Here’s the California code that allows for same day payment discounts to patients. If you’re not sure about a practitioner accepting your insurance, see if they have a same day payment rate (sometimes erroneously referred to as a cash discount), and perhaps even refer (politely) to opens in a new windowCA B&P Code 657.
657. (a) The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:
(1) Californians spend more than one hundred billion dollars
($100,000,000,000) annually on health care.
(2) In 1994, an estimated 6.6 million of California’s 32 million
residents did not have any health insurance and were ineligible for
Medi-Cal.
(3) Many of California’s uninsured cannot afford basic,
preventative health care resulting in these residents relying on
emergency rooms for urgent health care, thus driving up health care
costs.
(4) Health care should be affordable and accessible to all
Californians.
(5) The public interest dictates that uninsured Californians have
access to basic, preventative health care at affordable prices.
(b) To encourage the prompt payment of health or medical care
claims, health care providers are hereby expressly authorized to
grant discounts in health or medical care claims when payment is made
promptly within time limits prescribed by the health care providers
or institutions rendering the service or treatment.
(c) Notwithstanding any provision in any health care service plan
contract or insurance contract to the contrary, health care providers
are hereby expressly authorized to grant discounts for health or
medical care provided to any patient the health care provider has
reasonable cause to believe is not eligible for, or is not entitled
to, insurance reimbursement, coverage under the Medi-Cal program, or
coverage by a health care service plan for the health or medical care
provided. Any discounted fee granted pursuant to this section shall
not be deemed to be the health care provider’s usual, customary, or
reasonable fee for any other purposes, including, but not limited to,
any health care service plan contract or insurance contract.
(d) “Health care provider,” as used in this section, means any
person licensed or certified pursuant to Division 2 (commencing with
Section 500) of the Business and Professions Code, or licensed
pursuant to the Osteopathic Initiative Act, or the Chiropractic
Initiative Act, or licensed pursuant to Chapter 2.5 (commencing with
Section 1440) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code; and any
clinic, health dispensary, or health facility, licensed pursuant to
Division 2 (commencing with Section 1200) of the Health and Safety
Code.
