Did I fall for an insurance scam?

March 31, 2018 7:09 PM

I ordered a uBiome SmartJane kit, but now the internet is saying it is an insurance scam. What do I do?

About a month ago I saw an advertisement on Instagram for uBiome SmartJane. Per their website, "SmartJane™ is the discreet and easy screening test for HPV, STIs, and the balance of vaginal flora." I am due for an STI test, and I get pretty intimidated by doing it in person, so I thought it was awesome that I could get this kit and do it in the privacy of my own home. I scoured their website for any fine print, or scammy language, but I felt satisfied that they were trustworthy. Their website plainly states "We do bill your health insurance, however, during our pilot period, our comprehensive patient assistance programs will cover all costs not covered by your health insurance provider."

So I thought: great. It's free and interesting and discrete. So I ordered it. I just dropped my sample in the mail today. But just now I stumbled across this website with tons of people claiming it's an insurance scam. The comments of this article are pretty bad too. Now I'm really worried that I'm going to be on the hook for 3000 dollars for this stupid test. I'm on my mother's insurance plan and I REALLY don't want this to become a huge messy problem. Should I call my insurance company? Should I wait to see if it's actually -not- a scam?? I have no clue what to do and am slightly panicked.

posted by marvelousmellitus to Health & Fitness (4 answers total)

Hmm... I read some of those comments on the article. It sounds like the 'scam' is more about the company not receiving the samples/not providing the expected information than it is about people being liable for the $3,000. There are some folks complaining about receiving a 'bill' from their insurance company. More than likely, those folks misread their explanation of benefits and have assumed they were billed for something (I admit, I've misread an EoB that way, too; it took a minute or so for me to realize it wasn't actually a bill).

This might be an insurance scam. If so, then the one being scammed is the insurance company.
posted by LOLAttorney2009 at 8:24 PM on March 31, 2018

It doesn't look like it's an insurance scam at all except insofar as how health insurance as it exists right now in America is a scam, and they're scamming the insurance companies in turn. So philosophically, yes. Practically speaking, no: you gave them your insurance info, and they cover the rest. They'll try to get $3k out of your insurance company, and if they're not able to they'll eat any losses. (This means that if your insurance company contests the charge, you won't be on the hook for anything.)

That said, going to Planned Parenthood is usually pretty chill, and many locations offer income-based sliding scale payments if you need it.
posted by tapir-whorf at 8:44 PM on March 31, 2018

I've used uBiome self-test kits, and several of my family have too, and there's been no scam nor any request for any payment (this has all been during the pilot period).
posted by anadem at 9:04 PM on March 31, 2018

You are not being scammed. Is your insurance company being scammed into paying for unecessary services? Maybe (happens all the time...ever see those commercials for knee braces and such that are "no cost to you if you are on Medicare!"). Should you care about your insurance company being scammed....eh....not in my opinion, especially since you, the patient, see the service as necessary.
posted by WeekendJen at 8:32 AM on April 3, 2018