Do You Bill Insurance Directly or Do I Pay and Get Reimbursed?

Hey folks! This is John from Freedom Auto Glass LLC.

Welcome to another Q&A session where I answer questions from you all on the internet.

Today's question is:

"Do You Bill Insurance Directly or Do I Pay and Get Reimbursed?"

Summary:

John says he can handle insurance either way — billing directly or having the customer pay and get reimbursed — but explains why smaller shops like his often prefer the latter. When a shop bills insurance directly, the process requires going through a middleman, and payment can take up to a month to arrive. For a small, owner-operated business rather than a large chain, waiting a month for payment on each job is harder to sustain, which makes the pay-and-reimburse approach smoother. He confirms that he accepts all standard insurances and remains flexible, willing to work out whichever arrangement best fits the customer's situation while keeping the process manageable on his end. His overall goal is to make the experience as easy as possible for the customer.

Answer:

I'll actually do both, whichever works for you. That said, a lot of mom-and-pop shops like mine tend to prefer the route where you pay us directly and then you get reimbursed by your insurance. The reason is that when we bill the insurance ourselves, they make us go through a middleman to communicate with your insurance company, and that process can take up to a month before we actually get paid. When you're a smaller company like I am — not one of the big box stores with deep pockets — waiting a month to get paid on every job is harder to manage. So that's why the pay-and-get-reimbursed option is often smoother for a shop my size. But I do take all the standard insurances, so we can work it out whichever way makes the most sense for your situation. I'm flexible on it — I just want to make the process as easy as I can for you while keeping things workable on my end too.