2007 started out with a bang...well, pain, definitely. We've spent the time following the surgery trying to fix the hospital's mistake with insurance billing. I was notified a few months ago that I had an account going to collections...and account I didn't know existed, nor that they had used. HELLO! I didn't go to med school, no one really told me (nor Eric) about the procedure or the apparent testing (I know, obviously it makes sense, but if you don't know it is happening, you don't think about it being charged to you) on the gall bladder. So, this account turns up in collections and they are threatening to send it to my credit report. Again, HELLO! I have good credit for a reason. Don't you think contacting me personally might take care of the situation? No, let's pull the big dogs out.
Anyway, I got that lady to get me enough information to track down the pathologist and speak to her billing department. No problem, the lady is nice and takes down all my correct info and sends it to our insurance. She also assures me that she will tie the dogs back up so to speak.
Then yesterday, I receive another call. This time from a rude lady with the collections/law firm (I hope this isn't the kind of intern you are looking for, Ryan!). She WILL NOT give me any information and refuses to give me any contact information from the collecting office. Amazingly, I'm not a bimbo. I actually know to make records when I call on things. So, when I got off with this lady, I pulled through all my documents with this surgery and voila! found the pathologist information again and called Nice Lady and the Billing Department. She calls back and acknowledges her office's inability to collect from the insurance due to them not "filling in a timely manner" (which, our insurance already told me this was the reason and that they could not bill me for this). She promised to send the information to her supervisor and to "disregard that notice". So, I'm disregarding the notice and we'll see what happens in another couple months when they send out the dogs again.
My question is thus: why do patients have to go through so much turmoil for medical care and yet doctors are always being put away as it being so hard on them b/c of malpractice insurance? I mean (and, no offense, Jules, I'm just being devil's advocate on this one), the doctor is the one driving the huge expensive cars (yes, plural) while the lowly patient, myself, is struggling to meet the daily care bills.
Okay, enough of my soap box. Just a little frustrated with that. I have insurance for a reason and that should be enough!
4 comments:
No offense taken. I'm frustrated with healthcare too. My husband is a DR. and I can't get decent care for my kids. In all fairness, the problem usually is with the insurance company and not the doctor. We just finally paid off Anna's bills from her hospital trip and surgery a year and half ago. We would still be paying except the surgeon didn't charge us his end of the bill. Bless his heart. I guess we are still paying for them though because we had to take out more loans just to cover them. anyway, I think your problem here is with billing because they should have sent you a bill so you knew it would have to be paid. We got the collection calls for a bill we weren't getting either. lots of fun. Let's just hope that Hillary care doesn't get passed because if that is the case no one will be able to see a doc. in a timely fashion.
Oh, and we are having a problem getting katie on our insurance so she has gone 2 weeks with out a much needed prescription because it costs $200 with out insurance. i wish I could just set my crying baby in there office to hurry things along
Seriously? That's insane!
Yeah, this whole surgery issue was at the fault of the lady at check-in who didn't verify any information. Hopefully this is finished. Yeah, I don't need Hillary-care. I love Cigna. They've been so awesome for us!
I hope Katie gets on your insurance soon. That's just ridiculous!!
Oh, don't get me started on health care. I do sympathize with you guys, but just try adding medical equiptment (wheelchairs, braces, standing frames, lifts, etc...) and medical stuff becomes impossible. Finding a job scares me because if i don't have some insurance, it'll be scary. I have medicaid and I am no fan of government-run healthcare. OIt is s-l-o-w. It took a year and a half of uncertainty (they told me Nellie could go at any second. She didn't thankfully, but it did change some plans). It has been going on 3 years (I know cause I got 3 percrisptions so far and they last a year, to get a standing frame...and don't get me started on the physical therapy I totally respond too but they refuse to give me more off. I would kill for insurance.
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