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I went to my dermatologist in nyc for adult acne - this was a follow up visit to get new prescriptions. The doctor wrote me 2 Rx and scraped some blackheads from my nose with a tool you can buy at the drug store. The office billed my insurance $400 for the visit and $600 for acne surgery. I paid a $50 co-pay, and the insurance company applied the bill against my deductible, after adjusting the charges signifcantly lower with the explanation "discount". Bottom line, I received a bill for an additonal $84. I refuse to pay an additional amount on the principle that no surgery was performed. I was not told that scraping my nose would cost me more than the co-pay for an office visit - I wasn't even asked if I wanted the service, he just did it! I called the office and explained I thought the additional charge was unwarranted, and the billing clerk told me "we bill anything acne related as surgery.." So why not bill $10,000 for dermabrasion if you're looking to milk your patients/insurance companies? I'm going to call back or send a polite letter saying I disagree with the charge and believe my standard co-pay is reasonable for the services perfomed.
What do you think? Will they send my bill to collection for the $84 balance?