Hospital sends me a bill after 2 years

[trizav]

Hello,

where do i start! About 2 years ago I had a new baby and recieved the bills like normal, I set up a pament plan to what I owe and paid them off Feb. 2008. Today or August 2008 I recieve a letter from the Hospital that says " THESE ACCOUNT BALANCES ARE STILL DUE. FOE SOME REASON NEVER WENT TO BUSINESS OFFICE(the place where they do payment plans and take payments) AND WERE NEVER PAID. CAN SET UP FOR BUSINESS OFFICE AT THIS TIME OR IF PAID IN FULL CAN GIVE A 20% DISCOUNT" I apparently owe $3,172. Do I have any negociation room here since they took 2 years to figure out that there were more bills? I am very frustarated about this and I know they wont work with me on a payment plan I can afford. I would be greatful for any help

[will35010]

Hello,

where do i start! About 2 years ago I had a new baby and recieved the bills like normal, I set up a pament plan to what I owe and paid them off Feb. 2008. Today or August 2008 I recieve a letter from the Hospital that says " THESE ACCOUNT BALANCES ARE STILL DUE. FOE SOME REASON NEVER WENT TO BUSINESS OFFICE(the place where they do payment plans and take payments) AND WERE NEVER PAID. CAN SET UP FOR BUSINESS OFFICE AT THIS TIME OR IF PAID IN FULL CAN GIVE A 20% DISCOUNT" I apparently owe $3,172. Do I have any negociation room here since they took 2 years to figure out that there were more bills? I am very frustarated about this and I know they wont work with me on a payment plan I can afford. I would be greatful for any help

Did you have insurance at the time? If so, I'd tell them to talk to them. I would also get a complete accounting of your bills. And show them where they said it was paid in full.

Just my two cents worth.

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

If you really owe the bill then you really owe the bill, their incompetence in billing you timely or even coordinating with/between their own departments notwithstanding.

However, before I'd send them one more penny, I'd be crafting a letter demanding a complete accounting of every single thing they are charging you for and showing everything they've been paid (whether by you or a third-party) and demand they explain why only "now" they've discovered this additional amount is owed.

I'd send a separate copy of that letter to the COO/CEO of the hospital.

How/when/if they respond will dictate your next move.

You certainly have a right to negotiate a payment plan that is fair and that you can afford; how willing they'll be to work with you is anyone's guess at this point.

[Donna47129]

Hey OP:

If you had insurance at the time and they did not submit these bills to your insurance company within 1 year you are not responsible for any portion that would have been paid or written off by the insurance.

If applicable, call your insurance provider and see if they did in fact file or not.

[Donna47129]

One more thing, you would have to have proof that you did give them your insurance info, which you would easily have if other bills from them were paid by the insurance.

[trizav]

Thank you for your replies. I did have Insurence during the time of the event, So, I guess I will be writing a letter asking for all the original billing info. and why it took them 2 years to get this bill to me. Again, thank you for your help.

[jrbauto1]

Hello, I had really good results negotiating through the BBB. After I complained because my bill was two years old before I learned of it from not one but two different collection agencies. Congrats on the new baby:-) Hang in there!

[momof5]

Some people have good luck with this some dont.

I had a doctor send me a bill 2 yrs after the treatment. I had paid my co-pay in his office the rest would have been paid by insurance. Insurance companies can deny payment (SOL) after 1 year. The insurance company refused to pay....and ultimately so did I.

I used the BBB/AG/AMA, anyone I could think of to get rid of this. I even offered the dipstick doctor's office payment in full for a PFD and they said no. I told the witch that I would never pay it then. She start spewing about their collection agency....and I started spewing that SOL in SC is 3 yrs and treatment was over 3 yrs ago. She (the office manager who was obviously not qualified for her job) couldn't believe that after 3 years you didn't have to pay!

Next May that stinking CA ages off.

What is pathetic is that doc COULD have been paid and now he never will be AND their CA??? -> well, they sent me a couple of letters...nothing more, but they DID validate AND then verified every year I disputed.

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

....If you had insurance at the time and they did not submit these bills to your insurance company within 1 year you are not responsible for any portion that would have been paid or written off by the insurance.

Perhaps it's a sate law in IN but as far as I know, a medical provider doesn't even have to send you a bill; they can send an unpaid account directly to a CA if they wish - billing the patient or an insurance company is a courtesy.

In fact, that's exactly what happened to me, a Dr I had never seen and wasn't even aware of (he read a test and provided his opinion) never billed me at all and I didn't even know this idiot or his bill existed until a CA contacted me.

However, if it's true...great...I wish I had known!

[Donna47129]

It is true for Indiana and Kentucky, but I'll have to check Monday upon my return to work if it applies to all states and will post same.

[trizav]

Thanks for looking into it. I look check it out when I get my itemized bill back.

[trizav]

Hello,

where do i start! About 2 years ago I had a new baby and recieved the bills like normal, I set up a pament plan to what I owe and paid them off Feb. 2008. Today or August 2008 I recieve a letter from the Hospital that says " THESE ACCOUNT BALANCES ARE STILL DUE. FOE SOME REASON NEVER WENT TO BUSINESS OFFICE(the place where they do payment plans and take payments) AND WERE NEVER PAID. CAN SET UP FOR BUSINESS OFFICE AT THIS TIME OR IF PAID IN FULL CAN GIVE A 20% DISCOUNT" I apparently owe $3,172. Do I have any negociation room here since they took 2 years to figure out that there were more bills? I am very frustarated about this and I know they wont work with me on a payment plan I can afford. I would be greatful for any help

:evil:Alittle update. I spoke to my benefits office and Ins. company to find out that when the hospital said they billed me in Nov. and Dec. 2005 I was not coved, but I told my benefits and Ins. that I was and they looked into it to find out that I was covered. Then they said it is to late to do an appeal. If I were going to do an appeal it would have to be with in 1 year. Should I not pay, since the Ins. did not, will not pay? I am still waiting on an itemized list from the hospital to make sure they are my bills and to make sure I am not being doubled billed. Thanks for all the help

[Robert Nashville/Savannah]

:evil:Alittle update. I spoke to my benefits office and Ins. company to find out that when the hospital said they billed me in Nov. and Dec. 2005 I was not coved, but I told my benefits and Ins. that I was and they looked into it to find out that I was covered. Then they said it is to late to do an appeal. If I were going to do an appeal it would have to be with in 1 year. Should I not pay, since the Ins. did not, will not pay? I am still waiting on an itemized list from the hospital to make sure they are my bills and to make sure I am not being doubled billed. Thanks for all the help

Insurance or not, it is the patient that is responsible for the entire bill; so, if insurance will not cover the charges (and assuming the charges are legitimate) then you may well have to pay them or be forced to pay them (through litigation)

I doubt you can just ignore this because of the amount of money involved.

Your only other option is to keep fighting to get the charges covered by your insurance...that may be by filing complaints (BBB, your State AG, FTC, AMA, your state representative, etc.) or perhaps even going to court...whether this is worth that kind of effort you'll just have to decide. I can only say that with $3K on the line, I'd probably keep fighting to get them covered.

[Donna47129]

Sorry it took so long to get back, I've had a lot going on and haven't been on here for a week or so, but here's the answer I got back from our insurance broker, who knows what he's talking about:

Anytime an insured incurs a health care claim under a health insurance contract that claim has to be submitted to the health insurance provider within 12 months of the date of the claim. After that, the insurance carrier is not liable for the claim.

However, it is the insured's responsibility to see that claims are filed timely because, ultimately, it is the responsibility of the insured to pay the bill. So, the insured is responsible for the bill at all times.

This is not to say that the insured does not have recourse against the provider in the below referenced situation. There is no law pertaining to this issue, so the insured will have to consult an attorney. Since the physician's office does accept the responsibility of filing claims, as well as most providers, they do have some culpability. I just don't know to what extent this may apply.

Sorry I don't have a firm answer for you, but it is a grey area.

Now, we did have someone that used the above and got the bill deleted because they were able to prove that the provider had submitted other bills but did not submit one particular. Because of their error, they had to "eat" the charge.

Good luck!

[par]

What is the statue of limitations in your state?

[trizav]

What is the statue of limitations in your state?

Oral Written Promissory Open-ended

IN 6 10 10 6

Why do you ask?