A Medicare provider who accepts assignment agrees to:
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Answer & full 3-part explanation (select an option above, or peek)
Why A is correct
A participating provider who accepts assignment takes the Medicare-approved amount as full payment for the service: Medicare pays its 80% share and the beneficiary pays only the Part B deductible and 20% coinsurance. A non-assigning provider may bill the beneficiary the full charge and collect from Medicare separately, and in some cases may impose a limited 'excess charge' above the approved amount. Assignment therefore protects the beneficiary from balance billing beyond their normal cost-sharing, which is why beneficiaries are encouraged to use participating providers who accept assignment.
Why the other options are wrong
- B) Billing the patient the full charge and letting them seek Medicare reimbursement describes the non-assigning provider path, so this option states the opposite billing arrangement.
- C) Charging above the approved amount is the hallmark of a non-participating provider, not of accepting assignment, so this option contradicts the assigned-provider rule.
- D) Assignment concerns payment method and billing responsibility, not cash-only payment demands, so this option imports an irrelevant payment condition.
Memory hook
Assignment = the provider accepts Medicare's price as final. You pay only your share, no surprise balance bills.