By Matthew Holt
To join The fun I am having with Blue Shield of California & Brown & Toland Physicans IPA cannot tell me why I have an invoice of $ 34.94 for laboratory work (See image) that should be Covered as preventable under the ACAor have a $ 50 cup (see image capture BS of C for $ 50), I called Labcorp.
After 6 minutes, I come a very confused person. VAT There is no way to communicate with LabCorp on the website, and if it places its invoice number in its IVR system, there is no way to obtain a human. The only way to do it is to hang and start again, not put in your invoice number and hit 0. Then wait with MZAZAK to get a human. Then they ask your dob and your phone number. The call center is VAT in the Philippines.
I explained that I wanted information about which test was not covered by the ACA. Brown and Toland/Blue Shield EOB says I have a $ 0 cup (see image).
Labcorp repeated that of the 5 tests performed (with CPT code and price), 3 were not covered. The lipid (85027 $ 107.10), Uric acid A1C (80061 – $ 81.90) (84550 $ 43.05). 2 of those 3 are clearly covered by the ACA. Uric acid one may not agree with my reading of the CMS site. Labcorp presented that bill to Blue Shield. The representative constantly told me that the claim was sent to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Ca, which exist.
At that point, 15 minutes later, the call fell. I don’t know if they simply hanged, but they had asked for my phone number. They did not return the call.
But I am a pain in my ass, and I called them. After approximately 4 minutes waiting, I got another representative. She told me that all CPT/laboratory tests were subject to copayment. She told me that Blue Shield (not Brown & Toland doctors) has grouped all these codes and that there is a payment for all of them. Which is what the bill says.
So, all I can do is send an email with the EOB screen capture, which is from the IPA, not in Blue Shield. So I did that and I can get an answer in 3-5 business days.
I know you are in Tennerhooks. Let’s see what happens next, but the complete absence of anything that resembles the transparency of the consumer or access to relevant information makes a mockery of everything. Paul Markovich He says on stage.
UPDATE. Labcorp sent me an email and asked me to contact them on LinkedIn. Look what they asked! Yes, I even thought they had sent me an invoice and sent them the invoice number, they want all possible details about the statement they already have!
Full email below only for laughs
Matthew Holt is the founder and editor of THCB
