I saw a dermatologist. He basically said IDK about my condition and gave a $300 bill. Do I still pay?

Hi! I’m hoping to get some advice on this because I’m still trying to understand US health insurance, specifically for Blue Shield in CA.

Recently, I broke out in hives and I don’t know why. I first went to my PCP who gave a shot to relieve this, which worked. He later referred me to a dermatologist to further investigate the possible cause of this condition. Unfortunately, the dermatologist was booked for two weeks, so I didn’t get to see him until two weeks later.

After two weeks passed, I saw the dermatologist and by then, my condition had already cleared, so no hives. However, I did have some scars and red bumps left from the hives. My dermatologist didn’t look at these scars and bumps. He just heard my story and checked my back. He said he didn’t know and referred me to an allergist instead (since I told him that my PCP suggested that I could be allergic to something). The conversation was only 15 min, but waiting to see him took an extra 30 min, even though I had an appointment.

I later got a $300 bill from him for a 30-45 min visit and I’m just surprised because I felt like I wasn’t helped. Compared to my PCP, my PCP at least explained what it could possibly be and gave the shots, which surprisingly cost less than what the dermatologist charged ($235).

Anyway, is this normal for US healthcare? Do you still pay even though you didn’t receive the help you expect? I thought he could at least check my skin and give an idea on what it could possibly be?

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