The Costly Hidden Fee Burdening Hardworking Doctors

The insurance industry and its middlemen have quietly implemented a practice of charging doctors fees for electronic payments, costing them millions of dollars annually. Despite protests from doctors and hospitals, insurers continue to require kickbacks of up to 5% for electronic payments, even when doctors request to be paid by check. These fees, which can amount to billions of dollars each year, have tightened the financial vise on healthcare providers, leading to small practices folding and potentially passing costs onto patients. The shift from paper to electronic processing, intended to increase efficiency, has instead created a lucrative niche for insurers and middlemen, who benefit from the fees.