I got a bill the other day from the
company who provided the Jevity liquid food
while I was on the PEG tube.
It's been almost a year and a half since I
bought my last case of Jevity from them, and I paid cash each time (my insurance co-pay).

When I asked them what was the bill for, the
reply was "overdue account". I asked to see the
account, and was told that it was not available.
I pulled out my receipts and insurance statements
...all paid in full...and they wanted copies.

A large percentage of the folks who use these
services are elderly and/or very ill.
I informed them that I sure hope they aren't
taking advantage of folks like us. They assured
me that wasn't the case, but it sure looked bad
to me.
I normally don't keep receipts for more than a
year, but now I will! O-O

You are so right about keeping the paperwork. When my dad was getting confused and I took over his finances, I remember many times when I spotted overcharges. I didn't then, and I don't now believe they were all errors. While I am not a conspiracy nut, I do believe there are people who count on ill and elderly people not to keep a sharp eye out for spurious billings. A good post, Powerlifter.

Chiming in with Joanna, I had the same experience when caregiving for my Dad. Whether the system is that screwed up or screwing Medicare is a rampant problem was quite disturbing to me. I actually was forced to set up a database in Excel to track everything. I am sure that Medicare is to blame also for the strange ways that they reimburse.

Ultimately we all pay the price.

Having an HMO that covers virtually everything has made my book keeping a lot easier...

Ahh...a little taste of why I don't worry about the US economy having an impact on my employment...sorry a little humor...thrown on a very sad situation. We've done a great job messing up healthcare coverage in this country!

While there certainly are a fair share of dishonest folks out there trying to make a buck off insurance companies, government programs, and honest patients/families, there are also a large number of folks and institutions out there who make mistakes unknowingly (no excuse I know) and...my personal favorite...hire people who know nothing about what they are doing...have no experience or education...and are so under paid and under trained they have no incentive to do their job correctly. Many of us would argue that the desire to do something right should be inherent or those folks should not do the job but it s a tight market and people need work...it's a vicious cycle.

In any case, it is a great idea to keep all of your bills, EOBs (Explanations of Benefits from your insurance company), canceled checks, receipts, etc. for each and every service, treatment, item, drug, etc that you purchase or consume during the course of your treatment. Hospitals are required to keep records (generally) for 7-10 years and I would recommend we all do the same. Create a filing system (or ask a trusted friend or family member to do this job for you) using some bankers boxes if necessary to track everything. I would suggest logging every date of service and keeping the log handy as a reference. I have developed a simple spreadsheet you can use (feel free to modify...if you do not have MS Excel...let me know and I can send it in another format)...feel free to email me and I will send it to you (or perhaps Brian can tell me how to post it?).
Amy

I just got another bill, this time from the
hospital for almost $1000. I haven't been to
that hospital for well over a year and a half.
I called the folks there and asked what was the
bill for and was told "Oh it's probably co-pays".
I informed her that it's been over a year and
a half, and was told "Well, we are behind on
billing". I'm not gonna drop a check in the mail
for "probably co-pays", so I asked for details.
She couldn't find them. I told her that I have
all my bills AND receipts, and that I was
throwing this bill in the trash. She wasn't very
happy about that. I really doubt that this hospital is taking advantage of cancer folks, this seems more like incompetence. O-O