Can chiropractors suddenly switch to out of network? -

At work, we all have the same insurance.. one lady went to a chiro in October and only paid the $250.00 in-network deductible.. now it's December, they came to our work as a promotional chair massage thing and I went into the office for inital exams and adjustments..and all the sudden they are out of network.. meaning a $500.00 deductible + $350.00 in co-payments... With this work thing they did get a lot of us in there..so I'm thinking they decided to be out of network to get money out of us.. but can they do that? I'm not so sure on how insurance works and stuff like that. If they have chosen to be out of your network why would they try to promote business by visiting your company? I'd be asking them that. Doctors and other health care professionals can drop out of an insurance network when they feel, because they own their businesses and can choose who they do business with. it is not unethical to do that, however it seems a bit unethical to push their business after having dropped the coverage. Your provider network can change at any time - medical providers can leave the network for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, its your responsibility to ensure that you're using network providers. Don't ever assume anything - especially if you're going to a new provider for the first time. (Often a medical provider you see regularly will notify you if they are leaving your network as a courtesy, but even then you can't count on it.) And, no, your assumption in the last paragraph is not correct. (That they went out of network to "get more money from you.") That's not how it works. The provider is getting close to the same amount of money either way...if they had been in-network, the insurer would have been covering a larger share and you personally would have been paying less out of your pocket. But its all the same to the provider in the end - whether the money comes from you or your insurance company. Lesson learned - always check the network status of your providers with the insurance company yourself. Don't take anyone else's word for it (not even the receptionist at the doctor's office)...ultimately you're the one who's going to take the financial hit if a mistake is made, so you should always make the call yourself to get the most current information. Yes they can do that. The insurance company says we will pay X dollars for this service. If the doctor does not agree with that, then they are "out of service". You can still go to them but you pay the higher deductible and likely a higher fee alltogether for the same service that an "in service" provider will charge. And sometimes it may be worth it. Providers, be they doctors, chiropractors or whatever, are always dropping in and out of insurance provider networks. I learned this the hard way and now always verify that a provider is still in my insurance network before using them - and verify it in writing, don't take ANYONE'S verbal word for it. Yes, ANY provider can switch to out of network, at any time. They don't have to do it on a certain date. And ultimately, it's YOUR responsibility to check with your insurer, every time, to be sure something is in network.