Ancillary charges in Basic Medical Expense plans include which items?

• A. Hospital room and board charges
• B. Physician consultation fees
• C. Ambulance transport
• D. Lab work, in-hospital drugs, surgical dressings, diagnostic tests and anesthetics

Answer: (D)

Ancillary charges are those supportive services and supplies that accompany care but aren’t the core hospital room/board or the physician’s professional fees. In Basic Medical Expense plans, these are typically the items used during treatment that are billed separately from the room charge and the doctor’s services. Lab work, in-hospital medications, surgical dressings, diagnostic tests, and anesthetics fall into this category because they are essential to treatment yet described as separate items from room and board or physician consultations.

Hospital room and board charges are the base hospital costs, not ancillary. Physician consultation fees are the professional services of the doctor, not ancillary charges. Ambulance transport is a transportation service and may be covered under a different benefit category rather than ancillary medical expenses.