When I had my son 3 years ago at a different practice, we never paid for ANYTHING out of pocket as every single checkup was covered at 100%, no problems whatsoever. This time around, with the exact same insurance, AAA decided to slip in charges wherever they see fit. We have NEVER experienced anything as frustrating as this. By going to this practice you will be hit with extra hidden charges that they tack on at leisure and then blame you for not reading your insurance coverage even when they know full well it's their own policy. They will pretend to work with you and send you rejections by mail or tell you they can work with you and then send you in the exact bill multiple times.
1) My daughter was born on a weekday and the release is on a Friday, the person on the phone made an appointment for me on a Saturday. AT NO POINT did she inform me that there's a charge for a weekend visit. Upon receipt of my Explanation of Benefits from the insurance company stating this charge which the insurance company was as dumbfounded and surprised as I was, we did a conference call with the "billing department" which really is just a lethargic and extremely apathetic female sitting somewhere in the building (I forgot her name so I'll just say Jane Doe), the insurance agent explained that this potential charge should have been explained to the patient BEFORE coming in. Over the course of this 20 minute conversation, Jane lacked all interest and repeated this phrase over and over "it is the patient's responsibility to know what is included in their insurance." Jane finally said OK she'll review this and have her boss or someone else make a decision....then a week or two later I received a letter saying my appeal was rejected (of course). This charge was supposedly reverse, but when I went in a few weeks later, the front desk said it was not...just great.
2) We took my daughter in for a checkup, they asked if there are any concerns. I mentioned the whiteness on her tongue, which turned out to be milk, but they wrote a prescription for thrash and BAM another charged...So Jane tell me "it is the patient's responsibility to know what is included in their insurance." So where does it outline in the insurance that a Saturday visit will incur an extra charge? AND where does it outline that if you asked a question during the baby's checkup that is apparently "outside the scope of a checkup" that you'll get charge. Finally, where does it outline what the scope is for a checkup and what questions you can and can't ask? Certainly sounds to me like this is their own practice's policies, which they vehemently deny.
I finally conducted a face to face meeting with Jane and for the next 20 minutes I tried to get her to realize that I'm now put in a position of HOW AM I SUPPOSE TO KNOW WHAT YOUR PRACTICE CHARGES? Of course she tell me "it is the patient's responsibility to know what is included in their insurance."
3) now I have this fear in my heart that everything I do and say will be charged. So for the next checkup, I literally prefaced everything I asked the practitioner with "don't answer me if I will get charged for it." So after the checkup she ASSURED me that I will not be charged...then I get a bill. So I called and it was and it was a piece of paper that the exact same practitioner asked me to get and sign! So now I'm being lied to as well.
I tried to address this with Jane and you guess it! She tell me "it is the patient's responsibility to know what is included in their insurance." Apparently you have know the price of every piece of paper you sign and discredit what this practice tell you.
Basically, if you have excellent insurance that covers everything at 100%, they WILL still find ways to make money off of you. When you ask them what you can and cannot ask, they will say ask everything, and then charge you. When you try to appeal to them, they will pretend to care and do nothing to correct the situation. When you want to cover your own butt and not be charged, they will lie to you and send the bill for it. read more