HealthLink & Zelis: Avoid the 3% Card Fee

If HealthLink is paying you through Zelis, you're likely losing 2–3% of each payment to a fee. Bomi switches you to no-fee direct deposit so you keep the full amount.

HealthLink delivers its provider payments through Zelis. HealthLink's payments are administered by AmeriBen and run through Zelis, so the no-fee ACH enrollment goes through AmeriBen's Zelis ePayment Center. When a payment arrives as a Zelis virtual card (a single-use card number you “redeem” in your merchant portal) or a fee-based “fast” EFT, running it skims a 2–3% processing fee straight out of your payment.

You don't have to pay that fee

Federal CMS guidance is clear that a health plan or its vendor cannot require you to accept virtual cards, and that you can request the no-fee standard ACH EFT instead. The 2–3% is a charge for an optional service you can decline. (For the full legal basis — the HIPAA EFT standard adopted under the Affordable Care Act — see our Zelis no-fee EFT guide.)

How to switch for HealthLink

• Opt out of the virtual card with Zelis, and don't run any card in the meantime (running it is what charges you).

• Enroll in no-fee standard ACH EFT for HealthLink, through its payer-sponsored Zelis ePayment Center, using your practice TIN/EIN, NPI, and bank account.

• Set up electronic remittances (835/ERA) so payments post cleanly in your system.

• If they resist, file a CMS Administrative Simplification (ASETT) complaint naming the plan — they can't condition electronic payment on a fee.

How Bomi helps

Bomi handles HealthLink for you: we opt your practice out of Zelis virtual cards, enroll you in HealthLink's no-fee standard ACH EFT, and set up your electronic remittances so payments post cleanly. You stop losing the 2–3%.

This article is general information, not legal advice. The protections described come from federal CMS guidance and your right to request the standard EFT transaction; enforcement runs through the CMS complaint process, and specifics can change. Confirm your options with the payer and CMS before relying on them.

Want us to get the virtual-card fees off your payments? Reach us here https://www.bomihealth.com/#contact.

Related

• The full Zelis no-fee EFT guide

• Quest Behavioral Health and Zelis

• Auxiant and Zelis

• Allegiance and Zelis

• UMR and Zelis

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stop HealthLink from paying me with a Zelis virtual card?

Yes. HealthLink pays through Zelis, and federal CMS guidance says a plan or its vendor can't require you to accept virtual credit card payments. You can opt out of the card and request the no-fee standard ACH EFT instead.

How do I switch HealthLink to no-fee EFT?

Opt out of the Zelis virtual card, then enroll in HealthLink's no-fee standard ACH EFT through its Zelis ePayment Center, using your practice TIN/EIN, NPI, and bank details. It's done per payer. For HealthLink, the enrollment runs through AmeriBen (its administrator) rather than a HealthLink-branded portal.

Is the 2–3% fee something I have to pay?

No. It's a fee for an optional virtual-card or expedited-EFT service. Federal law gives you the right to the no-fee standard ACH EFT on request; the fee only applies if you use the optional paid method.