Patient Advocate Insurance Consultant Extraordinaire
I've got his system down.
We get medical bills on a daily basis and some of them are from almost a year ago. Who screwed that one up? Anyhow, it's crazy how a provider will send us a bill and then I will call BCBS and they will say "Ms. Dunkle, we paid that claim on XYZ date and we show your patient responsibility at $0". So then I call the provider who is trying to scam me for more money and their response is "Oh, Ms. Dunkle, you're correct. That claim was paid in full. Your balance is $0".
WHAT??? How many people just pay their bills and never know if they really even owe it???
Nap time today was spent going through the stack calling BCBS and then calling the providers to see what is really owed and what is not.
My next mission is to start negotiating the bills that we owe. I got my idea from this article. And yes, there is a little sense of guilt because Geoff did have these medical services performed, but the other part of me says it's okay too. At least that's what I tell myself.
I'm here to help if you've got questions.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
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6 comments:
SO feel for you!! This is oh so familiar! We actually make about 4 of these phone calls a day. It's insane! And you're right, I think they do it b/c some people just go ahead and pay them. CRAZY! Sorry you're dealing with this on top of everything else!
I totally understand the whole 'dealing with insurance' thing. I currently have a HUGE pile of bills to pay. You see, we get all the medical bills in January and February....because by the end of Feb we have paid so much that our out of pocket limit for the year is reached. and then I don't see a bill again until the next year. I got my tax return today...guess where it'll be going :)
Yep, it's a total scam. I'm sure a lot of people go ahead and pay it, just think of elderly or people that speak English as their second language.
My favorite are the bills that show up for the difference between the providers charge and the contracted amount. Uh, sorry, can't bill me for that, you're the one that agreed to accept that lower rate with the insurance company.
I deal with this on a weekly basis too, so I am feeling your pain sister. I spent 2 1/2 hours this week trying to deal with UHC and the pump supply company trying to figure out where the $1200 payment went. I HATE dealing with crappy insurance companies and outsourced billing.
I think it is a great idea to negotiate (Carl used to ask for discounts all the time, and he often received them).
And yeah, as far as the insurance stuff -- total, total scam. I received a bill a couple of months ago, with past due charges, for an ultrasound from July 07. I knew I had already paid the bill but I still had to argue with them until they finally decided to believe me. What a hassle. I really feel for the people who aren't able to stand up for themselves when it comes to this stuff.
Negotiate away. I had my dermatologist bill my insurance for something at $350, but the insurance was from my old job, so no longer valid. When I got the EOB and called my dermatologist's office to explain that I needed to pay because I didn't have insurance at the time of service, it was instantly dropped to $90. WHAT?!?!? It's all a scam.
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