Bad billing practice

I go to a local clinic every month to see a doctor, and until last month I was paying in cash for each visit because I did not have insurance. The cost was $55. Just recently I got insurance, and went for my monthly appointment. I received a statement in the mail from my insurance provider that showed the charges and coverage that they paid. The clinic had charged my insurance $190 for the visit. There was no difference at all in the services provided to me, yet the clinic had charged $135 more to the insurance company.

This type of billing is morally unjust. If insurance providers were made aware of this type of overbilling and did something about it, like letting the patient pay in cash at the clinic then reimbursing the patient with a check, the cost of health care would go down dramatically. I am sure that this clinic is not the only one using this billing practice in this country.

C.T. Benedict

Colville