Since Obamacare passed my doctor requires payment when you sign in.
Most doctors I know started doing this years ago if you have a co-pay or are paying cash. It cuts down on their billing.
I'm exempt from this rule due to my insurance. It's tough for them to judge what my "level of care" will be until the doctor actually treats me.
When I was being checked into a hospital when my appendix flared up, I actually had a lady come to my hospital room when I finally was taken to a room and ask me for a $100 deposit, she said it was required of all patients, unless I had Medicad.
I was brought in by ambulance! (What if I did not grab my wallet before I left home??? What if I had my wallet, but no debit card or cash, and my check book was at home??? I was 70 miles from home.) It was almost midnight and at this point and I asked her if she had called my insurance company. She said no. I then explained to her that the surgery would be done at zero out of pocket to me. She then said, "I guess we won't worry about it then.
The last time I paid a bill that I knew my insurance should of paid, it was a four month nightmare to try and get the $400 back. I was just trying to keep the bill out of collections. It was a mix up by my insurance company they thought it was a duplicate. But it was at two different locations, yet the same doctor read the results. They gave me 30 days to pay the bill, yet told me it would be at least 90 days to get a refund when they found out it was covered.