Got a $600+ bill for a child psychiatrist appointment due to it being located at Outpatient Hospital?

Hi there,

Edited to add: We have Anthem BCBS and are located in Ohio.

I have a five year old with anxiety issues and night terrors and I have been trying to navigate this and advocate for her to see a therapist or psychologist to deal with these issues.

Her Pediatrician put a referral in her chart. It took me almost a year to finally get her an intake appointment for the three of us to discuss with a doctor.

I go to a psychiatrist as well for mental health and pay a $40 copay, and I assumed that since we were visiting a doctor that was within our medical network, the cost wouldn’t be so bad.

However we got a bill for about $1500 and insurance covered about $800. According to the insurance company that is because the location is an outpatient hospital. It was just a normal office that happened to be in a hospital, so I didn’t realize this would mean we owe so much more money than at a private office?

They confirmed that if it was a private office it would have been a $20 copay but “keep in mind it depends how they submit the claim”.

Is this normal? I feel so blindsided and now I don’t feel like we can get her seen anymore due to the huge costs! All I want is my child to feel safe and happy sleeping in her room, but now we are back at square one.

Sorry this came out as kind of a rant but I would absolutely appreciate any insight. I find insurance so confusing and we literally looked it up before the appointment but didn’t understand that the location made such a huge difference.

Thanks in advance!

submitted by /u/ShaddowMreh
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