Billing & Financial Assistance

Medical bills can be complicated. We want to help you understand your bills, our payment policies and your options.

Note: If your child is a Town & Country Pediatrics patient, visit the Town & Country Billing & Insurance page for the proper information.  

Bills Received

You may receive more than one bill for a single visit. Some of these bills may be from your doctor, and others may be from the hospital. Both the hospital and doctors submit bills to your insurance company.

• View a list of direct phone numbers to call for answers to your specific questions
• Find answers to common questions about billing, including why one visit can result in multiple bills

Getting Referrals

Before any visit, ask your insurance company if you need a written referral for the visit or service. Many times, especially if your insurance is an HMO, you will need a referral. If you do not have a referral, you are required to sign a waiver which states you will assume all financial responsibility for the visit.

You Are Responsible for Charges Incurred

Always bring a current insurance or enrollment card to each visit.

Before the visit, we suggest you call the number on that card to understand how medical services will be covered. Health insurance plans are the best price information source for their members. Many health plans have developed cost estimators and other educational tools to help members understand their out-of-pocket obligations and coverage information. Helpful information about these tools for some payers may be found in the links below:

• AetnaHealthcare
• BlueCross BlueShield of Illinois
• Cigna
• Humana
• UnitedHealthcare

If services are not covered, we will ask you to pay for those services on the day of the visit.

• At appointment check in:
  • You will have the opportunity to pay outstanding balances.
  • We collect a standard deposit when co-payment information is not available. This amount will be applied toward your family’s total balance. We will refund any overpayment after your final bill is issued.
• During the appointment, the physician may order tests, evaluations, and/or treatments apart from that appointment.
• Some of these may result in additional charges.
• If services provided are not covered by insurance, we can help you understand your payment options. Generally, we ask for a minimum payment on the day of the visit, and bill the balance.

Your Co-Pays Are Collected at Check In

We accept cash*, personal checks or Visa, American Express, MasterCard and Discover.

*View our cash policy below. 

Outpatient Service Locations will be Cashless

Beginning December 1, 2019, we can no longer accept cash as a form of payment for deductibles, co-payments or co-insurance at Lurie Children’s Outpatient centers. The exceptions are the Clark & Deming and Main Hospital locations. 

We accept all forms of credit and debit cards, as well as personal checks and money orders. This change allows us to ensure the proper and timely handling of your payment. We apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. 

For more information, view our frequently asked questions about our cashless outpatient service locations. 

Offering Financial Resources

For families in need of financial assistance, we can help. Call 1.877.924.8200 to learn more about government programs, state programs, social service organizations, initiate sliding scale or payment options and Charity Care. To help you apply, we will need information regarding all of your available financial resources.