Health provider double billing me and insurance for same visit.

I visited a provider that’s in my network, but they have a policy requiring $350 for the first consultation, which I paid out of pocket and was fine with at the time. The visit took place in June, but in September, I received a bill for a copayment from that same visit (which I’ve already paid for in full).

When I first contacted my insurance, they told me that the provider should refund me since they had already covered the visit. I’ve sent multiple messages through the provider’s portal, but they haven’t responded. The few times I’ve reached someone by phone, they promised to call me back but never did. Their billing department claims they don’t handle cash transactions and refuses to help.

On my second call with the insurance, the representative insisted the situation needed to be investigated, so they left a message with the provider, expecting a response within 72 hours. However, no one called back. When I followed up a week later, the next insurance rep said it didn’t qualify for an investigation because the visit had already been paid for by the insurance—the same visit I had paid out of pocket for.

At this point, I’m at a loss. The only advice I’ve received is to file a complaint with the BBB or report it to the fraud line, though I’m doubtful it will lead to any real resolution.

It’s also too late to dispute the charge with my credit card since the visit was in June, and I didn’t find out they had billed my insurance until I received a copay bill in September.

Has anyone dealt with something similar and found a way to resolve it? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Health care provider is in California. Health insurance is from Maryland but is accepted in California.

submitted by /u/kittybisquits
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