What does balance billing refer to?

Balance billing is a practice where a healthcare provider bills a patient for the difference between what the insurer has paid and what the provider's charged amount is. This typically occurs when the provider is not in-network with the patient's insurance plan. In this case, if the insurer does not cover the full charge, the provider can charge the patient for the remaining balance.

Choosing the option about billing beneficiaries for amounts not reimbursed by payers, excluding copayments, accurately captures this concept, as it emphasizes that balance billing relates specifically to the unpaid difference after the insurer's reimbursement. This balance can include various charges that fall outside of what the insurance plan has agreed to cover, as well as amounts that might not be subjected to copayments.

The other options relate to different billing practices that do not fully encapsulate the specific nature of balance billing. For instance, billing for the total amount of treatment or charging excess fees beyond deductibles doesn’t account for the negotiations or agreements typically in place with insurers, which are central to balance billing. Thus, option B provides the most precise definition of balance billing in the context of healthcare reimbursement practices.