BILLS!

I've been steadily getting bills now, some that date from the beginning of all this. I have no idea why they wait so long to send bills, then they get really irate and say it's 90 days past due when you haven't seen a bill before this! As far as I knew they may have been paid already since I didn't hear anything! WHile we were on vacation in July I had a message on my cell from the surgeon's office, for example. She said my bill is past due and I need to call right away to arrange payment. I was surprised since I hadn't seen a bill from them at all. I called back the next day and the woman who answered was apologetic. She said the woman was not supposed to call (personally, I thought she sounded a bit threatening) but just go through the bills, which HAD NOT been sent. They would be filed with insurance and I would be notified if there was a balance. LOL, I got the impression that "Summer" was no longer with them. Anyway now it's September and I still have not gotten a bill from them.

I did finally go through all of my EOBs that have been piling up. I had been sticking them in a box. Now I used my 3 hole punch on them and put them in date order in a binder. The EOBs alone are over an inch thick already! I did the same with all bills, whether paid or unpaid.

When I added everything up, it totals almost $1000 OVER my max out-of-pocket. So before I start paying everyone, I put a call in to my insurance co to see what's up with that. I am waiting to hear back from them - hopefully today.

I used to be a CSR for the health insurance agent and I was the one who would call the companies on behalf of the insured. I dealt with health insurance issues on a daily basis and knew how each kind of policy works. What we have is a new one on me and I am still confused by how it works, although I am getting a better understanding. What I do know is that co-pay doesn't go against the max out-of-pocket (Whoa, I hope the PT doesn't need a $20 copay every visit!!!), and that once I meet my max I should not have to pay anything BUT a copay (not everything requires a copay). I am still not sure exactly what DOES require a copay but they are supposed to collect it at the time of visit and it isn't more than $20, so I know that is not part of this mixup.

It's appalling to me to see the amount that is "written off" for those who have insurance. For instance, each chemo treatment is around $3000. All but $800 is written off. If I hadn't met my max I would then pay 20% of that. Yet the office says they don't take cash patients. Wouldn't it be in their best interest, as long as the patient HAS the cash? But then I've heard that uninsured patients can usually get the provider to accept what insurance would pay. Not sure if that is true. Why not just make that the charge in the first place if that's what they'll accept?

Anyway, I set aside money to pay all this but I am not going to pay more than I have to! So sorry if you haven't gotten your money yet but if you'd sent out the bill when the service was provided, you would have had it months ago!