Find information on a specific Cancer:

Home arrow UCLA Patients arrow Insurance Information
Insurance Information PDF Print E-mail

UCLA Hematology-Oncology accepts most health insurance plans and will bill your insurance company or companies directly for covered services included in your plan. If you are not covered by insurance, we generally request payment at the time of your appointment.

We encourage you to review your insurance plan prior to your first appointment with us and to make sure that you understand your coverage.

UCLA Hematology-Oncology physicians are approved specialist physicians under many health maintenance (HMO) and preferred provider (PPO) plans. Check with your HMO, PPO, or employer to confirm that UCLA is included in your plan. Please bring a copy of your insurance authorization for your initial consultation to your appointment.

With the aid of our financial counselors on site, we do an extensive check of your chemotherapy benefits and provide as much information to you in order to prepare you for your treatment plan.

For insurance coverage or billing help, feel free to call (888) ONC-UCLA (888-662-8252).

 

Questions to ask your insurance company

  • What type of insurance plan do I have? Your insurance company might tell you that you have one of the following plans: Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), or Point of Service (POS).

  • Is UCLA in my network? If so, here are some follow-up questions to ask:

    • Does my insurance plan cover physician costs, as well as inpatient and outpatient hospital services?

    • What, if any, are my co-payments?

  • If I got out-of-network, what percentage of my bill will be paid by the insurance company? (Examples: 80 percent paid by insurance/20 percent paid by patient, 70/30, 50/50, etc).

  • Is this percentage based on usual, customary, and reasonable (UCR) schedules or on the actual charges?

  • Does my plan participate in any other preferred provider organization (PPO) networks that provide additional coverage?

  • Does my policy have an out-of-pocket maximum?

  • If my out-of-pocket expenses reach a certain amount, will the insurance carrier ever reimburse at 100 percent?

  • If so, does this mean that my claims will then be paid in full, or will I still be responsible for the different between UCLA’s charges and usual, customary, and reasonable (UCR) rates?

  • Before I see a doctor at UCLA, do I need a referral form my primary care physician, or will I need authorization from my insurance carrier?

  • Will I be covered for any testing, pathology, or radiology charges that may be incurred as part of my initial consultation with a UCLA doctor?


Note: be sure to make note of the name of the person that gave you the answers to these questions and the date that you spoke to him or her.

Click for a glossary of insurance terms.

 
[ Back ]