This made my day.

[Thudz]

Set the background...

At the time our youngest daughter was being born I was in between Healthcare providers. I worked out a COBRA deal with my previous provider, because we had already paid all of the deductibles for the birth, that would cover us and Maggie up until the day she was born. The new coverage would take effect once we brought Maggie home.

The day after Maggie was born a blood test came back with an unknown bacteria. The hospital required Maggie stay an additional 3 days while they performed more tests and administered treatment. Three days later after many blood test, all negative, the doctors said it was most likely a contamination but since they could not identify it they had to take precaution and keep Maggie the addtional three days. Little annoyed but we considered it over and done with...until...

12 months later we get a bill from the hospital for over $3000 for the time Maggie had to stay there. I call up the hospital and talk to a lady that tells me my previous coverage refused to make the payment because it was for time spent after the coverage had expired. I said well of course this was suppose to be submitted to my new coverage starting the day after the delivery. She stated that they tried submitting this to my new coverage but they said it was too old of a claim to process. I asked why would they say it's too old? The lady informed me that the first time they attempted to process the claim with my new coverage was just last week. Almost a full year after Maggie was born! At this point I was pissed so I hung up the phone.

Couple days later the hospital sends us a bill in the mail that my wife and I identify as the first of a payment plan to settle the debt with the hostpital. The payment is just under $300. So we write a check and send it off. We receive a letter thanking us for our payment and confirmation that the debt is settled. At first we didn't think anything of it and awaited the next months bill...it never came.

Fast forward to today...

My wife is going through old mail and finds a letter from the hospital. The letter is a settlement letter pertaining to our debt with the hospital for the time Maggie stayed there. It's offering a one time settlement payment of just under $300 dollars.

[Zephyrs]

I am glad that worked out but even you having to pay the $300 seems a bit much since it was there own fuck up.

[Moristans]

Take home message....read your mail!

Glad to hear it worked out, but I'm a bit confused.

The hospital said you owed, $3000, but the letter they sent you said the settlement would be less than 300? When did the letter for the $300 settlement arrive? After they sent you the $3000 bill 12 months later I presume?

Did they offer the $300 settlement after you called to complain?

[Thudz]

Take home message....read your mail!

Glad to hear it worked out, but I'm a bit confused.

The hospital said you owed, $3000, but the letter they sent you said the settlement would be less than 300? When did the letter for the $300 settlement arrive? After they sent you the $3000 bill 12 months later I presume?

Did they offer the $300 settlement after you called to complain?

The mail looked like junk mail. We usually stack that up and weed through it when we have the opportunity.

The timeline was...

Maggie born and stays extra 3 days in the hospital.

1 year later hospital sends $3000 bill. I call hospital to see what this is all about. One week prior was first attempt to process with my current coverage.

2 weeks later settlement for $300 comes in the mail and filtered as junk.

2 weeks later bill for $300 comes in the mail.

[Vanraw]

Hope Maggie is ok. Everything checked out in the end?

[Arsilon]

How about this one.....

My son had some medical procedure done a while back. As per usual we get like 4 different bills. One from the doctor and three others from the medical facility where the procedure was performed (one for the anesthesiologist, one for the surgery suite, and another for misc. crap that was used during the procedure).

I called my insurance company to find out what the deal was with the out of network charges since they amounted to several thousand dollars. Since they were billed separately, my insurance had no idea how to deal with it and told me I was on my own to work it out with each of the providers as they pay the providers as they are billed.

When I called my doctor, they explained that they only deal with the insurance for their own services and that I would have to call the surgery facility to deal with them on my own. I explained that I never engaged their services as I went to see *you* about this issue, you told me this is what needed to be done to fix it, told me to show up at 8:00 am at that place and several hours later stuck a prescription slip in my hand and sent me on my way.

So I call the other providers and they told me they are not on my insurance and so I was charged out-of-network fees. When I told them that was absurd since I was never even asked where I wanted the procedure done and who I wanted to do the work other than my own doctor who is in-network. Am I supposed to tell my doctor where he can perform the procedure? Am I supposed to go find another doctor that happens to use an out-patient facility that is in my network? It made no sense to me whatsoever.

The response "Oh, never mind then." and that was the last I heard of it.

[Hoofhurr]

Sounds like a broken system.

[Thudz]

Hope Maggie is ok. Everything checked out in the end?

Yes she is fine. Only the original blood test return positive.

[Thudz]

Sounds like a broken system.

In my case the insurances did nothing wrong. It was the hospital that failed to follow my orginal instructions and then waited a year to notify me about it. I don't fault either of my insurers. The hospital in this case messed up the bill processing so I think they felt obligated to offer me a deal.

[Thudz]

How about this one.....

My son had some medical procedure done a while back. As per usual we get like 4 different bills. One from the doctor and three others from the medical facility where the procedure was performed (one for the anesthesiologist, one for the surgery suite, and another for misc. crap that was used during the procedure).

I called my insurance company to find out what the deal was with the out of network charges since they amounted to several thousand dollars. Since they were billed separately, my insurance had no idea how to deal with it and told me I was on my own to work it out with each of the providers as they pay the providers as they are billed.

When I called my doctor, they explained that they only deal with the insurance for their own services and that I would have to call the surgery facility to deal with them on my own. I explained that I never engaged their services as I went to see *you* about this issue, you told me this is what needed to be done to fix it, told me to show up at 8:00 am at that place and several hours later stuck a prescription slip in my hand and sent me on my way.

So I call the other providers and they told me they are not on my insurance and so I was charged out-of-network fees. When I told them that was absurd since I was never even asked where I wanted the procedure done and who I wanted to do the work other than my own doctor who is in-network. Am I supposed to tell my doctor where he can perform the procedure? Am I supposed to go find another doctor that happens to use an out-patient facility that is in my network? It made no sense to me whatsoever.

The response "Oh, never mind then." and that was the last I heard of it.

I always press my doctors to keep all services in network. If they can't refer us to a service in network then we don't go. I learned that a long time ago. If I were you I'd get something in writing or else I have a feeling these bill will come back to bite you. Hope it works out.

[Kakarat]

How about this one.....

My son had some medical procedure done a while back. As per usual we get like 4 different bills. One from the doctor and three others from the medical facility where the procedure was performed (one for the anesthesiologist, one for the surgery suite, and another for misc. crap that was used during the procedure).

I called my insurance company to find out what the deal was with the out of network charges since they amounted to several thousand dollars. Since they were billed separately, my insurance had no idea how to deal with it and told me I was on my own to work it out with each of the providers as they pay the providers as they are billed.

When I called my doctor, they explained that they only deal with the insurance for their own services and that I would have to call the surgery facility to deal with them on my own. I explained that I never engaged their services as I went to see *you* about this issue, you told me this is what needed to be done to fix it, told me to show up at 8:00 am at that place and several hours later stuck a prescription slip in my hand and sent me on my way.

So I call the other providers and they told me they are not on my insurance and so I was charged out-of-network fees. When I told them that was absurd since I was never even asked where I wanted the procedure done and who I wanted to do the work other than my own doctor who is in-network. Am I supposed to tell my doctor where he can perform the procedure? Am I supposed to go find another doctor that happens to use an out-patient facility that is in my network? It made no sense to me whatsoever.

The response "Oh, never mind then." and that was the last I heard of it.

The billing should have worked as this. I am using 'General Contractor' knowledge.

General contractor - Doctor
Plumber - Medical facility bill 1
drywaller - Medical facility bill 2
Concrete - Medical facility bill 3

The plumber, drywaller and contrete work are all billed to the General Contractor.
The General Contractor bills you with the 3 of his bills included.
Insurance takes care of the bill from the General Contractor.