K and Roth IRA. I am 40 and single, no health concerns. Is this a good option to build cash value? If so, what ...


 What is a reasonable price to pay for renters insurance? This is for 2 ppl in a 1 br apt.?
...


 I thought insurance was supposed to take the worry away?
As a responsible pet owner I have pet insurance for both of my cats. My male cat has been suffering from a number of different problems which should all be covered by this insurance. However the vets ...


 Is neighbor responsible for the damage to my condo caused by her toilet overflowing while she's on vacation?
My ceiling on two floors and in three rooms is ruined by water that came from our upstairs neighbor's running toilet. She lives on the 3rd floor and we live on the first floor. Our unit is &...


 What does contingent mean?
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 I am going to lose my dependent status on my parents insurance policy. How do I apply for COBRA?
I am a junior in college and I am planning ahead to get married with one semester left to go in college. The dilemma is that I have a preexisting condition, Type I Diabetes. I cannot get covered by ...


 What would you do??? Please read details!?
We hired a restoration company that was referred to us by my insurance company. At the beginning of their repairs they damaged our flat screen TV that we have mounted on a wall. Today I was told ...


 Do you think mutual funds is a good investment?
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 Currently living at home on parent's auto insurance policy, can I get my own?
I am a full-time student with a daughter and will be living at home until next Fall. I have been on my mother's insurance policy (paying for my part of the premium) since I had my license at 16....


 Is this a fraud promotion?
I recieved a check for $2,194.00, from the Authentic claims, Inc. It says I am to send the check to cover taxes, surcharges, and insurance on the winnings. Then they will transfer funds of
$54,00...


 Life Insurance Questions.....?
What kind of tests do they make you do when you get life insurance? I know they will probably check your height/weight and blood pressure. But what else will they do?...


 Apartment Insurance?
I live in the basement of a house. Am I covered on my landlords insurance policy, or should I invest in renters insurance?...


 Are cash value insurance polices convertible to term life insurance? I want to get rid of my whole life insura
...


 If someone runs into me in a parking lot, and then leaves, and I do not catch them or know who they are, is?
this a comprehensive or collision claim with my insurance company?...


 Life insurance / suicide clause?
My husband committed suicide 3 weeks ago, and left me w/ a lot of bills and 2 kids. He has some insurance policies, some of which he has had for 20 years. My question is, will the older policies most ...



The Great Poomba
Is a chiropractor allowed to charge more to an insurance company than they do to a client directly?
I have a limit to how much insurance I have per year and my chiropractor seems to charge considerably more if the insurance company is paying then to me directly. Is this legal?
                     
 




Ceasars Mom
Rating
What a physican charges is completely different than the "allowed amount", this is the amount that the physician is actually contracted to be paid by the carrier.

for example: if a physician charges $125 for a service, the insurance only allows for payment of up to $100. The physician, as a contracted provider would have to "write off" $25

Your policy maximum would have to be defined by your insurance company as either the "Physician Charges" or the "Allowed amount"

Contact your carrier to clarify.


Dan B
Generally, yes. It is legal.

All doctors are allowed to charge a set fee to the insurance company for the service provided. But it is dependent upon the type of coverage you have and the agreement between the doctor and insurance company. If the insurance company and the doctor agree that a certain procedure can be billed for $250, then it's legal. Now some agreements prohibit the doctor from charging you the difference if the agreed price is less that what the doctor normally charges uninsured patients.

And some doctors, knowing that the patient has no insurance, can cut the patient a break on the costs. Dentist did that with my daughter's braces (10% discount).


eskimooinc.com
Rating
The whole medical billing industry in this country is a total rip off, riddled with inconsistencies and dodgy practises. It used to be that medical practitioners were (rightly) viewed as upstanding pillars of the community....now because of the billing and misbilling rip-offs they are, frankly, little better than snake oil salesman.

So to answer your question, no it is not unusual, and I don't believe it is actually illegal. Quite incredible that we put up with this cr@p - more shame to the politicians of the greatest democracy, greatest economy in the world for allowing this to continue!


Lori S
Rating
Doctors can charge whatever they like to whomever they like. What they are reimbursed however is based on the negotiated rate they have with the insurance company and if they are a preferred provider or out of network. If they are preferred, they have a set amount already agreed to that they will accept.

If you are paying them cash, they can charge less-partly because there is no hassle in billing or waiting for the payment.


Kay
Rating
In my experience, doctors and hospitals charge a lot more to insurance company than to the patient who pays directly out of his/her pocket. It's the same with auto insurance on damage claims. It's legal. This is the main reason our healthcare costs and other insurance costs continue to rise.

But it's not legal if a doctor charged you an amount and received the payment from you, and at the same time sent a billing to your insurance company at higher amount trying to obtain the money from your ins. co.


skeptical thinker
Rating
Depending on the specific situation, its probably not illegal. It depends on what the chiropractor does with all of his other patients. I do think that it is probably a little unethical, but I wouldn't worry about it too much. I've noticed that especially among chiropractors, this is very common, and some have even gotten into serious legal trouble over this. Chiropractors are often in desperate need of patients, so they'd gladly reduce your costs as much as possible and take whatever the insurance will give them. But this isn't the purpose of the law. The law says that in isolated cases, its fine. The purpose should not be designed as a way to get and keep patients by offering "free treatment" while only billing their insurance. If it happens once in a while, fine. But if its the standard policy, not fine.

It is illegal to routinely excuse patients from insurance copays and deductibles. It is legal to waive a fee for people with a genuine financial hardship, but it is not legal to provide completely free care or discounts to all patients or to collect only from those who have insurance. Studies have shown that if patients are required to pay for even a small portion of their care, they will be better consumers and select items or services because they are medically needed rather than because they are free. Routine waivers thus raise overall health costs. They are considered fraudulent because averaging them with the doctor's full fees would make the "usual" fees lower than the amounts actually billed for.


dezbah1911
No, it isn't legal, but you may want to check your state laws first. It's also a possibility that your chiropractor was giving discounted rates to you when you paid for services on your own (some do that - mine does). When the insurance company is billed, he may be charging full price. Hope that helps!


mbrcatz
Rating
Yes. They're allowed to charge as much as they want, in the USA. There is no price fixing.


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