How does the billing of medical services work?
July 21, 2024 | 60,00 EUR | answered by Thomas Eiserfelder
Dear Medical Law Attorney,
My name is Albrecht Halbscheffel and I have a question regarding the billing of medical services. I recently received treatment from my doctor and I am unsure how the billing process works. So far, I have always just presented my health insurance card and did not have to pay any bills myself.
However, I have heard that there are different ways in which medical services can be billed. I am now worried that I may have done something wrong or that I may have to bear additional costs in the future in addition to health insurance.
Could you please explain to me how the billing of medical services typically works? Are there differences between public and private health insurance? What happens if I receive treatment that is not covered by my health insurance?
I would be very grateful if you could show me possible solutions if there are indeed problems with the billing. I want to make sure that I understand all costs correctly and do not receive any unexpected bills.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Albrecht Halbscheffel
Dear Mr. Halbscheffel,
Thank you for your inquiry regarding the billing of medical services. It is understandable that you may feel unsure when it comes to billing for medical treatments. I am happy to explain the usual process to you and address possible differences between statutory and private health insurances.
Usually, the billing of medical services is done directly between the doctor and your health insurance. You present your health insurance card, the doctor bills the services provided to your insurance, and you usually don't have to do anything else. This applies to both statutory and private health insurances.
However, with statutory health insurances, you may be required to make a co-payment, for example in the form of a practice fee or a deductible. These costs are legally defined and are usually requested by your health insurance. With private health insurances, the billing depends on the individual contract terms. Here, you may have to pay upfront and then submit the bill to your insurance.
If you undergo a treatment that is not covered by your health insurance, you may have to bear the costs yourself. In this case, you should contact your doctor or health insurance beforehand to clarify the costs. It is important that you are always informed about potential costs before starting a treatment.
If you encounter any issues with billing and receive unexpected bills, I recommend contacting your doctor and health insurance immediately. In many cases, misunderstandings can be quickly resolved and errors corrected.
I hope that this information has been helpful to you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact me.
Best regards,
Thomas Eiserfelder
