[quote=UCGal]I’m pretty sure Kaiser Permanente will bill you, and hound you if you don’t pay at time of service.
It’s part of the negotiated rate for group insurance. My sister and I both have Kaiser. She has a $10 copay, mine is $20. Because they premiums and copays were negotiated by different employers.
I guess you could not pay it – but they could come after you for it. Perhaps your doctor decided the cost to bill is more than the copay… but if enough people do it – they’ll come after you.
Just curious – do you pay your deductible if you’re in a car accident and get your car repaired? Or is that optional also? Do you pay the full ask when you get a haircut – or do you pay a lesser amount and hope they don’t mind too much?[/quote]
Just not pay it? That’s cute.
Places like Kaiser you can’t even see the doctor until you have paid the fee before the visit. When you signed up for the health plan you agreed to certain fees via a fee schedule. Different types of visits have different co-pays.
Visits for specialists cost more than visits for primary care, etc. MRI or Chest X-ray might have a higher cost.
I have Kaiser Permanente and so far really happy with them. “Shake down fee”. Hmm…. maybe next week when I have a procedure done I’ll tell them I don’t want to pay my co-pay and see what happens. LOL.
