Are you kidding me?

[kellyt]

We all know just how long it takes for hospitals to bill insurance, get multiple denials, re-bill insurance, receive payment, bill secondary, etc. etc. before sending the patient their responsibility invoice.

Now, my transplant was performed on Nov 5, 2008 (almost three months ago).  I've been receiving invoice after invoice from the hospital all stating "pending insurance".  I've been keeping up with all their invoices, as well as all my EOB's from Humana and just waiting for any that have a balance owed by me.

Last week I received my first invoice for my portion (deductible) for $1,590.55.  The invoice is dated 01/21/09.  The same day I receive a separate letter from the hospital stating "Your insurance has paid and this is the remaining balance and it's your responsibility.  We would appreciate prompt payment...".   THE SAME DAY I received the invoice.   Okay, fine.

TODAY I receive a letter stating my account with the hospital has been turned over to collections!   WTF?   First, it hasn't even been three months since DOS.  Second, I just received the first invoice last week!

I was going to pay in full, but now I think I'll send them $5 month.  Screw those idiots!     

[lola]

OMG can they let you open the mail for godsake!!! Like they haven't already gotten a very nice check from your INS. If they didn't add finance charges I'd send them a $1 a month.

[kellyt]

They don't add finance charges!  And I just might reduce it to $1/month!  Good idea, Lola!   

[kitkatz]

A penny a week might be hilarious! 

[Wenchie58]

K.
  Let them know that you are learned in the ways of waiting lists.....and now they are on yours.  As soon as "funds" become available, they will me tested for match and then will be transplanted from your account into theirs.

[kitkatz]

     I dare you to tell them that!

[Romona]

 

[G-Ma]

Wenchie..can I borrow that for future reference???   

[Wenchie58]

Sure!  I just thunk it up!  lol

[kellyt]

 

[Chris]

I like your thinkin Wenchie. I also would be fuming mad at the hospital and bitchin at them asking them for an explanation. You have all the documents, so they better produce some with dates. I hate these billing idiots.

[paddbear0000]

I have been in this exact position before (except it was a $10,000 hospital bill--no insurance)! And ended up having to declare bankruptcy. Those damn collection agencies ruined my credit too. Be warned--it will show up on your credit report!!And they WILL start charging a "service charge" of some sort. And only paying $5 a month will kill your credit. I did the same thing, except it was $25. That's all I could afford to send them a month after the bills were paid! Send the collection agency a letter immediately (signature required and return receipt required would be the safest way to go for proof). If you do that, by law, they can not try to collect on the balance for 30 days. This will give you time to get things straightened out with the hospital. And if they do try to collect, via a letter or phone calls, they are in violation of the law. I went through this, and let me tell you, even an empty threat of getting a lawyer involved (remember the proof of mailing, and that letter they may have sent or that phone record of them calling?), things get fixed REAL fast! Unfortunately, I had medical bills up in the mid $20,000 range, so arrangements were a little hard to do and accommodate, thus the bankruptcy.

[kellyt]

I was finally able to speak with someone today about the invoice and the collection letter.  Apparently, the letter is just that - a letter.  If I don't respond to the letter or make payment arrangements within 30 days then it goes to collections.  I told her to remove it immediately and it had better not show up on my credit report.  She said she would put a note in my file and then I told her I was sending a payment today.

She said "We usually send those letters 90 days from DOS".  Bull crap!  I had the EOB from my insurance and they just made their payment the beginning of Dec.  She did say that she showed no other invoices sent.  Yeah, duh!  I got the invoice, a demand for payment letter and a letter from collection all within a week of each other!

I wonder if they even sent the balance to Medicare?   Would Medicare even pick up my deductible? I need to call again tomorrow and ask just to be sure.

What are the skills required to work in the billing department for a hospital anyway?  You must own your own pen or be willing to buy one prior to your first day on the job?  Stupid!

[kellyt]

Still even more...     

I got my new invoice last week.  Actually, I received two invoices.  One showed a remaining balance of $1390.55 (reflecting my $200 payment in January) and the second invoice showed the original balance of $1590.55.  Now, honestly I knew I could have just thrown the $1590.55 invoice in the trash.  But no.  I decided to call.   

I asked the poor woman who answered the phone why I had received two invoices and I wanted to know what the computer showed as my balance duee.  She told me my balance was indeed $1390.55 and that the other invoice must have been generated before my payment had been received.  This, we all know, is B.S.  The two invoices were dated within two days of each other.  I have come to know that is the standard "excuse".  Blame it on the computer.

Anyway, she asked if I had been set up on a "payment plan" yet and I said that I thought I had.  She checked and in fact I had not.  Go figure.  I said go ahead and set me up and I will pay $200/month.  She set it up and said that in the next few weeks I'll receive a "Payment Plan Invoice" with a payment coupon showing the $200 payment to be made.  I then said it is highly possible that I may make payments of more than $200, but wasn't sure.  Here is how the conversation went from there (downhill):

Her:    "That's fine, but if you make a payment less than $200 then you will have broken your promise and your account will then go into default".

Me:  "And what does "default" mean?".  Wanting her to say I'd be sent to collections so I could properly rip her a new one...

Her:    "Nothing.  It just means you broke your payment plan promise and your account is in default."

Me:   "But what happens then?  Does the balance become immediately due or what?"

Her:  "No.  You just broke your payment agreement promise.  Nothing happens except that next month you won't receive the Payment Plan Invoice, you'll receive a regular invoice."   oooooo!

Me:   "So what?"   I was thoroughly confused at their system at this time.

Me:   "So, if I don't set up a payment plan I can send any amount I want?"

Her:  "Yes."     

This lady and I went round and round.  She was mad at me.   

Does this system make sense to ANYONE?  Oh, jeez, I don't want to "break my promise", especially if there are NO consequences for doing so!

To tell the truth, had I not received the collection threat letter with my first invoice I would have paid the entire balance due all at once.  But now they can wait.  This is utterly ridiculous.  AND it's not even a large balance.  I could understand if I owed thousands of dollars.   

[paris]

Kelly, what a mess.  I hate dealing with billing.   I got a notice last week that I owed $400 from testing done in Dec.07.   Where has that bill been, why now and who goofed up?  Of course, they want it now.  I don't like calling insurance company to see if they know why this wasn't paid.  I don't like calling the hospital billing--they have no clue what is going on.  Everytime you think you have everything paid and you are a dollar ahead, someone tells you that you owe more.   

Also, regarding paying the hospital; my friends had a very sick baby with cancer.  (They named her for me)  She was in the hospital for a couple of months before she died.  John and Laurie owed a half a million dollars after insurance paid their part.  Not many can pay that bill.  They made an agreement to pay $10 a week until paid off.  Almost 30 years later, they are still paying. It has never effected their credit rating or held them back in getting home loans, etc.  But how sad to still be paying for hospital bills for a child they lost so long ago.

[paddbear0000]

I've had that exact same conversation with a hospital before. Didn't understand their system then, and I don't now either.