Insurance information can be confusing and frustrating to attempt to figure out. Dr. Howard feels that people who have insurance benefits should be able to use them for services that are covered under their plans. To this end, LifeArts - Howard Chiropractic, PC does provide billing services to current patients. This means that we will bill your insurance and collect the reimbursement so that you do not have to worry about additional forms to fill out or send in. You are simply responsible for your co-pay or co-insurance at the time of your visit.
Some Frequently Asked Questions regarding insurance and patient statements:
- What insurance does Dr. Howard accept?
- Dr. Howard accepts all insurance, however, she is not a participating provider for each and every insurance company in existance - such as United Health Care.
- She is a preferred provider for Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Midland's Choice, Mutual of Omaha (both PPO and HMO), and Coventry.
- this means that you will get "in-network" benefits for these insurance plans, other plans will have "out-of-network" benefits.
- Additionally, Dr. Howard is a participating provider and accepts assignment for Medicare and Medicaid.
- What does deductible mean?
- A deductible is the amount of money that you are responsible for before your insurance company will begin paying their portion of you claims. For example, if you have a $300 yearly deductible, you will have to pay the first $300 worth of your medical bills before your insurance company will pay their portion of the bill. This deductible usually starts over January 01 of every year.
- What is my co-pay or co-insurance?
- A co-pay or co-insurance is the amount of the bill that you are responsible for. This can be a set amount (usually $20-30) or a percentage of the allowable fees. In order to find out what your specific co-pay or co-insurance is, we will call your insurance company and find out. Once we know what you are responsible for, you will be expected to pay that amount at the time of service.
- What does "Member's Liability" or "Rejected Service" mean on my statement?
- In some situations, your insurance company will not cover a service that has been provided. For example, currently there are very few insurance companies convering and paying for needle acupuncture therapy. Therefore, you will see either MEMBERS LIABILITY or REJECTED SERVICE on your statement from this office. This means that your policy does not cover this service and you are responsible for this amount.
- Some information about secondary insurance and billing:
- If you have a secondary insurance company that we are sending claims to, be prepared to wait even longer for the final information regarding your insurance benefits. The process of sending claims to the primary insurance company first and then off to a secondary company can take time, therefore, we ask that you be patient for the information.