Medical bills FAQs

Learn more about your rights and protections against surprise medical bills and right to receive estimates under the new regulation.

You’ll get a bill after most visits. It will show the charges for the services you got, what you paid, what your health plan paid, and the amount you owe. Depending on the care you received, you may get a professional bill, a hospital bill or both. If you’ve signed up for electronic or paperless billing, you’ll get an email alert instead of a paper bill.

Please call the number that appears on your bill or contact Member Services .

You can view your plan benefits  online. For other questions, contact Member Services .

Information such as your coverage dates and the status of your membership can be found in the Member information section of your Profile & Preferences . For other questions, contact Member Services .

For help with other questions or information, contact Member Services .

There are a number of convenient features that are available to subscribers. Through the Kaiser Permanente website and mobile app, you can:

• View medical bills
• View the current amount due
• Pay bills using a saved payment method
• Receive an instant payment confirmation
• Track medical bill payments
• View the last payment made
• Set up, manage, and view payment plan details 
• Get answers to frequently asked questions

To make sure you’re using the web browsers we support, review our technical information. Please note that our website does not function properly when accessed via a Windows XP computer.

For help with other questions, contact Member Services.

There may be up to four different types of bills on your Billing Summary page.

• Hospital bills refers to charges for services you received while you were a patient in the hospital, such as charges for time in a hospital bed, as well as any supplies we may have used related to your care.
• Professional bills refers to charges for services from physicians or other clinicians, including doctor’s office visits, laboratory or radiology tests, or services you receive from an allied health professional such as a physical therapist or occupational therapist.
• Dental bills are a type of professional bill and refers to charges for services received from dental care providers.
• Venture bills are also a type of professional bill and refers to charges for cosmetic services.

This column lists any adjustments and payments made based upon your plan benefits.

Pharmacy and medical bills must be paid separately. You can make Pharmacy payments by going to the Pharmacy section of our website or mobile app, but you must visit the Coverage and Costs section to pay your medical bills.

Any services received or billed after your statement date will not appear on your statement or online. These services and associated payments will appear on a future statement. Your online payments can be found in the Payments tab of the Billing and payment details section for each bill. Depending on where you received services, you may get a physician bill, a hospital bill, a dental bill, a venture bill, or a combination of all four.

Sometimes, it can take several weeks to process the bill after a visit to a doctor’s office or hospital, depending on your health plan benefits and the services you received.

To view your billing history: 

1. Go to the Billing main page.
2. Select the View and Pay button. 
3. From your Billing Summary page, select View billing and payment details from a medical bill. 
4. Navigate to the Details tab to view your charges.
   

Note: For a full list of charges that have appeared on a medical billing statement, navigate to the Statements tab or visit My Documents to view older statements.

The current amount due includes charges shown on your most recent statement. It also includes payments you've made as of today towards that balance. It may not include pending charges or payments.

To make an online payment toward a medical bill:

1. Visit the Billing main page.
2. Select the View and Pay button.
3. From your Billing Summary, select the Pay button to make a payment toward that bill.

There are several other convenient options to pay your medical bills.

• Mobile: Download the Kaiser Permanente app from your preferred app site to conveniently and securely view and pay your medical bills through your mobile device anytime.
• By mail: Send your payment in the return envelope that came with your bill or use the address listed on your statement.
• By phone: Call the number listed on your billing statement or the Member Services phone number listed on the back of your ID card.

If you receive new hospital bill services after setting up a payment plan, you will see a notification that you must add this new bill charge to your payment plan balance. Select Manage payment plan to add the new bill charge amount to your payment plan balance.

To add new professional bill charges to your existing payment plan, contact Member Services.

To view a history of your bill payments:

1. Visit the Coverage & Costs main page.
2. Select the View and Pay button.
3. From your Billing Summary, select View billing and payment details for any bill.
4. Navigate to the Payments tab.
5. Select the range of dates you would like to view past payments.
   
   

Note: To download and print a detailed report of your medical payments, go to your Medical payment summary.

We accept the following payment methods:

• Checking account
• Savings account
• Credit or debit cards
• Visa
• Master Card
• Discover
• American Express
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Health Reimbursement Arrangement (HRA)
• Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

If you plan to use an HSA, HRA, or FSA to pay your bill, please keep copies of your Explanation of Benefits (EOB), Statement of Accumulation (SOA), and other documentation for reimbursement and tax purposes.

When paying your medical bills online, you can either choose another saved payment method on file or add a new one.

To add a new payment method:

1. Select the Add payment method radio button from the “Add your payment method” screen.
2. Enter your credit card information.
   Note: If you would like to use a checking or savings account as a payment method, select the add a checking / savings account link on the page and then enter your bank account information.
3. Select the Next button.

Before you submit your medical bill payment, you may want to change the payment method you’ve selected. From the “You’re almost done!” screen:

1. Select the Change your payment method link.
2. Select another saved payment method on file or select the Add payment method radio button to add a new one.

Download the Kaiser Permanente app at no cost from your preferred app site. If you’re already registered on kp.org, you’re all set to start using your Kaiser Permanente app.

If you’re not registered on kp.org, go to kp.org/registernow to set up your account. Then, use your new user ID and password to activate the app and start managing your finances.

No. Because we apply your health plan benefits before we send you a bill, we ask that you pay only the balance shown on your current billing statement. This will also help you keep track of your bills and payments, and makes it easier for us to help you, should you have a question about your bill.

To set up a payment plan for a medical bill with an eligible balance:

1. Visit the Billing main page.
2. Select the View and Pay button.
3. From your Billing Summary, select the Set up a payment plan button.

Additionally, you can set up a monthly payment plan by contacting Kaiser Permanente Member Services at the phone number on your medical bill.

When setting up a payment plan, an amount will be suggested to you. You can edit this amount to pay more per month; however, you cannot change your monthly payments to be lower than the allowed minimum amount for your current amount due.

If you are setting up a payment plan for a professional bill, your payment date will automatically default to the 15th of every month.

If you are setting up a payment plan for a hospital bill, your payment date will automatically default to the 7th day after your statement date. For example, if your statement is received on the 5th of every month, then your payment plan payment date would be on the 12th of every month.

To change the date each month that you would like your payment plan payments to be made, contact Member Services.

When setting up a payment plan, we will calculate the number of payments required to pay off your payment plan balance.For questions about your payment plan, you may also contact Member Services .

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Financial Assistance (MFA) Program, which helps eligible patients pay for medically necessary health care services received at Kaiser Permanente facilities. For more information or to apply, call the MFA Program at 1-800-390-3507 (toll free), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Pacific time. MFA application processing and notification may take up to 45 days from the date the application is mailed or faxed.

To makes changes to your payment plan, including adding new hospital charges to your payment plan balance:

1. Visit the Billing main page.
2. Select the View and Pay button.
3. From your Billing Summary, select Manage payment plan for the bill you want to edit.

Note: To add new professional charges to an existing payment plan, contact Member Services.

To change the date each month that you would like your payment plan payments to be made, contact Member Services .

If your credit card is about to expire, you will see a notification that you must update the payment method used for your payment plan.

1. Select Manage payment plan.
2. Select the Next button
3. .From the Add your payment method screen, select another saved payment method on file, or add a new one.
4. After you update your payment plan, return to your Billing Summary screen and select Manage payment plan.
5. Select the Next button
6. .Delete the old payment method by selecting Manage saved payment methods.
   

If you have an active payment plan, you can either choose another saved payment method on file or add a new one.

To change the payment method used for an existing payment plan:

1. Select Manage payment plan from your Billing Summary page.
2. Select the radio button for another saved payment method from the “Add your payment method” screen.

To add a new payment method for an active payment plan:

1. Select the Add payment method radio button from the “Add your payment method” screen.
2. Enter your credit card information.
   Note: If you would like to use a checking or savings account as a payment method, select the add a checking / savings account link on the page and then enter your bank account information.
3. Select the Next button.
4. Select the Change your payment method link.
5. Select the Manage my payment methods link.
6. Delete your old payment method by selecting Delete.
7. Select the Back button.
8. Finally, select the Next button and proceed with updating your payment plan.

The payment methods on file for payment plans only apply toward medical bills. These saved payment methods can’t be used to make payments toward pharmacy charges or for Express check-in.

Any updates you make to a saved payment method will only affect your medical bill payments. An updated payment method cannot be used for pharmacy charges or Express check-in.