Billing & Insurance FAQs

As your healthcare provider, we are concerned not only with your physical well-being, but also with your peace of mind. We understand that making financial arrangements for health care services can be stressful. That is why we want to help.

If you experience difficulty financing your National Jewish Health medical services, we urge you to contact our Patient Financial Services department at 303.398.1565.

 

Insurance Questions


 

Payment Questions


 

Billing Statements Questions

 

Insurance Questions

 

What if I have insurance and want to be a patient at National Jewish Health?

  • To enable us to properly bill your insurance, please provide your current insurance information at time of scheduling. Also, it is important that you bring this information with you each time you are seen at the hospital or clinic. We will make every effort to collect insurance benefits from your primary insurance company if you provide us with your insurance billing 

 

What if I do not have insurance and want to be a patient at and want to be a patient at National Jewish Health?

  • If you do not have insurance, at least half of your payment for the estimated charges of your visit is due in full prior to, or at the time of service.

  • In addition, you will need to sign an agreement stating the amount you will pay is only an estimate and the remaining balance will be billed to you.

  • A self-pay discount is available as well as financial assistance.

 

What should I do if I receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) after a visit to National Jewish Health and I have questions?

  • If insurance denies claim - Please contact your insurance carrier regarding the reason for the denial.

  • If you have patient responsibility for deductible, co-insurance and/or co-pays you may send a payment prior to receiving statements. We will apply the information from the EOB(s) to your account.

  • If non-covered charges appear on your EOB, these are generally a plan limitation and the subscriber/patient is generally responsible for these charges.

 

What if two insurance companies insure me and I want to be a patient at National Jewish Health?

  • We will bill your secondary insurance following the processing of your claims by your primary insurance carrier.

 

Do I need to have my insurance card or my child's insurance card with me when visiting National Jewish Health?

  • Yes, it is very important that you bring your insurance card with you to ensure that we get the insurance billing information to correctly file your claim. You will be asked to present your card each time you register at National Jewish Health.

 

How do I know if my insurance is accepted at National Jewish Health?

We accept most insurance. See a list of payors we are contracted with. Please remember, there are instances that we are contracted with a payor but your group may have benefit restrictions, and you may need authorization to come to NJH. You may have to pay additional costs for out-of-network services. Please call your benefit manager or your insurance company for this information.

 

How do I know if my visit or my child's visit will be covered by my insurance company?

  • Health benefit coverage varies with each insurance company or employer group. Please refer to your insurance member handbook or call your insurance company with questions regarding coverage for specific services.

 

What should I do if I think that my insurance company has paid my National Jewish Health bill incorrectly?

  • If you disagree with the insurance company's payment amount, contact the insurance company directly and ask them to review how the claim was processed. If the insurance company feels the bill was paid correctly and you still disagree, you can contact your benefit manager with your insurance company or find out from the insurance company what you need to do to file an "appeal" with them. Filing an appeal will ensure that your claim will be reviewed for reconsideration.

 

How do deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance work at National Jewish Health?

Health insurance co-pays

  • A co-pay is what you pay when you visit the doctor, to share the costs of your healthcare. Co-pays vary by policy and can change if you see a specialist instead of a regular doctor, or seek treatment out of your provider's network. Some policies have different co-pays for specific services. Your rehabilitation co-pays may differ from your specialist co-pay for example.

Health insurance co-insurance

  • Co-insurance is the way you and your health insurer share the costs of your care. For example, if have met your deductible for the year, your health plan will pay 80% of the cost of your claims, leaving you responsible for the remaining 20%.

Health insurance deductibles

  • Your deductible is the amount of your medical costs that you have to pay before your health insurance takes over. For example, if you have a $1000.00 deductible, you will have to pay 100% of your claims until you reach the $1000.00 deductible. Then your insurance will start to pay, usually the percentage of co-insurance per your benefit policy.  

Summary of health insurance deductibles, co-pays, and co-insurance

  • You pay co-pays when you see the doctor, but some policies have co-pays established for other services as well.  

  • Co-insurance is how you and your insurance share the cost of care.

  • Deductibles are the portion you must pay before your insurance pays its share.

 

Payment Questions

 

When do I pay my insurance co-payment and deductible at National Jewish Health?

  • Please pay your co-payments and deductibles at the time of service.

  • National Jewish is a Hospital, therefore deductibles, co-insurance and co pays may all be all applicable to your services.

 

Do I have to pay a deposit at National Jewish Health?

  • A financial Counseling Representative will contact you if a deposit is required.

  • National Jewish is a Hospital therefore, deductibles, co-insurance and co pays may all be all applicable to your services.

 

What if I demonstrate extreme financial hardship at National Jewish Health?

  • For those with extreme financial hardship, a sliding scale arrangement is available. Strict income guidelines apply, subject to approval with documentation of income limiting the ability to meet the obligation.

  • The patient/guarantor must bring current financial information at the time of application, prior to your hospital/clinic visit.

  • For more information on financial hardship arrangements, please contact the Patient Financial Counseling Office at 303.398.1065 or 1.800.423.8891 x1065.

 

What if I am having difficulties paying my National Jewish Health bill in full?

  • National Jewish Health does recognize that there are circumstances which can create a financial burden for our patients. Patients that are unable to meet their financial obligations in one payment may arrange a payment plan, to be paid in accordance with our policies and guidelines.

  • All payment plans must have minimum payments of no less than $25.00 per month. No interest will be charged on standard payment plans.

  • The length of time over which you can pay off your balance varies based on your total amount due. That total amount due may increase if you continue to incur new charges. In that case, the amount of your monthly payment may increase, as your total balance due increases.

  • This is the payment plan pay-off policy, based on amount owed.

    • Balance due from patient:

      • Up to $499, 120 days to pay off balance

      • $500-$1000, 6-9 months to pay off balance

      • $1001-$2000, 12 months to pay off balance

      • $2001-$4000, 18 months to pay off balance

      • $4001 and greater, 24 months to pay off balance

  • Please contact our billing department at the number on your billing statement to inquire about making a payment arrangement, or to add new balances to an existing payment plan.

 

Are discounts available for paying National Jewish Health in full?

  • Discounts are available for patients who promptly pay in full. Please contact Patient Financial Services at 303.398.1565 or 1.800.423.8891 x1565.

  • You may also visit them in person at the Financial Counseling Office located near the admissions area.

 

How can I make a payment to National Jewish Health?

 

I made a payment to National Jewish Health, but I received another billing statement. Why?

The statement could have been generated prior to your payment, but if you have made a payment and received a bill, please call Patient Financial Services at 303.398.1565 and we will be happy to review your payment(s) and any remaining balance(s).

 

I received a letter stating my National Jewish Health account has been referred to a collection agency or collection attorney. Why was this done and what should I do?

  • Before an account is placed with a collection agency, you will receive three billing statements from National Jewish Health advising you of your account activity. You will also receive two courtesy calls from the National Jewish Health billing office personnel regarding your balance(s) during this billing period.

  • After these steps have been taken and payment or payment arrangements have not been made, the account is then referred a collection agency. Once an account is placed with an outside collection agency, we ask that patients work directly with the agency to resolve the balance. We hope this lessens confusion and frustration by eliminating unnecessary phone calls.

 

Billing Statements Questions

 

When will I receive my National Jewish Health bill?

  • You will receive your first billing statement after your primary insurance has completely processed your claims. Meanwhile we will attempt to bill any secondary insurance if provided. You will receive a bill monthly thereafter until your accounts are resolved in full.

  • This statement will tell you the balance due after the primary insurance pays its portion of the billed charges. It will also have a summary of charges from the various departments within the hospital that provided your treatment.

 

How can I obtain an itemized National Jewish Health bill?

To request an itemized bill, please call and leave a message at 303.270.2375 or 1.800.423.8891 ext. 2375. Please include in your message the patient's name, date of birth, and account number(s) and we will print and mail your itemized bill within one business day. You may also send an e-mail requesting an itemized bill to patientbusinessoffice@njhealth.org.

All responses to emails will be made through our email encryption system in order to protect patient confidentiality. Use of this system requires you to create a password to access email responses from National Jewish Health. You will receive password instructions when we respond.

 

What National Jewish Health services will I be billed for?

  • Facility/hospital services.

  • You will be billed for physician professional services that may have been provided as part of your treatment.

  • Inpatient and/or outpatient physician services received at another hospital facility or clinic, yet rendered by NJH physicians.

 

How will I know my insurance company has been billed by National Jewish Health?

  • Billing times may vary based on the types of services that you received.

  • If you would like an update on your billing status, you can call the Patient Financial Services Department weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MST at 303.398.1565 or toll free at 1.800.423.8891 x 1565, or email us at patientbusinessoffice@njhealth.org.
    All responses to emails will be made through our email encryption system in order to protect patient confidentiality. Use of this system requires you to create a password to access email responses from National Jewish Health. You will receive password instructions when we respond.

 

How do I contact the Self-Pay Billing Office Customer Service about my National Jewish Health hospital bill?

  • If you have received a statement and need to discuss the self-pay portion of the balance due, call and speak to one of our resourceful account representatives at 303.398.1565, weekdays, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. MST.

 

Will you bill both my primary and secondary insurances for services at National Jewish Health?

  • We will bill all of the insurances that you provide to us for each visit.

 

Why do I receive billing statements from the hospital when my child was never at National Jewish Health?

  • National Jewish Health provides a wide array of medical-related services for clinics and physicians, as well as other hospitals. When this occurs, the bill for service like labs or physician services will come from National Jewish Health.