Will Medicare excess charges make your wallet bleed?
You will not pay excess charges if you have a Medicare Advantage plan.
If you have Medicare Part B or Medicare Part A and B plus a Medicare Supplement you might.
Doctors who don’t accept Medicare assignment can charge you more than what Medicare approves. What Medicare pays for is less then what they approve.
If they approve $100 for a doctor’s visit, they might pay $80. They will pay less if you haven’t met your Part B deductible for the year yet.
Doctors are allowed to charge more than the $100 that Medicare approves. Fortunately there is a limit on the excess charges they can add to your bill. It’s 15%.
Doctors who accept medicare assignment do not do this. If Medicare approves $100, you’ll pay $20 and not $35.
Doctors in Connecticut are not allowed to charge excess charges. They all accept assignment.
What if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan?
You won’t be charged excess charges for services you receive from an in network provider. He or she has signed a contract to only ask for the copay or other cost share that is listed in your policy documents.
You won’t pay excess charges if you have a Medicare Advantage Plan and stay in network. You won’t pay Medicare excess charges if you have a Connecticut Medicare Supplement plan and are a Connecticut resident.
