Grand Canyon Chiropractic
We accept most Health Insurances, PPO/PCP/HSA plans, Medicare and Auto Accident Liens
Insurance Plans can be confusing!
Our trained staff will help you to decipher the myriad of deductables, copays, visit limitations & what's covered and not covered. If you're worried about financials - don't be! We will explain the insurance plans to you so you have a clear understanding of what's covered by your insurance. You will NEVER be charged for services unless you understand and agree to them first. You can come in for a free consultation if you have any questions about insurance or our affordable cash plans. We build our practices on customer service and results!
Facts You Should Know About Your
Insurance
As an optimum care chiropractic office, our first priority is to make sure our patients receive the highest quality of care possible. In an effort to maintain our standard, we would like to share with you some facts about health insurance with you.
Consultations are always FREE of charge. Free Consultation includes brief subjective history, insurance verification & explanation of cost of services
Our trained staff will help you to decipher the myriad of deductables, copays, visit limitations & what's covered and not covered. If you're worried about financials - don't be! We will explain the insurance plans to you so you have a clear understanding of what's covered by your insurance. You will NEVER be charged for services unless you understand and agree to them first. You can come in for a free consultation if you have any questions about insurance or our affordable cash plans. We build our practices on customer service and results!
Facts You Should Know About Your
Insurance
As an optimum care chiropractic office, our first priority is to make sure our patients receive the highest quality of care possible. In an effort to maintain our standard, we would like to share with you some facts about health insurance with you.
Fact #1: Your insurance is based upon a contract between your employer (or you if you have purchased on your own) and your health insurance company. Should questions arise about your policy, it is best to contact your insurance company directly. We can verify your benefits in our office and tell you what coverage you have. However, only they can tell you why your policy is set up the way it is.
Fact #2: Chiropractic benefits very greatly from one company to another and from one policy to another. Just because a co-worker has a certain amount of coverage does not mean you have the same.
Fact #3: Having health insurance accomplishes two things. First, if something catastrophic happens, hopefully your financial hardship will be limited. Second, it allows you to prepay for health services. In order for health insurance companies to make money, you will have to pay more money to them than they pay providers. So basically, you are financing your health services through them.
Fact #4: Most chiropractic plans today allow for 12 to 20 visits. Unfortunately, most treatment plans require more. Again, insurance is more of an aid to help cover costs. The amount of HELP you get is based on the amount you or your employer paid for your plan
Fact #5: You may receive a notification stating the charges are “higher than usual and customary”. An insurance company surveys a geographic area, calculates an average fee, takes 80% of that fee and considers it customary. Included in this survey are clinics with lower than usual and customary charges that bring the average down. The private practice doctor will have fees that insurance companies define as “higher than usual and customary”.
Financial arrangements can be made directly with us regardless of insurance coverage. We will assist you with filing a claim with your insurance company. We will work with you any way we can so you can receive the best possible care. Please do not hesitate to ask us any question you may have.
Fact #2: Chiropractic benefits very greatly from one company to another and from one policy to another. Just because a co-worker has a certain amount of coverage does not mean you have the same.
Fact #3: Having health insurance accomplishes two things. First, if something catastrophic happens, hopefully your financial hardship will be limited. Second, it allows you to prepay for health services. In order for health insurance companies to make money, you will have to pay more money to them than they pay providers. So basically, you are financing your health services through them.
Fact #4: Most chiropractic plans today allow for 12 to 20 visits. Unfortunately, most treatment plans require more. Again, insurance is more of an aid to help cover costs. The amount of HELP you get is based on the amount you or your employer paid for your plan
Fact #5: You may receive a notification stating the charges are “higher than usual and customary”. An insurance company surveys a geographic area, calculates an average fee, takes 80% of that fee and considers it customary. Included in this survey are clinics with lower than usual and customary charges that bring the average down. The private practice doctor will have fees that insurance companies define as “higher than usual and customary”.
Financial arrangements can be made directly with us regardless of insurance coverage. We will assist you with filing a claim with your insurance company. We will work with you any way we can so you can receive the best possible care. Please do not hesitate to ask us any question you may have.
Consultations are always FREE of charge. Free Consultation includes brief subjective history, insurance verification & explanation of cost of services
Insurance gets even MORE confusing.
January 2011:
Chiropractors are now categorized by insurance companies as 'Specialists' and therefore the 'Specialist' copay applies. By law, Chiropractors are general practitioners and the standard office visit copay has always been the norm, but insurance companies decided to change it to make it more expensive out of pocket each visit. Specialist's copay is usually much higher than your standard office visit copay. This legal issue is currently being pursued by the Arizona Chiropractic Society with the Arizona Department of Insurance (ADOI) because it violates the Chiropractic Insurance Equity Law. Unfortunately, until a ruling is made or the law is enforced by the ADOI, insurance companies can do as the please and the chiropractic copay is currently the specialist copay on your insurance card.
For Blue Cross ® in Arizona:
Insurance payment checks are now sent directly to the patient and not to the doctor's office. This practice is illegal in many states but still legal in Arizona. So payments for visits are made out and sent directly to the patient and the patient must in turn, pay the doctor or bring the checks in. This is for out-of-network doctor's only. Obviously, the practical difficulties emerge in this poor economical environment when patients seem to get paid to see the doctor but then realize the money isn't theirs and must turn it to the doctor's office or face collection attempts by the hospital or clinic.
Cigna®, Blue Cross® and Aetna® utilize a health management company known as American Specialty Networks® or ASHN for short to 'manage' their in-network benefits. In other words, the doctor has to send in a mountain of paperwork to get visits approved or else visits are not covered in-network. What they don't tell you is that ASHN on average only allows 6-8 visits (data from Arizona Chiropractic Society). This is regardless of whatever your plan states you have for coverage.
On a positive note:
- Chiropractic care is available to members of the armed forces at more than 40 military bases in the U.S., and at nearly 30 veteran’s administration medical facilities.
- The U.S. Congress has authorized that certain chiropractic services for all Americans be covered by Medicare and Medicaid.
- Federal employees have chiropractic coverage in the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program and in the Federal Employee Worker’s Compensation Program.
- Chiropractic treatment is a covered benefit in virtually all traditional insurance policies. In fact, according to some reports, as many as 87 percent of all insured American workers have coverage for chiropractic services in their health care plans.
- All 50 states have authorized the provision of chiropractic care under state workers’ compensation laws.
- Chiropractic services are included in the Railroad Retirement Act.
- The Internal Revenue Service includes chiropractic services as a valid medical deduction.
(source: American Chiropractic Association www.acatoday.com)