That was the question posed to me by a C-Suite health insurance company executive I visited this week.

Backdrop.

Many of us have a no (or low) cost telemedicine feature built into our health plans. Beyond the convenience of avoiding chaotic Emergency Rooms or long waits for a doctor appointment, telemedicine’s primary advantage is the elimination of bricks and mortar facility charges.

Following this trend, some Health Systems now offer telemedicine, presumably for the same reasons.

Well, maybe. You be the judge.

My insurance company friend recently had occasion to access the telemedicine service of ‘Mega-Health’ System. Upon scheduling the appointment on line, this message appeared: There will be a physician professional service fee as well as a $90 “telehealth site fee” for this virtual visit. We recommend patients review their insurance benefits or contact their insurance provider to determine what their policy will pay and what out-of-pocket expenses they may incur based on the location of the services provided.

Following those instructions literally, my friend has taken steps to make sure the providers in their Network aren’t pulling this stunt.

BTW, you don’t have to be an insurance company executive to call out avaricious providers!