Tuberculosis: Insurance Billing
The Health Department is required by law to bill health insurance companies for tuberculosis (TB) services.
- If you have insurance, the Health Department will bill your insurance plan but will not collect any payments or copayments from you.
- If you do not have health insurance, you will still get clinical services. Everyone can receive TB services.
Receiving Clinical Services
You can get services at any Health Department clinic without a referral.
If you have insurance, you should bring your insurance card to your visit. If you don’t bring your card, the Health Department will provide you with a letter to mail your insurance information after your visit. You can still receive clinic services if you don’t have insurance.
The clinic is in-network for some insurance plans. If your health insurance provider says the claim is out-of-network and denies it, the Health Department will cover the cost.
Billing Information
The Health Department will not send you any bills, financial statements or receipts.
If you have health insurance, the Health Department will send a bill to your insurance company with the following information:
- The patient's name
- Address
- Date of birth
- Insurance ID
- Services given
- Service date
- The amount charged
The provider listed will be “NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene,” and the clinic location (for example, “Fort Greene Health Center”).
The clinic will keep your health insurance information on file. If you are covered under someone else's health insurance plan, the Health Department will bill that person’s insurance.
If your insurance has changed, please tell clinic staff.
Many health insurance providers send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to the policy holder with details of the visit. If you are concerned about the EOB being sent to the policy holder, you can contact your health insurance provider and ask for it to be sent to another address.
If your health insurance provider sends you a check for your visit, do the following:
- Sign the back of the check and write “Payable to NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene only” under your signature.
- Make a copy for your records.
- Submit this signed check with your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to:
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Attn: Division of Finance
42-09 28th Street, CN 32W
Long Island City, NY 11101
Public Health Insurance Coverage
To know whether you are eligible for Medicaid or other public health insurance coverage, you can request an on-site enrollment counselor who can check if you qualify and help you sign up.
If you do not qualify for public health insurance coverage, you can apply for health insurance through the New York State Benefit Exchange website or by calling 311.
If you are enrolled in Medicaid, clinic services may be eligible to be deducted from your yearly Medicaid allowance. Your primary health care provider will be notified during the eligibility process and can submit a Threshold Override Application (TOA), to increase the number of services allowed.