Medical Bill & Health Insurance Questions

Medical Bill & Health Insurance Questions

At UCLA Health, we try to make the health insurance and medical billing process as clear as possible. But we realize you may still have questions about the health plans we accept and the services and amounts that appear on your medical bills.

Get the help you need:


Questions About Medical Bills

Questions we receive about medical bills range from how to pay to what the statements may include. Learn more:

Effective Feb. 21, 2024, patients with myUCLAhealth accounts are enrolled in paperless billingExcept for those who opt out of paperless statements, we will no longer send paper statements in the mail.

If you have any questions about paperless billing, call our billing office Monday - Friday from 7 am to 7 pm at 310-301-8860. 

Yes. We are constantly working to improve your experience with us. Please visit our convenient, secure online bill payment site at my.uclahealth.org to view and pay your bills.

For assistance with logging into myUCLAhealth, please contact customer service at 855-364-7052.

To cancel paperless billing and resume receiving paper statements, log into myUCLAhealth and click to the Billing Summary section.

Yes, you can pay your medical bills by phone 7 days a week, 24x7 with no service charge. You will need the guarantor number from your statement and your date of birth.

To pay your physicians' bills by phone call 310-301-8860 and press 1.

To pay your hospital bills by phone call 310-825-8021 and press 1.

  • Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
  • UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
  • Resnick Neuropsychiatric Hospital at UCLA
  • Bruin University Reference Lab (BURL)

Yes, you can mail you payment to the addresses below.

Mail your payment for your physicians' bill to:

UCLA Medical Group Patient Pay
PO BOX 748156
Los Angeles, 90074-8156

Make checks payable to UCLA Medical Group

Mail your payment for your hospital bill to:

UCLA Health
Patient Business Services
PO BOX 748260
Los Angeles, 90074-8260

Make checks payable to The Regent of The University of California

A facility fee is a fee we charge for the use of our clinics and related ancillary services.

A preventive check-up does not cover evaluation or management of acute and chronic conditions (such high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, or diabetes) or brand-new symptoms (like new pain or injury). These fall within the category of follow-up or diagnostic care, which is billed separately from preventive care. While you can always discuss new symptoms or chronic conditions at your check-up, your medical insurance will be billed separately for this, and you may be responsible for a share of the cost.

While most messages sent through MyChart are processed quickly and never billed to insurance, those that take time and skill are a type of virtual care  — and are billed as such.

Providers can answer most myUCLAhealth messages in a few minutes or less, but some require more time and medical expertise. 

myUCLAhealth messages that may be billed to your insurance include:

  • A new problem or symptom that needs to be evaluated by a doctor
  • Adjusting medications
  • Prescribing a new medication
  • Conducting a chronic disease check-in
  • Addressing a flare-up or change in a chronic condition

myUCLAhealth messages that aren’t billed include:

  • Appointment requests
  • Prescription refill requests
  • Message that prompts your doctor to recommend a visit
  • Message about an issue addressed during a visit in the last seven days
  • Follow-up treatment after a recent operation (within the last 90 days) with exceptions for some surgeries
  • Question that takes only a few minutes to answer
  • An update for your doctor that doesn’t require a response

Learn more about myUCLAhealth messaging costs. 
 

Doctors at UCLA Health bill separately for their services. For questions about your physician services statement, call 310-301-8860 (Monday to Friday: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm).

We understand if you can’t pay the entire balance. To keep your account from becoming delinquent, speak with a customer service representative to arrange a reasonable payment plan. You may also apply for our financial assistance program.

You can reach customer service at:

  • Physician services, 310-301-8860 (Monday to Friday, 7:00 am to 7:00 pm)
  • Hospital services, 310-825-8021 (Monday to Friday, 7:30 am to 4:00 pm)

Questions About Health Insurance

Questions we receive about health insurance range from what plans we accept to what to do if you don't have coverage. Learn more:

If you don't have health insurance (or choose not to use it), you can pay for your care directly. (Learn more about cash pricing for select, packaged medical services.) You may also qualify for our financial assistance program.

People with low or moderate incomes may qualify for Medi-Cal or a subsidized health plan through Covered California.

No. We do not offer our own HMO insurance product or any other health plans. Learn more about the health insurance we accept.

UCLA Health accepts many types of health insurance. These plans include:

  • Government health insurance programs (Medicare and Medi-Cal)
  • Various Medicare Advantage, HMO, POS and PPO plans

Learn more about the health insurance we accept. You can also:

  • Check which plans our hospitals and doctors accept by calling the UCLA Health referral line at 310-825-2631
  • Speak with your benefits coordinator at work (if applicable)
  • Consult your health plan's provider directory

Yes. Our hospitals accept government health insurance programs - Medicare and Medi-Cal. However, some of our doctors do not. Check with individual doctors before scheduling care.

Insurance companies accept virtual care as a legitimate and useful way for people to get medical advice. Health insurance covers many types of virtual care, including:

  • Video visits
  • Phone call visits
  • Medical advice messaging (through myUCLAhealth)
  • Remote patient monitoring programs

If there’s a cost associated with your myUCLAhealth message, the amount you’ll end up paying varies. For some patients, even if a message is billed to insurance, they don’t have to pay anything because their out-of-pocket costs are covered.

Below are common examples of costs based on insurance type:

  • Medicare: Most patients will have no out-of-pocket expenses. The cost for some patients ranges from $3 to $6. Patients with Medicare Advantage have a $20 co-payment (the cost of an in-person or video visit).
  • Medi-Cal: No out-of-pocket costs.
  • Private insurance: Some patients have copays comparable to those charged for in-person or video visits (usually $10 or $20). If a deductible applies, the full cost (often $75) is charged.

Contact your insurance provider to learn exactly how much you'll have to pay out-of-pocket for a medical advice message.
 

We will mail you a statement advising you how much you owe. You should also receive an explanation of benefits (EOB) or a denial notification from your health plan.


Phone Numbers for Customer Service

For questions about the health insurance we accept

Call the UCLA Health referral line at 310-825-2631.

For questions about your medical bills

Like other California hospitals, we send separate bills for hospital services and physician services. (For an explanation of which care falls under which service, see making sense of your UCLA Health medical bill.)

Since we bill separately, make sure to contact the appropriate service:

  • Physician services310-301-8860 (Monday to Friday: 7:00 am to 7:00 pm)
  • Hospital services (Monday to Friday: 7:30 am to 4:00 pm):

For Questions about Medicare Advantage visit eHealth.


COVID-19 Vaccine Cost

Most insurance plans cover COVID-19 vaccines. People who do not have health insurance or whose insurance plan doesn't cover COVID-19 vaccines have options. Anyone younger than 18 can get no-cost vaccines through the Vaccines for Children program. Adults can access no-cost vaccines through the CDC's Bridge Access Program.

For additional questions about the vaccine, visit the COVID-19 vaccine hub.