Private providers can bill insurance companies for the administration of the survey and those who do not have insurance are covered by the government.
Health officials in Chicago want to make this clear after one Chicago clinic learned the hard way.
Allison Arwady, Chicago’s public health commissioner, said her inspectors are investigating urgent care centers in the city to determine if they are vaccine patients. is charged, in violation of the program regulations.
“I want people in Chicago to hear that they should not be charged directly for receiving a COVID vaccine.” Said Arwady.
Jamie Gentry said she was shocked and really disappointed when she unexpectedly discovered she would have to pay nearly $ 200 to receive the vaccine at Michigan Avenue Immediate Care in Chicago.
Gentry said she is eligible for a vaccine as an essential worker and regularly goes to work at a food pantry.
She discussed a vaccine through ZocDoc, the Chicago website used to help people locate providers who have signed up to supply the vaccines.
Gentry said it took 16 hours to find one. When she accidentally booked two appointments and had to call the clinic to cancel, she said the facility was outside her insurance network and that she would have to pay a consultation fee of almost $ 200.
“I went to schedule and accepted that the vaccine would be free and at most I thought I would have to pay an administrative fee of 15 or $ 20. So I was really shocked and really disappointed,” Gentry said.
Dr. Jim Runke, co-medical director of Michigan Avenue Immediate Care, said it is a great oversight.
He told the I-Team that they did not know consumers could charge fees without insurance or off-network – and said they were repaying the 20 patients they had vaccinated in the past month out of 1,500.
“So yeah, it absolutely fell through the cracks,” Runke said. “It was entirely our fault … I’ve been doing it for 30 years now. Insurance billing is very complicated and confusing. It’s always the last part of the puzzle we find out, and hear it again. It puts his ugly head to in the midst of this thing if we’re only focused on patient safety on the safety of our staff and stuff like that, so no excuses. “
Arwady stressed that the health department does not regulate these facilities, but that the city does make decisions about who should administer the vaccine. She said her department is investigating these complaints and is in talks with suppliers.
‘It’s mostly related to urgent care, which is usually an additional fee for service, and then people reimburse the insurance, so we pull the groups together and we just want to make sure that what people do is appropriate in terms of what is allowed, ”Arwady said.
Jamie Gentry said she received an apology and explanation from Dr. Jim Runke at the Michigan Avenue clinic, who accidentally asked her for nearly $ 200.
Rukes and public health officials agree that vaccinating patients can be legally charged for additional services currently being provided, including medical treatment and consultations on other diseases.
Copyright © 2021 WLS-TV. All rights reserved.