Do they ever stop screwing you?

Went for weekend urgent care facility (repiratory distress). Saw a doctor, who also did a strep test (qtip in the back of the throat). Paid my $20 co-pay and left.

I received a bill for the strep test. It was a $25 test, of which the insurance only paid $8.96. I called the insurance company up (United Healthcare), and they told me the total bill was $125, of which they paid everything except for the two $18 co-pays.

I said, 'Two co-pays??'. How do you figure that?? She said there was one for the doctor and one for the lab. I told her if the medical practice had intended for there to be two co-pays, I would have been informed of that at that time. She basically told me tough, that's how it is.

Is there any way to fight this, or were they correct in what they did?

...they should've made you aware of the lab order and its associated costs.

So there is a second co-pay. That is how it works with my doctor, earlier this year I got a culture on a swab from an infection and had to pay for that separately from the doctor visit.

Years ago, my old doctor's office did some basic tests in the office. For those, there were no separate billings, just instant results. But they could not do culture, which is what you got - those had to be sent out and were billed directly from the lab.

That's your problem right there. My doctor's office won't even take them anymore.

...they piss & moan about every cent they have to pay.