Tag Page MedicalFrustrations

Doctors office is forcing me to pay a $300 annual fee, and won’t offer a referral if I say no

Will be dropped as a patient in 30 days. I am dealing with this pretty wild situation right now. They said they will not offer a referral if I say no to the fee and I learned that refusing a referral is actually an illegal practice -- They are legally required to give written notice and adequate time before they can drop a patient. What's crazy is that the fee itself is probably legal. But, their refusal to offer a referral is not. I have been reading that a lot of private health clinics are really struggling right now. Many are close to bankruptcy because insurance companies delay payments for so long sometimes up to a year. It really puts a lot of pressure on them just to keep the doors open. It seems like the flashy old days of doctors making a ton of money are long gone. Nowadays many doctors especially general practitioners are not doing as well as people think they are with all the student loans and new regulations. I know I can find a new primary care doctor on my own without a referral. I just have to find one in my network and let my insurance company know I want to change...makes you wonder how all of this is going to end. #Healthcare #DoctorsOffice #AnnualFee #MedicalFrustrations #PatientRights #MedicalBills #InsuranceNightmares #MoneyTalks #Discussion #Health