Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Every month, when I have a rare free moment, I sit down and delve into the pile of bills to be paid. I always put the medical bills on top, followed by the mortgage, utilities, car payments, credit cards, etc. I usually get about half way through the medical bills when I have to stop because I'm out of money.
These medical bills are for EMS's, ER's, Doctors, Pharmacys, Labs, Equipment Suppliers, Home Healthcare companies, and others. None of the procedures are for me. They are all for my spouse.
Many of these bills don't specify why they haven't tried to resolve the billing amount through my insurance carrier. They don't ever specify that they've tried to resolve through Medicare. Why am I supposed to be responsible for these? Is this legal? Aren't they only supposed to charge a "usuary" rate equal to what Insurance will cover?
Ask for detailed billing, pretty sure they have to provide it, nobody has turned me down when I asked yet. Go over it to ensure it is all legit. Call your insurance company and ask them what the deal is. They should have sent you a list of what they did pay, what they wouldn't pay and why.
Call your health insurance company. Go over the detailed list with them. Sometimes, physicians, hospitals, diagnostic centers etc must accept the fee outlined by your insurer per a previously agreed to contract. My dad was billed way over and above what his health insurance was willing to pay for specific cardiology testing and he found out he did NOT owe the overage. The center was just trying to recoup some more money.
if you have medicare, it is supposed to be the primary insurer. all things should go to them first. then, if you have a supplement, it should pick up the balance. this should take care of things...in the perfect world, and you should not have any bills to pay at all! start there first.
Every month, when I have a rare free moment, I sit down and delve into the pile of bills to be paid. I always put the medical bills on top, followed by the mortgage, utilities, car payments, credit cards, etc. I usually get about half way through the medical bills when I have to stop because I'm out of money.
These medical bills are for EMS's, ER's, Doctors, Pharmacys, Labs, Equipment Suppliers, Home Healthcare companies, and others. None of the procedures are for me. They are all for my spouse.
Many of these bills don't specify why they haven't tried to resolve the billing amount through my insurance carrier. They don't ever specify that they've tried to resolve through Medicare. Why am I supposed to be responsible for these? Is this legal? Aren't they only supposed to charge a "usuary" rate equal to what Insurance will cover?
screw paying medical bills.
for one thing, pay those last. another, i believe you can pay just a percentage of medical bills without them going into collections, as long as you pay something. not sure about this BUT....if its true i would only pay like $5 a month on each medical bill.
healthcare should be a right, not something you are lucky to have if you decided to have a career that makes you alot of money.
Let me tell you MY story! I have a pretty darn good insurance that has paid all the bills submitted to them without any problem. The only problem I have ever had with my insurance is when the doctors office coded something wrong...
Recently, one night, I got a phone call from a collection agency telling me I owed them $250 and I needed to get that paid, they had no other information other than it was for lab work in 12/08 but kept insisting I could pay it over the phone RIGHT NOW! I laughed at the caller and told her I would rather make sure it was a bill I really owed and WHY my insurance didn't pay it and get that cleared up.. We went round and round, she kept insisting I pay it RIGHT THEN over the phone and I kept telling her I would Rather make sure I owe it FIRST! We accomplished nothing with that call except she was going to send me a bill in the mail... A phone call to my insurance the next day, they had no record of any lab work submitted or denied in that month.
Several weeks later, I received NO bill but got another call from them, this time a guy. He had more information for me than the first caller, the doctors name that ordered the lab work, so I told him too, that it had to be a code error and that is what needed to be cleared up in order for my insurance to pay it so give me the name and phone number of the lab that did the work so I could talk to them and clear this up.. The dude HUNG UP on me!
Figuring I could get that information from the doctors office, I called them and got it and called the lab. The lab did not even have me in the computer, so they did a 3 way call with the collection agency. The collection agency couldn't fine me in the computer either. He tried by name, by birth date, address and got nothing. Tried by my social security number and BINGO! There I was!! This is where it gets FUNNY! Who ever put me in their computer system must have been having a really bad day. They misspelled my last name, had my address wrong and ALL my insurance typed in wrong.. Hopefully, this has been cleared up and is over with!
Listen, that is YOUR money! You need to get on the phone with your insurance and start asking questions as to what your benefits are, what they do pay and don't pay and have all those bills there in your hand when you call. You may have a lot of money coming back to you if these bills are covered and you paid them yourself. Get on that phone and find out what is going on and why they are not paying them... It could be that your doctors office have entered your information in wrong, coded something wrong and THAT is what you need to do to get it straightened out. GET ON THAT PHONE!!
screw paying medical bills.
for one thing, pay those last. another, i believe you can pay just a percentage of medical bills without them going into collections, as long as you pay something. not sure about this BUT....if its true i would only pay like $5 a month on each medical bill.
healthcare should be a right, not something you are lucky to have if you decided to have a career that makes you alot of money.
Listen to this guy and watch your credit rating plummet.
Listen to this guy and watch your credit rating plummet.
That's way I don't have health insurance. I got behind and they called in collections immediately. My 790 credit score that I worked ALL my life for would be gone in a blink of an eye! I am 100% preventive holistic medicine right now. Yes, "Russian Roulette" but banking on my good health. Knock on wood, other than my back problems I am ok.
These medical bills are for EMS's, ER's, Doctors, Pharmacys, Labs, Equipment Suppliers, Home Healthcare companies, and others. None of the procedures are for me. They are all for my spouse.
Many of these bills don't specify why they haven't tried to resolve the billing amount through my insurance carrier. They don't ever specify that they've tried to resolve through Medicare. Why am I supposed to be responsible for these? Is this legal? Aren't they only supposed to charge a "usuary" rate equal to what Insurance will cover?
You need to speak to your insurance company.
They should be sending a receipt if it is paid or denied and why.
What insurance do you have in addition to medicare?
She also needs to go to the medicare site and make sure her info is right, making sure she tells them the primary insurance which is the one you get from work. Every time insurance changes you have to call.
You also need to call your insurance company and tell them about her having medicare as well as part B. You should also copy all cards. Both will want copies. Front & back.
Quote:
Originally Posted by sgresident
if you have medicare, it is supposed to be the primary insurer. all things should go to them first. then, if you have a supplement, it should pick up the balance. this should take care of things...in the perfect world, and you should not have any bills to pay at all! start there first.
Wrong.
If you have private insurance it is 2nd.
Thats how it is with me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
