It is the Covered Person's choice as to which Provider to use, however, when a Covered Person uses an In-Network Provider (Preferred Provider), that Covered Person will not be subject to possible additional UCR charges that they likely would be if an Out-of-Network Provider (Non-Preferred Provicer) was used.
A Usual and Reasonable charge is the amount being used by the majority of the providers in the same area. Typically, on your Explanation of Benefits, if you see that something is not covered because it is over U&C, it means that the Provider is charging more than the Usual, Reasonable, and Customary amount for that service.
A deductible is a set amount that must be paid by you before the plan will make any payment. Usually one person must meet their individual deductible and any of the other family members can combine to meet the family deductible. So when charges are applied to deductible, the charge was covered but is the patient responsibility with no payment by the plan for that service. The deductible generally runs from January 1 to December 31.
When a claimant receives an adverse benefit determination, the claimant has 180 days following receipt of the notification in which to appeal the decision. A claimant may submit written comments, documents, records, and other information relating to the Claim. If the claimant so requests, he or she will be provided, free of charge, reasonable access to and copies of all documents, records and other information relevant to the Claim.The period of time within which a benefit determination on review is required to be made shall begin at the time an appeal is filed in accordance with the procedures of the Plan. This timing is without regard to whether all the necessary information accompanies the filing. An outline of the appeal process is in the plan document.
NO - Midwest Group Benefits, Inc. is not an insurance company. We provide Third Party Administration Services. We administer and process claims on behalf of your employers Partially Self-funded Health Plan.
When you are new to a plan, the first thing requested once a claim is received for you is that you send us a certificate showing any prior coverage you and your dependents (if applicable) had for one full year before coming on with the new insurance. For example, if you obtained coverage effective June 1, we would need information for all prior insurance you had going back to June 1 of the previous year. This could just be one plan or with several different carriers. The certificate can be obtained by contacting the carrier of the plan(s). If you had no insurance or had a lapse in coverage of 63 days or more, than we will investigate for pre-existing conditions, the definition of which is provided in your policy.
YES - However, if you receive medical services while out of the country, you will need to pay for them at that time. We suggest paying for them by credit card, which will convert the currency, then submit the bill and credit card statement, along with a description of the reason for the service and what services were provided, to us upon your return for processing.
Out-of-Pocket refers to the total of covered charges you pay. As you incur charges, those that are applied to your deductible or coinsurance are your responsibility, and accumulate towards your out of pocket maximum. Once you reach the established out-of pocket maximum, the Plan will pay 100% of the remainder of Covered Charges for the rest of the Calendar Year unless stated otherwise.
Be a better consumer and become more cost conscious of what you are being charged, choose generic drugs, know your benefits, and take an active role in your care and practice prevention.
Yes, depending on the situation that applies, COBRA is an option, individual Short-Term policies or separate individual permanent policies.
We do not provide this information to our providers. With claims being processed every day, the amount continuously changes.
First check your plan document to see if the procedure is listed as covered or if pre-certification is needed. If you cannot find information specific to your question, you can call our office and speak with a claims analyst.
A claim is processed according to the specific plan language. Each plan is structured differently, so a claim paid one way for an insured of one group may not be paid the same way for an insured of another group. If questions exist, you can call your claims analyst for further details.
The rules of who can obtain this information have changed significantly due to recent legislation (HIPAA). We will provide this information only to those listed as covered under the plan. If you would like somebody in addition to those covered to have access to this information, a form is available for you to complete. For example, if your spouse or dependent is not covered under your plan and you would like him or her to have access to this information, this form must be completed and on file in our office.
Many times it's because the drug you are currently taking may have been removed from the formulary list or the price of the medication has gone up.
A newer, safer more effective medication has replaced the old one, the medication was recalled, if a medication becomes generic and it is more cost effective to cover the generic and/or the medication is discontinued by the manufacturer.