I visited this doctor as a new patient today. He examined my eyes and said no change in glasses is required and asked if I would like to change glasses or frames. I said no, but mentioned I would like to get contact lenses. He asked me what I know of contact lenses and I mentioned I am a novice. So, he went out and took a look of my insurance and came back saying the charge for the contact lenses is $175 and my insurance covers a $105 charge.
I told him my insurance was supposed to cover 100% with copay. He said there was a maximum limit of $105 and I would have to pay $70 apart from the co-pay. I was thinking of the reasons why the insurance wouldn't cover 100%, in the mean time the doctor went out and got lenses and put them in my eyes. He told me his assistant would show me how to put them on everyday. And while I was coming out to meet the assistant the doctor mumbled of some charges for Service.
The assistant took about 10 minutes of her time and showed me how to put on the lenses. I paid a $105 ($10 Co-Pay, $25 Copay for Contacts and $70 overage charges) and came out of the doctor's office. I called my insurance company and asked them why they couldn't cover the 100%. They said they are in fact cover the 100%.
So, I called the doctor's office and asked them why I was charged the $70. The lady at first told me that the insurance wasn't covering the 100%. But when I told her about calling the insurance company she said, the charges were for the service offered and mentioned she would have to talk to the doctor to see if he can reduce them. I called her again after an hour, and she said the doctor will not reduce the charges.
I am cheated as I did not really know that I was charged $70 just for showing me how to put in my contact lenses. I would have learned it pretty easily from people around me without paying so much money. I am very disappointed as the lady mentioned to me that I acted as a big girl and made my decision in the doctor's office and she can't really do anything about it and hung up on me.
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