Billing and Online Payment

For questions about a bill or the cost of a service, please contact Patient Accounts at (617) 496-8700 or billing@huhs.harvard.edu.

Patient Accounts will be closed from 1:00pm-2:00pm EST daily.

Harvard University Health Services is committed to price transparency. Price transparency is the practice of making the cost of medical services readily available so that patients can compare the prices between different providers and understand the potential cost of care before receiving treatment. When you know what to expect to pay for your healthcare services, you can feel more prepared to explore your options as you navigate your care with us. HUHS provides cost estimates upon request, although in some instances, your health insurance plan type or the inability to predict specific treatment plans may impact its ability to provide exact estimates for your out-of-pocket costs.

• For more information about eligibility and insurance plans accepted at Harvard University Health Services, please visit our Eligibility and Insurance Page.
• If you have questions about your Harvard Student Health Fee, Harvard-sponsored Student Insurance Plan (SHIP), or Harvard University Group Health Plan (HUGHP), you can reach the Member Services Department at (617) 495-2008 or email MServices@huhs.harvard.edu.
• For patients with University-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), please reach your BCBS plan directly at (888) 389-7732.
• For our Retiree patients, please contact your Harvard-sponsored Medex or Medicare plan directly for more information about your insurance coverage and benefits.
• For cost estimates of our most common healthcare services, procedures, and treatments, please visit our Patient Cost Estimate Page.
• You can reach our Patient Accounts Department at (617) 496-8700 or email PriceEstimates@huhs.harvard.edu for questions regarding pricing.

When you get emergency care or are treated by an out-of-network provider at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, you are protected from surprise billing or balance billing. In these cases, you should not be charged more than your plan’s copayments, coinsurance, and/or deductible.

What is “balance billing” (sometimes called “surprise billing”)?

When you see a doctor or other health care provider, you may owe certain out-of-pocket costs, such as a copayment, coinsurance, and/or a deductible. You may have other costs or have to pay the entire bill if you see a provider or visit a healthcare facility that isn’t in your health plan’s network.

“Out-of-network” describes providers and facilities that haven’t signed a contract with your health plan. Out-of-network providers may be permitted to bill you for the difference between what your plan agreed to pay and the full amount charged for a service. This is called “balance billing.” This amount is likely more than in-network costs for the same service and might not count toward your annual out-of-pocket limit.

“Surprise billing” is an unexpected balance bill for the difference between what your insurance has agreed to pay.  This can happen when you can’t control who is involved in your care. For example, when you have an emergency or when you schedule a visit at an in-network facility but are unexpectedly /unknowingly treated by an out-of-network provider.

You are protected from balance billing for:

Emergency services

If you have an emergency medical condition and get emergency services from an out-of-network provider or facility, the most the provider or facility may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount (such as copayments and coinsurance). You can’t be balance billed for these emergency services. This includes services you may get after you’re in stable condition unless you give written consent and give up your protections not to be balanced billed for these post-stabilization services.

Certain services at an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center

When you get services from an in-network hospital or ambulatory surgical center, certain providers there may be out-of-network. In these cases, the most those providers may bill you is your plan’s in-network cost-sharing amount. This applies to emergency medicine, anesthesia, pathology, radiology, laboratory, neonatology, assistant surgeon, hospitalist, or intensivist services. These providers can’t balance bill you and/or ask you to give up your protections not to be balance billed.

If you get other services at these in-network facilities, out-of-network providers can’t balance bill you unless you give written consent and give up your protections.

You’re never required to give up your protections from balance billing. You are also not required to get care out-of-network. You can choose a provider or facility in your plan’s network.

Your provider must notify you if you are being referred to another provider in the same practice or facility who has out-of-network provider status with your health plan.

When balance billing is not allowed, you also have the following protections:

You are only responsible for paying your share of the cost (like the copayments, coinsurance, and deductibles that you would pay if the provider or facility were in-network). Your health plan will pay out-of-network providers and facilities directly

Your health plan generally must:

• Cover emergency services without requiring you to get approval for services in advance (prior authorization)
• Cover emergency services by out-of-network providers.
• Base what you owe the provider or facility (cost-sharing) on what it would pay an in-network provider or facility and show that amount in your explanation of benefits.
• Count any amount you pay for emergency services or out-of-network services toward your deductible and out-of-pocket limit.

Contact Harvard University Health Services Patient Accounts at (617) 496-8700 or billing@huhs.harvard.edu if you have questions about your bill.

You have the right to receive a “good faith estimate” explaining how much your care will cost.

Under federal law, healthcare providers are required to give patients who do not have or are not using certain types of healthcare coverage an estimate of their bill for non-emergency healthcare items and services before those items or services are provided.

You have the right to receive a good faith estimate (GFE) for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare items or services upon request or when scheduling such items or services. This includes related costs like medical tests, prescription drugs, etc. However, in some cases, HUHS may not be able to predict specific charges. In these circumstances, HUHS will provide the estimated maximum cost for the visit, procedure, or service.

Under federal law, if you receive a bill that is at least $400 or more for a provider or facility than your good faith estimates from that provider or facility, you can dispute the bill.

For questions or more information concerning your right to a good faith estimate, visit cms.gov/medical-bill-rights.

If you believe you’ve been wrongly billed, you may contact the No Surprises Help Desk at (800) 985-3059 or the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office at (888) 830-6277. Visit cms.gov/nosurprises for more information about your rights under federal law. 

What is an annual preventive health exam (physical exam)?

A preventive health exam is an annual physical exam during which your primary care provider provides preventive care such as routine check-ups, screening tests, and immunizations when you are symptom-free and have no reason to believe that you might be sick.

Does insurance cover annual preventive health exams (physical exams)?

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), insurance plans can no longer charge patients copayments or deductibles for an annual preventive health exam. 

Under what circumstances would I be charged a copay for an annual preventive health exam (physical exam)?

When a complaint of a new problem or a new problem is discovered as a part of an annual preventive health exam, or an ongoing or chronic problem has become worse or unstable. The change is significant enough to require additional work from the provider, such as a change in medication or additional tests being ordered (lab, X-ray, EKG, office procedure). Insurance plans consider these treatments/diagnostics as sick visits.

Your insurance plan does not charge a copayment or deductible for preventive health exams. If a sick visit occurs during your annual preventive health exam, your insurance plan may require you to pay a copayment or deductible for the additional workups. We will send you a bill for the unpaid copayment or deductible after we receive payment for your visit from your insurance plan.

Understand your health insurance benefits:

We encourage you to contact your insurance plan to understand your health insurance benefits for an annual preventive health exam and/or about charges for a sick visit (diagnostic care) that is performed during your annual preventive health exam. 

• For patients with Harvard University Group Health Plan, contact HUGHP Member Services at (617) 495-2008 or mservices@huhs.harvard.edu.  
• For patients with University-sponsored Blue Cross Blue Shield High-Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), contact your BCBS plan directly at (888) 389-7732.

If you have questions about your patient statement, please contact Harvard University Health Services Patient Accounts at (617) 496-8700 or email billing@huhs.harvard.edu.

Starting January 1, 2022, copays, co-insurance, and deductibles will no longer be waived for medical and mental health telemedicine visits not related to COVID-19. Your cost for telemedicine services is determined by your health plan and may vary by the type of service you receive. Refer to your plan’s summary of benefits for details.

Your costs for covered COVID-19 telemedicine services, as well as for COVID-19 in-person services, will continue to be waived when applicable. 

If patients have questions about their cost-sharing on telemedicine visits at HUHS, they will want to contact their health plan:

• HUGHP members or Students enrolled in the Student Health Fee can contact Member Services at (617) 495-2008 or mservices@huhs.harvard.edu
• BCBSMA HDHP members can contact BCBSMA Member Services at (888) 389-7732