Does your provider accept Medicare as full payment?
You can get the lowest cost if your doctor or other health care provider accepts the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for a covered service. This is called “accepting assignment.” If a provider accepts assignment, it’s for all Medicare-covered Part A and Part B services.
Using a provider that accepts assignment
Most doctors, providers, and suppliers accept assignment, but always check to make sure that yours do.
If your doctor, provider, or supplier accepts assignment:
- Your out-of-pocket costs may be less.
- They agree to charge you only the Medicare deductible and coinsurance amount, and usually wait for Medicare to pay its share before asking you to pay your share.
- They have to submit your claim directly to Medicare and can't charge you for submitting the claim.
How does assignment impact my drug coverage?
Using a provider that doesn't accept Medicare as full payment
Some providers who don’t accept assignment still choose to accept the Medicare-approved amount for services on a case-by-case basis. These providers are called "non-participating."
If your doctor, provider, or supplier doesn't accept assignment:
- You might have to pay the full amount at the time of service.
- They should submit a claim to Medicare for any Medicare-covered services they give you, and they can’t charge you for submitting a claim. If they refuse to submit a Medicare claim, you can submit your own claim to Medicare. Get the Medicare claim form .
- They can charge you more than the Medicare-approved amount. In many cases, the charge can't be more than 15% above the Medicare-approved amount for non-participating healthcare providers. This amount is called "the limiting charge."
Does the limiting charge apply to all Medicare-covered services?
Using a provider that "opts-out" of Medicare
- Doctors or other health care providers who don’t want to work with the Medicare program may "opt out" of Medicare.
- Medicare won’t pay for items or services you get from provider that opts out, except in emergencies.
- Providers opt out for a minimum of 2 years. Every 2 years, the provider can choose to keep their opt-out status, accept Medicare-approved amounts on a case-by-case basis ("non-participating"), or accept assignment.
Find providers that opted out of Medicare.
Private contracts with doctors or providers who opt out
- If you choose to get services from an opt-out doctor or provider you may need to pay upfront, or set up a payment plan with the provider through a private contract.
- Medicare won’t pay for any service you get from this doctor, even if it’s a Medicare-covered service.
What are the rules for private contracts?
You may want to contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) for help before signing a private contract with any doctor or other health care provider.
What do you want to do next?
- Next step: Get help with costs
- Take action: Find a provider
- Get details: How to get Medicare services
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What is Medicare assignment and how does it work?
Kimberly Lankford,
Because Medicare decides how much to pay providers for covered services, if the provider agrees to the Medicare-approved amount, even if it is less than they usually charge, they’re accepting assignment.
A doctor who accepts assignment agrees to charge you no more than the amount Medicare has approved for that service. By comparison, a doctor who participates in Medicare but doesn’t accept assignment can potentially charge you up to 15 percent more than the Medicare-approved amount.
That’s why it’s important to ask if a provider accepts assignment before you receive care, even if they accept Medicare patients. If a doctor doesn’t accept assignment, you will pay more for that physician’s services compared with one who does.
How much do I pay if my doctor accepts assignment?
If your doctor accepts assignment, you will usually pay 20 percent of the Medicare-approved amount for the service, called coinsurance, after you’ve paid the annual deductible. Because Medicare Part B covers doctor and outpatient services, your $240 deductible for Part B in 2024 applies before most coverage begins.
All providers who accept assignment must submit claims directly to Medicare, which pays 80 percent of the approved cost for the service and will bill you the remaining 20 percent. You can get some preventive services and screenings, such as mammograms and colonoscopies , without paying a deductible or coinsurance if the provider accepts assignment.
What if my doctor doesn’t accept assignment?
A doctor who takes Medicare but doesn’t accept assignment can still treat Medicare patients but won’t always accept the Medicare-approved amount as payment in full.
This means they can charge you up to a maximum of 15 percent more than Medicare pays for the service you receive, called “balance billing.” In this case, you’re responsible for the additional charge, plus the regular 20 percent coinsurance, as your share of the cost.
How to cover the extra cost? If you have a Medicare supplement policy , better known as Medigap, it may cover the extra 15 percent, called Medicare Part B excess charges.
All Medigap policies cover Part B’s 20 percent coinsurance in full or in part. The F and G policies cover the 15 percent excess charges from doctors who don’t accept assignment, but Plan F is no longer available to new enrollees, only those eligible for Medicare before Jan. 1, 2020, even if they haven’t enrolled in Medicare yet. However, anyone who is enrolled in original Medicare can apply for Plan G.
Remember that Medigap policies only cover excess charges for doctors who accept Medicare but don’t accept assignment, and they won’t cover costs for doctors who opt out of Medicare entirely.
Good to know. A few states limit the amount of excess fees a doctor can charge Medicare patients. For example, Massachusetts and Ohio prohibit balance billing, requiring doctors who accept Medicare to take the Medicare-approved amount. New York limits excess charges to 5 percent over the Medicare-approved amount for most services, rather than 15 percent.
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How do I find doctors who accept assignment?
Before you start working with a new doctor, ask whether he or she accepts assignment. About 98 percent of providers billing Medicare are participating providers, which means they accept assignment on all Medicare claims, according to KFF.
You can get help finding doctors and other providers in your area who accept assignment by zip code using Medicare’s Physician Compare tool .
Those who accept assignment have this note under the name: “Charges the Medicare-approved amount (so you pay less out of pocket).” However, not all doctors who accept assignment are accepting new Medicare patients.
What does it mean if a doctor opts out of Medicare?
Doctors who opt out of Medicare can’t bill Medicare for services you receive. They also aren’t bound by Medicare’s limitations on charges.
In this case, you enter into a private contract with the provider and agree to pay the full bill. Be aware that neither Medicare nor your Medigap plan will reimburse you for these charges.
In 2023, only 1 percent of physicians who aren’t pediatricians opted out of the Medicare program, according to KFF. The percentage is larger for some specialties — 7.7 percent of psychiatrists and 4.2 percent of plastic and reconstructive surgeons have opted out of Medicare.
Keep in mind
These rules apply to original Medicare. Other factors determine costs if you choose to get coverage through a private Medicare Advantage plan . Most Medicare Advantage plans have provider networks, and they may charge more or not cover services from out-of-network providers.
Before choosing a Medicare Advantage plan, find out whether your chosen doctor or provider is covered and identify how much you’ll pay. You can use the Medicare Plan Finder to compare the Medicare Advantage plans and their out-of-pocket costs in your area.
Return to Medicare Q&A main page
Kimberly Lankford is a contributing writer who covers Medicare and personal finance. She wrote about insurance, Medicare, retirement and taxes for more than 20 years at Kiplinger’s Personal Finance and has written for The Washington Post and Boston Globe . She received the personal finance Best in Business award from the Society of American Business Editors and Writers and the New York State Society of CPAs’ excellence in financial journalism award for her guide to Medicare.
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Find-A-Code Articles, Published 2014, August 1
What does accept assignment mean.
by InstaCode Institute Aug 1st, 2014 - Reviewed/Updated Mar 5th
What does it mean to accept assignment on the CMS 1500 claim form - also called the HCFA 1500 claim form.? Should I accept assignment or not? What are the guidelines for accepting assignment in box 27 of the 1500 claim?
These commonly asked questions should have a simple answer, but the number of court cases indicates that it is not as clear cut as it should be. This issue is documented in the book “Problems in Health Care Law” by Robert Desle Miller. The definition appears to be in the hands of the courts. However, we do have some helpful guidelines for you.
One major area of confusion is the relationship between box 12, box 13 and box 27. These are not interchangeable boxes and they are not necessarily related to each other.
According to the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC), the "Accept Assignment" box indicates that the provider agrees to accept assignment. It simply says to enter an X in the correct box. It does NOT define what accepting assignment might or might not mean.
It is important to understand that if you are a participating provider in any insurance plan or program, you must first follow the rules according to the contract that you sign. That contract supersedes any guidelines that are included here.
Medicare Instructions / Guidelines
PARTICIPATING providers MUST accept assignment according to the terms of their contract. The contract itself states:
“Meaning of Assignment - For purposes of this agreement, accepting assignment of the Medicare Part B payment means requesting direct Part B payment from the Medicare program. Under an assignment , the approved charge, determined by the Medicare carrier, shall be the full charge for the service covered under Part B. The participant shall not collect from the beneficiary or other person or organization for covered services more than the applicable deductible and coinsurance.”
By law, the providers or types of services listed below MUST also accept assignment:
- Clinical diagnostic laboratory services;
- Physician services to individuals dually entitled to Medicare and Medicaid;
- Services of physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, nurse midwives, certified registered nurse anesthetists, clinical psychologists, and clinical social workers;
- Ambulatory surgical center services for covered ASC procedures;
- Home dialysis supplies and equipment paid under Method II;
- Ambulance services;
- Drugs and biologicals; and
- Simplified Billing Roster for influenza virus vaccine and pneumococcal vaccine.
NON-PARTICIPATING providers can choose whether to accept assignment or not, unless they or the service they are providing is on the list above.
The official Medicare instructions regarding Boxes 12 and 13 are:
“Item 12 – The patient's signature authorizes release of medical information necessary to process the claim. It also authorizes payments of benefits to the provider of service or supplier when the provider of service or supplier accepts assignment on the claim.” “Item 13 - The patient’s signature or the statement “signature on file” in this item authorizes payment of medical benefits to the physician or supplier. The patient or his/her authorized representative signs this item or the signature must be on file separately with the provider as an authorization. However, note that when payment under the Act can only be made on an assignment-related basis or when payment is for services furnished by a participating physician or supplier, a patient’s signature or a “signature on file” is not required in order for Medicare payment to be made directly to the physician or supplier.”
Regardless of the wording on these instructions stating that it authorizes payments to the physician, this is not enough to ensure that payment will come directly to you instead of the patient.To guarantee payment comes to you, you MUST accept assignment.
Under Medicare rules, PARTICIPATING providers are paid at 80% of the physician fee schedule allowed amount and NON-participating providers are paid at 80% of the allowed amount, which is 5% less than the full Allowed amount for participating providers. Only NON-participating providers may "balance bill" the patient for any amounts not paid by Medicare, however, they are subject to any state laws regarding balance billing.
TIP: If you select YES, you may or may not be subject to a lower fee schedule, but at least you know the payment is supposed to come to you.
NON-MEDICARE Instructions / Guidelines
PARTICIPATING providers MUST abide by the terms of their contract. In most cases, this includes the requirement to accept assignment on submitted claims.
NON-PARTICIPATING providers have the choice to accept or not accept assignment.
YES means that payment should go directly to you instead of the patient. Generally speaking, even if you have an assignment of benefits from the patient (see box 12 & 13), payment is ONLY guaranteed to go to you IF you accept assignment.
NO is appropriate for patients who have paid for their services in full so they may be reimbursed by their insurance. It generally means payment will go to the patient.
What Does Accept Assignment Mean?. (2014, August 1). Find-A-Code Articles. Retrieved from https://www.findacode.com/articles/what-does-accept-assignment-mean-34840.html
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Annual Medicare Participation Announcement
View this year's Announcement (PDF) .
Each year from mid-November through December 31, providers can decide if they want to participate in Medicare for the upcoming year. In early to mid-November, your Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) will send a post card reminding you about the annual participation open enrollment period.
We’re pleased that we continue to have a 98% participation rate. As you plan for 2025, view the announcement for information that may help you determine whether you want to continue or become a Medicare-participating provider.
Participating vs. Non-Participating
Medicare “participation” means you agree to accept claims assignment for all Medicare-covered services to your patients. By accepting assignment, you agree to accept Medicare-allowed amounts as payment in full. You may not collect more from the patient than the Medicare deductible and coinsurance or copayment .
Choose the situation that applies to you to find out what to do between mid-November and December 31 each year.
You don’t need to do anything.
Complete the Medicare Participating Physician or Supplier Agreement (CMS-460) (PDF) and mail it (or a copy) to each MAC to which you’ll send Part B claims.
Submit the Medicare Participating Physician or Supplier Agreement (CMS-460) (PDF) electronically with your enrollment application.
Write to each MAC to which you send Part B claims telling them that you’re terminating your participation in Medicare effective January 1. This written notice must be postmarked before December 31 of the previous effective year.
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If you have Original Medicare , your Part B costs once you have met your deductible can vary depending on the type of provider you see. For cost purposes, there are three types of provider, meaning three different relationships a provider can have with Medicare . A provider’s type determines how much you will pay for Part B -covered services.
- These providers are required to submit a bill (file a claim ) to Medicare for care you receive. Medicare will process the bill and pay your provider directly for your care. If your provider does not file a claim for your care, there are troubleshooting steps to help resolve the problem .
- If you see a participating provider , you are responsible for paying a 20% coinsurance for Medicare-covered services.
- Certain providers, such as clinical social workers and physician assistants, must always take assignment if they accept Medicare.
- Non-participating providers can charge up to 15% more than Medicare’s approved amount for the cost of services you receive (known as the limiting charge ). This means you are responsible for up to 35% (20% coinsurance + 15% limiting charge) of Medicare’s approved amount for covered services.
- Some states may restrict the limiting charge when you see non-participating providers. For example, New York State’s limiting charge is set at 5%, instead of 15%, for most services. For more information, contact your State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) .
- If you pay the full cost of your care up front, your provider should still submit a bill to Medicare. Afterward, you should receive from Medicare a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) and reimbursement for 80% of the Medicare-approved amount .
- The limiting charge rules do not apply to durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers . Be sure to learn about the different rules that apply when receiving services from a DME supplier .
- Medicare will not pay for care you receive from an opt-out provider (except in emergencies). You are responsible for the entire cost of your care.
- The provider must give you a private contract describing their charges and confirming that you understand you are responsible for the full cost of your care and that Medicare will not reimburse you.
- Opt-out providers do not bill Medicare for services you receive.
- Many psychiatrists opt out of Medicare.
Providers who take assignment should submit a bill to a Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) within one calendar year of the date you received care. If your provider misses the filing deadline, they cannot bill Medicare for the care they provided to you. However, they can still charge you a 20% coinsurance and any applicable deductible amount.
Be sure to ask your provider if they are participating, non-participating, or opt-out. You can also check by using Medicare’s Physician Compare tool .
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Assignment and Nonassignment of Benefits
Under the Medicare program, there are two Medicare reimbursement options. They are Assignment and Nonassignment. Accepting assignment on a Medicare claim can be a definite advantage to both the physician/supplier and the beneficiary. The Medicare claim itself constitutes a legal agreement between the physician/supplier and the beneficiary which carries specific terms with it that must be observed.
Assignment of benefits applies to all participating providers (including ambulance providers and limited license practitioners who, are participating providers by statute and must accept assignment on all Medicare claims) and non-participating providers (who may accept assignment on a case-by-case basis). If the provider accepts assignment, the Medicare payment will be made directly to the provider. Under this method, the provider agrees to accept the Medicare approved amount as full payment for covered services.
Item 27 on the CMS-1500 claim form allows the provider to indicate whether they accept or do not accept assignment. When accepting assignment, the beneficiary may be billed for the 20% coinsurance, any unmet deductible and for services not covered by Medicare. The difference between the billed amount and the Medicare approved amount cannot be billed.
Note: The 20% coinsurance is based on 20% of the Medicare approved amount (not 20% of the billed amount). Private insurance policies usually will reimburse the beneficiary for the 20% coinsurance and the deductible. Some private insurance policies may reimburse the beneficiary for services not covered by Medicare.
On assigned claims, the physician/supplier is bound by the assignment agreement, even if no payment is issued as a result of the payment being applied toward the beneficiary's annual deductible. He/she must still accept Medicare's approved amount as payment in full.
It is possible for a physician/supplier to accept assignment on a partially paid bill. In this case the physician/supplier still must accept Medicare's allowed amount as their payment in full. If Medicare's allowed amount is less than the amount that the beneficiary has already paid, the physician/supplier must refund the difference to the beneficiary. If a physician/supplier delays submission of an assigned claim until no payment can be made, the physician/supplier may only collect the 20% coinsurance and any unmet deductible from the beneficiary.
A physician/supplier can collect charges from the beneficiary for services that are denied as not covered by Medicare even though assignment was accepted on the claim. Assignment cannot be canceled once the claim is processed and the carrier has sent a notice of determination to both parties. This also applies to all future resubmissions, adjustments, and appeals of the claim, in case of denial or underpayment. Participating physicians and suppliers may not cancel assignment as this would be a violation of the participation agreement.
If a physician/supplier consistently violates the assignment agreement, the carrier may, with concurrence of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), refuse to pay assigned claims submitted by that physician or supplier. Public Law 95-142 provides that any person who knowingly, willfully and repeatedly violates the assignment agreement shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and subject to a maximum fine of $10,000.00 and/or exclusion from the Medicare program for up to five years. This legislation also provides that when convicted of a criminal offense related to their involvement in Medicare or Medicaid, they will be suspended from participating in both programs.
Medicare carriers are required to report, and act on, any violation of the assignment agreement. A physician/supplier is in violation of the assignment agreement if they collect, or attempt to collect:
- More than the deductible or coinsurance amount, or
- A fee for the paperwork involved in filing the claim.
Physicians and suppliers contracting with billing agents are ultimately responsible for the activities of those agents. When assignment is accepted, the billing agent should not bill the beneficiary for any amount above the 20% coinsurance and any unmet deductible.
Nonassignment of Benefits
The second reimbursement method a physician/supplier has is choosing to not accept assignment of benefits. Under this method, a non-participating provider is the only provider that can file a claim as non-assigned. When the provider does not accept assignment, the Medicare payment will be made directly to the beneficiary.
The provider may bill the beneficiary no more than the limiting charge for covered services. Should the provider bill more than the limiting charge for a covered service, the provider will have violated the non-participating agreement and may be subject to fines or penalties. When a provider does not accept assignment on a Medicare claim, he/she is not required to file a claim to the beneficiary's secondary insurance.
An exception to the non-participating agreement is that non-participating providers are required by law to accept assignment when the beneficiary has both Medicare and Medicaid. Mandatory assignment of clinical laboratory services, ambulance services and drugs and biologicals is also a requirement. Medicare pays all clinical la b at 100% of the clinical lab fee schedule.
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Medicare Assignment: Understanding How It Works
Medicare assignment is a term used to describe how a healthcare provider agrees to accept the Medicare-approved amount. Depending on how you get your Medicare coverage, it could be essential to understand what it means and how it can affect you.
What is Medicare assignment?
Medicare sets a fixed cost to pay for every benefit they cover. This amount is called Medicare assignment.
You have the largest healthcare provider network with over 800,000 providers nationwide on Original Medicare . You can see any doctor nationwide that accepts Medicare.
Understanding the differences between your cost and the difference between accepting Medicare and accepting Medicare assignment could be worth thousands of dollars.
Doctors that accept Medicare
Your healthcare provider can fall into one of three categories:
Medicare participating provider and Medicare assignment
Medicare participating providers not accepting medicare assignment, medicare non-participating provider.
More than 97% of healthcare providers nationwide accept Medicare. Because of this, you can see almost any provider throughout the United States without needing referrals.
Let’s discuss the three categories the healthcare providers fall into.
Participating providers are doctors or healthcare providers who accept assignment. This means they will never charge more than the Medicare-approved amount.
Some non-participating providers accept Medicare but not Medicare assignment. This means you can see them the same way a provider accepts assignment.
You need to understand that since they don’t take the assigned amount, they can charge up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount.
Since Medicare will only pay the Medicare-approved amount, you’ll be responsible for these charges. The 15% overcharge is called an excess charge. A few states don’t allow or limit the amount or services of the excess charges. Only about 5% of providers charge excess charges.
Opt-out providers don’t accept Original Medicare, and these healthcare providers are in the minority in the United States. If healthcare providers don’t accept Medicare, they won’t be paid by Medicare.
This means choosing to see a provider that doesn’t accept Medicare will leave you responsible for 100% of what they charge you. These providers may be in-network for a Medicare Advantage plan in some cases.
Avoiding excess charges
Excess charges could be large or small depending on the service and the Medicare-approved amount. Avoiding these is easy. The simplest way is to ask your provider if they accept assignment before service.
If they say yes, they don’t issue excess charges. Or, on Medicare.gov , a provider search tool will allow you to look up your healthcare provider and show if they accept Medicare assignment or not.
Medicare Supplement and Medicare assignment
Medigap plans are additional insurance that helps cover your Medicare cost-share . If you are on specific plans, they’ll pay any extra costs from healthcare providers that accept Medicare but not Medicare assigned amount. Most Medicare Supplement plans don’t cover the excess charges.
The top three Medicare Supplement plans cover excess charges if you use a provider that accepts Medicare but not Medicare assignment.
Medicare Advantage and Medicare assignment
Medicare assignment does not affect Medicare Advantage plans since Medicare Advantage is just another way to receive your Medicare benefits. Since your Medicare Advantage plan handles your healthcare benefits, they set the terms.
Most Medicare Advantage plans require you to use network providers. If you go out of the network, you may pay more. If you’re on an HMO, you’d be responsible for the entire charge of the provider not being in the network.
Do all doctors accept Medicare Supplement plans?
All doctors that accept Original Medicare accept Medicare Supplement plans. Some doctors don’t accept Medicare. In this case, those doctors won’t accept Medicare Supplements.
Where can I find doctors who accept Medicare assignment?
Medicare has a physician finder tool that will show if a healthcare provider participates in Medicare and accepts Medicare assignments. Most doctors nationwide do accept assignment and therefore don’t charge the Part B excess charges.
Why do some doctors not accept Medicare?
Some doctors are called concierge doctors. These doctors don’t accept any insurance and require cash payments.
What is a Medicare assignment?
Accepting Medicare assignment means that the healthcare provider has agreed only to charge the approved amount for procedures and services.
What does it mean if a doctor does not accept Medicare assignment?
The doctor can change more than the Medicare-approved amount for procedures and services. You could be responsible for up to a 15% excess charge.
How many doctors accept Medicare assignment?
About 97% of doctors agree to accept assignment nationwide.
Is accepting Medicare the same as accepting Medicare assignment?
No. If a doctor accepts Medicare and accepts Medicare assigned amount, they’ll take what Medicare approves as payment in full.
If they accept Medicare but not Medicare assignment, they can charge an excess charge of up to 15% above the Medicare-approved amount. You could be responsible for this excess charge.
What is the Medicare-approved amount?
The Medicare-approved amount is Medicare’s charge as the maximum for any given medical service or procedure. Medicare has set forth an approved amount for every covered item or service.
Can doctors balance bill patients?
Yes, if that doctor is a Medicare participating provider not accepting Medicare assigned amount. The provider may bill up to 15% more than the Medicare-approved amount.
What happens if a doctor does not accept Medicare?
Doctors that don’t accept Medicare will require you to pay their full cost when using their services. Since these providers are non-participating, Medicare will not pay or reimburse for any services rendered.
Get help avoiding Medicare Part B excess charges
Whether it’s Medicare assignment, or anything related to Medicare, we have licensed agents that specialize in this field standing by to assist.
Give us a call, or fill out our online request form . We are happy to help answer questions, review options, and guide you through the process.
Related Articles
- What are Medicare Part B Excess Charges?
- How to File a Medicare Reimbursement Claim?
- Medicare Defined Coinsurance: How it Works?
- Welcome to Medicare Visit
- Guide to the Medicare Program
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You can get the lowest cost if your doctor accepts the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for a covered service. This is called “accepting assignment.”
Before you start working with a new doctor, ask whether he or she accepts assignment. About 98 percent of providers billing Medicare are participating providers, which means they accept assignment on all Medicare claims, according to KFF.
Though most providers accept assignment, not all do. In this article, we’ll explain the differences between participating, non-participating, and opt-out providers. You’ll also learn how to find physicians in your area who accept Medicare assignment. Estimated Read Time: 5 min.
What does it mean to accept assignment on the CMS 1500 claim form - also called the HCFA 1500 claim form.? Should I accept assignment or not? What are the guidelines for accepting assignment in box 27 of the 1500 claim? These commonly asked questions should have a simple answer, but ...
Medicare “participation” means you agree to accept claims assignment for all Medicare-covered services to your patients. By accepting assignment, you agree to accept Medicare-allowed amounts as payment in full.
Medicare assignment is a fee schedule agreement between the federal government’s Medicare program and a doctor or facility. When Medicare assignment is accepted, it means your doctor agrees to the payment terms of Medicare.
Participating providers accept Medicare and always take assignment. Taking assignment means that the provider accepts Medicare’s approved amount for health care services as full payment. These providers are required to submit a bill (file a claim) to Medicare for care you receive.
Non-participating physicians can decide on a claim-by-claim or patient-by-patient basis whether or not to accept assignment. When they accept assignment, Medicare makes the payment directly to the physician and collects the 20 percent coinsurance from the patient, but the physician cannot collect the full limiting charge amount.
Under the Medicare program, there are two Medicare reimbursement options. They are Assignment and Nonassignment. Accepting assignment on a Medicare claim can be a definite advantage to both the physician/supplier and the beneficiary.
The simplest way is to ask your provider if they accept assignment before service. If they say yes, they don’t issue excess charges. Or, on Medicare.gov , a provider search tool will allow you to look up your healthcare provider and show if they accept Medicare assignment or not.