Hi All,
I am rather frustrated with an invoice I just received from MD Anderson and wanted to see if anyone else has has this issue.
I received an invoice in the mail today with outstanding balances for my MD Anderson follow-up visits dating back to 2011. I have never seen these charges before. I had assumed I wasn't receiving invoices from MD Anderson because either my insurance was covering it all or the invoice was going to my parents' house, but apparently this was not the case. I even checked the billing history online and I have not received an invoice from the hospital since March 2012.

Has anyone else experienced this, or know the reason? Luckily I have good insurance so it's not an outrageous amount (for 3 years of CT scans and appointments), but still... $2,600 is not an easy bill to pay when you aren't expecting it. I was getting ready to buy a new car but that will now have to wait. I am going to call and talk to customer service Monday to see what the deal is, but I am sure they won't give me any type of break.

Thanks for y'all's help!

That stinks, Emily!!!! I wonder what caused such a delay? Maybe they can resubmit the bills and get more covered. Try negotiating the bill to lower it. I always say ... if you dont ask, you dont get. Often it works, but sometimes it doesnt.

Good luck and please keep us posted on what they have to say about this.

Wow, Emily !- it sure looks like the hospital's accounting department may have messed up somehow. Common sense would suggest that they give you some leeway after not sending statements for such a long time. When I was helping my son send payments to all the different hospital departments and it got pretty difficult, their nice Account Dept lady told us we could pay even very small amounts each month. Most hospitals can accommodate patients with lower payments when the need arises. When you call, ask to speak to someone regarding what seems to be an accounting problem. Be very sweet and get the name of the person, in case you have to call back later. Explain how the large bill will create a hardship for you if you have to pay it all at once and ask if they can help you in some way. Most important: EXPECT a positive outcome . . . it could happen!

I see the billed vs the adjusted on my insurance forms and just wonder how they expect anyone to pay out of pocket.

For instance a single doctor 1/2hr followup: billed 215, insurance says 35 dollars allowed. My copay is $25 so the insurance is out $10. A guy oun his own would have to negotiate the office staff down $180.

I guess my point is I would negotiate like hell with these folks.

When I got a bill that was right at a year old, I called them. They offered to reduce it by 50% since it was their mistake. If they don't offer, you should ask. You would be surprised how many doctors and hospitals will settle for less. Avoid any anger over just getting this bill; mistakes happen in the best of circumstances and you'll always catch more flies with honey, as they say. Good luck!

Thanks so much for y'all's advice! I will definitely talk to them. Thank God for insurance though - I am only paying 10% out of pocket so it could have been much uglier. I'll let you know what they say!