- Copays are flat fees for certain visits. An example of how it works: Leon, 34, is a married forklift operator from Jacksonville, FL. He’s an avid runner, but lately has had nagging knee pain and swelling.
- Patient Health Coverage LabCorp Coverage Private Health Insurance LabCorp will bill your health insurance directly. Your health insurance company will determine coverage and payment, as well as the amount for which you are responsible, such as copay or deductible, if any. Medicaid LabCorp will bill Medicaid. Medicare LabCorp will bill Medicare.
Fei Yu’s blood work should have cost just $5. So why is she dealing with a collections notice for $500?
LabCorp; $30 lab copay elsewhere 30% coinsurance None Imaging (CT/PET scans, MRIs) No charge after deductible 30% coinsurance If you need drugs to treat your illness or condition More information about prescription drug $ coverage is available at www.pebtf.org www.caremark.com Generic drugs (Tier 1) $15 copay/prescription up to 30 days; $22.50.
Question
I recently had lab work done by LabCorp. I called my doctor two weeks later to get results. The office never received my blood work. Machine shop saw operationthe mechanic.
Third grade reading streetsblog. Finally, LabCorp admitted it lost my specimen. By then, my Blue Cross health insurance had expired.
LabCorp not only lost my sample but also sent me a $272 bill. My Blue Cross copay was $5.
I’ve tried to get this resolved, making numerous calls to Blue Cross, to no avail. LabCorp lost my specimen and has now called a collection agency, which wants me to pay more than $500. Can you help?
— Fei Williams-Yu, Dacula, Ga.
Answer
If LabCorp lost your blood, at least it could have lost your bill, too. I mean, come on. If this isn’t a cautionary tale about the dysfunction in our health care system in the United States, I don’t know what is!
Health insurance companies want to stop paying their bills the moment your policy runs out, even when their obligations haven’t expired. I know that from personal experience.
If LabCorp didn’t provide the service, you shouldn’t pay. And even if you should pay, you’d only owe $5.
A lot of things went wrong with this case — most of them entirely unavoidable by you. Let’s look at each one individually.
What to do when LabCorp loses your blood
If LabCorp lost your specimen, you should have returned to your doctor’s office to take a new test. Your doctor should have informed Blue Cross and LabCorp that you needed to redo the test and the reason for it.
It’s unclear from your paper trail if that happened or if you followed the correct steps. It’s possible that with your insurance about to expire, you moved on to a different provider without giving your previous doctor, insurance company and testing service an opportunity to fix the problem.
Labcorp Copy 2
When my advocacy team circled back with you for more information, you said you’d been in touch with all three parties by phone. Blue Cross had promised to send messages to “supervisors” asking for help. Membership applicationcentral kentucky international cb club. But you never saw any of those emails.
How to handle a complaint about lost blood
We don’t list executive contacts for Blue Cross. It hardly matters — the company exited the Georgia market around the time of your complaint.
Labcorp Company
Also, the site is a black hole for complaints. I know because I used to be a Blue Cross customer when I lived in Florida. It takes money and denies claims. I’m still unhappy about that $500 ambulance bill when my son broke his arm.
And calling a collection agency? It’s easy to take that personally, but chances are, it’s automatic. No one at LabCorp gleefully pushed a button with the intention of punishing you, although it certainly feels that way.
Labcorp Copay Insurance
When you contacted my advocacy team, our executive director Michelle Couch-Friedman, reached out to LabCorp on your behalf. LabCorp apologized, agreed to drop its collection claim and sent you a bill for the correct amount.
Labcorp Copay Cards