Meritain Health & Echo Health: Avoid 3% Fee

For payment setup, see ECHO provider portal setup. Aetna Better Health Florida — a separate payer’s no-fee route.

If Meritain Health is paying you through Echo Health, 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.

Meritain Health is a third-party administrator (an Aetna company), and its claim payments run through Echo Health (its virtual-card product is branded QuicRemit). When a payment arrives as a QuicRemit virtual card (a single-use card number you “redeem” in your merchant portal), 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 Echo Health no-fee EFT guide.)

How to switch for Meritain Health

• Opt out of the QuicRemit virtual card. Contact Echo Health (their provider line is 888-834-3511) and decline the card; the payment rolls over to a check. Don't run the card in the meantime — running it is what charges you.

• Enroll in no-fee standard ACH EFT (with ERA) for Meritain Health, by submitting Echo Health's EFT/ERA enrollment with 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 Meritain Health for you: we opt your practice out of Echo Health / QuicRemit virtual cards, enroll you in Meritain Health'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 Echo Health no-fee EFT guide

• Insurance virtual cards: why they cost ~3% and how to switch to direct deposit

Review payment documents after enrollment

Payment-document access is separate from the payer EFT election. ECHO’s published portal guide shows the following account screens; they do not replace the dedicated payer enrollment link or establish its fee terms. Follow the current portal prompts if the layout differs.

Sign in or choose registration

Open ProviderPayments.com. Existing users enter their own credentials and choose Log In. First-time users choose the registration link below the sign-in area.

Screenshot source: ECHO Provider Payments Portal Quick Reference Guide, page 3.

Create an account if you are a first-time user

Complete Create a New Account using the on-screen instructions. Once signed in, use Inquiry to locate the payment and its EPP or 835 remittance. Check the payment reference against the bank deposit before marking the EFT setup complete.

Screenshot source: ECHO Provider Payments Portal Quick Reference Guide, page 6.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I stop Meritain Health from paying me with a virtual card?

Yes. Meritain Health pays through Echo Health (QuicRemit), and federal CMS guidance says a plan or its vendor can't require you to accept virtual credit card payments. You can call Echo Health at 888-834-3511 to opt out — the payment rolls to a check — and request the no-fee standard ACH EFT instead.

How do I switch Meritain Health to no-fee EFT?

Opt out of the Echo Health / QuicRemit virtual card, then submit Echo Health's EFT/ERA enrollment for Meritain Health, using your practice TIN/EIN, NPI, and bank details. It's done per payer.

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

No. It's a fee for an optional virtual-card 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.