AMERICANS are starting to spot a curious fee on receipts from their doctor’s office visits.
The little-known charge can be worth hundreds to thousands of dollars depending on the health condition.
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At least, that’s what some have noticed in several states nationwide over the past year.
A family in Minnesota, for example, got an unexpected fee after visiting their primary care physician as a follow-up for their daughter’s stomach pain, per The Minnesota Informer.
The visit was no more than 15 minutes and the bill first showed $201 for the doctor’s services, which was as to be expected.
Except, there was also a whopping $423 charge for “outpatient hospital services.”
The Minnesota family isn’t alone, either.
A man in Ohio was also charged $645 for “facility fees” during a visit to an ear, note, and throat medical specialist, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.
Some of the highest were the $1,000 a patient paid after seeing a urologist, according to The Boston Globe.
Florida residents also recently blasted Ohio nonprofit the Cleveland Clinic for allegedly charging “facility fees.”
Some cited neurosurgeon consultations for $95 or $112 for family medicine appointments.
“My heart dropped,” Brandy Macaluso-Owens, a patient and resident of Port St. Lucie, located about 49 miles north of West Palm Beach, said while speaking with NBC News recently.
She’d allegedly received a facility fee from Cleveland Clinic worth $174 after seeing a gastroenterologist.
“I probably met with the doctor maybe as little as 15 minutes,” Macaluso-Owens claimed.
Cleveland Clinic argued against the claims in an email to the outlet, emphasizing that it’s an “appropriate practice that aligns “with government regulations and industry guidelines.”
“These fees help support just some of the costs of maintaining outpatient facilities so that we can continue providing high-quality, compassionate care to all patients,” the medical center added.
Advice to Manage Facility Fees
- Ask for an estimate beforehand including facility fees
- Call the billing office for a breakdown of the medical bill
- Contact your insurance company to see if it can be covered or if there are additional discounts or other options
- Search for a health care advocate
Credit: NBC News
This means the fees go towards funding a top level of care at outpatient offices and 24/7 services like emergency rooms.
Overall, the fees have become more common in recent years, according to NBC News.
Hospitals are starting to employ more physicians and many insurance plans have patients paying more now for care before coverage is applicable.
NO LIMIT?
Christine Monahan, assistant research professor at the Center on Health Insurance Reforms at Georgetown University, also said that laws haven’t yet been put in place to regulate how high the charges can really go, which was why the amounts vary so greatly.
“In most states and situations, there aren’t really limits on how high they can go,” Monahan told the outlet.
The American Hospital Association has also stated that facility fees should be covered by insurance companies.
Insurance companies have argued back that the fees are unnecessary, increasing the cost of care without making improvements that justify them to cover it.
AFFORDABILITY CONCERN
Those who can’t afford to pay should call the medical provider’s office, according to Patricia Kelmar, senior director of health care campaigns at the US Public Interest Research Group.
The fee could potentially be removed, otherwise the next best route for consumers is to contact their insurance company.
It could result in less out-of-pocket cost, discounts, or other options.
Restaurant goers have also seen unexpected charges in recent months.
A beloved chain removed a 50-cent “fee” on a popular breakfast item this summer after it was implemented across all 2,000 locations.
Some other customers also vowed to boycott a restaurant after a “living wage fee” was spotted on a receipt worth 18%.
