Health Care Insurance?

[swidd]

Oh, and lots of offices will turn you away if you are not in-network. The doctors office handles all paperwork filings with in-network insurance companies, i.e. they verify benefits, calculate and let you pay your portion (a co-pay or 20% usually) during your visit or send you a bill later, and charges the insurance company for you - you don't need to do anything.

With out-of-network providers, depending on the competency or mood of the desk staff, you may have to pay the entire cost (100%) of a visit, blood test etc, and then submit the receipt with a detailed claims form, and wait for several weeks/hope that they approve the claim - and if they don't, you're shitfaced or have to suffer through months of appeals, dealing with non-existent customer service etc.

The insurance provider you go with will have a website with a list of doctors, and any of the major companies have tools that let you choose what illness you have, what procedure you need, see what it will cost, and show you a list of providers close to you.