Went to urgent care, paid bill, then got a surprise bill from one of their suppliers a month later. What do I do? – PA ACA Plan

Hi all! I don't know how much info is too much, so I'm going to share what seems relevant!

I've got an HMO through PA'S ACA marketplace, which is called Penny. In May I went to an urgent care to get my wrist checked out after an accident. As part of treatment they gave me a wrist brace. When I checked out, I paid my bill, the wrist brace not listed specifically as something I'm paying for, but not concerned at this point.

About a month later i received a bill in the mail for the wrist brace, claiming I had come in to see them. I call up insurance, and they say I need to talk to urgent care and get them to settle the details with the wrist brace company. I call the UC, and they say the bill I've received is from the supplier they buy wrist braces from and that the braces are usually free and covered by insurance, and that I need to talk to the supplier to discuss things. I email the supplier and they ask to see the bill for the UC visit, where a code for the brace is. A new bill from insurance comes for the amount the supplier wants.

I explain my situation, offer to return the brace, and to my surprise they lower the cost of the bill they're asking for.

This all feels very weird and down the rabbit hole. Do I need to be dealing with the supplier or can I ignore this? Should I just pay for the thing – thirty dollars now? Isn't there laws around surprise billing that protect me from things like this?

submitted by /u/genericeagle
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