Today I received a bill from the hospital where I received my radiation indicating that on a bill for over $30,000, my insurance paid $1,200 and that I now owe a little over $29,000. What a surprise. Tomorrow I start the investigative processes. I have not received a denial from the insurance company so I am at a loss here.

I recall being told by my oncologist that stress was my worst enemy while I was treated for and recovering from this disease. I wish someone would share that information with the insurance companies.

I'm not too worried - something my dad used to say about blood from a turnip.

Patty

WOW!!!!

Have you called your insurance company or the hospital? Ive noticed my insurance company has been kinda slow paying this year. I ended up with a whopper of a bill myself and called the hospital who resubmitted it saying it should have been covered.

Yor statement sounds like one of mine patty. If you can't beat them, tell them at lost you can afford $5 a month. They have to acceptable reasonable offers to pay.. I have 6 payments going on monthly. It can beat you down if you let it. Make your offer and they will accept it.

Definitely look into it...maybe they coded something wrong - I had that happen once. They got it straightened out and it was taken care of. It may just be a mistake on their end, or maybe they haven't received the information they need to approve the bill yet. Get them on the phone and get some answers!

Patty,

Just as with our doctors we must be pro active with our insurance company. Ugh, the gift that keeps on giving thing!

Thanks for the pats on the back guys. I have my three ring binder that I have filed all the bills and the insurance statements by treatment date with me today so I can visit the billing office while I am ate speech therapy. Fortunately, I was just approved for Medicaid since my company insurance is ending (another letter that came in the mail that is being protested - the policy that was explained to me gave me coverage until May) and I am drawing disability now (another interesting process - the 5 month waiting period). They will back pay to Nov 08 which is when my radiation started so if this is horribly true, I have an option. First I must figure out what the hospital has been told by the insurance company since i have looked at all my statements again this morning and see nothing. (sorry to bore you - thinking out loud) There is here and was in AZ another person with my exact name. Once I was spoken to about her blood work by a doctor in AZ, and call ed by Wal mart to come get her lost credit card. Here they just try to use her account for my appointments so far - maybe her insurance denied it. LOL

I think that it is sad that people have to focus on things like this, which did stress me out all night despite the Xanax instead of getting well. Then I will deal with the idiots that have turned a 60 day old bill over to collection, while it is in the appeal process. I think I will plant some sweet peas today - St Patty's Day you are to plant your sweet peas.

Patty

I am sure that not all insurance people are bad guys but I do think that they (the companies) bank on people just accepting what they determine with no argument. The general populace does not understand their coverages and all the details of their policies and does not feel empowered to challenge the big insurance companies.

I understand insurance and know our policy and I still have problems with some of our EOB's (explanation of benefits.) The one time I did not follow-up on one of Bill's pet scans(out of town and raced home to prepare for a hurricane) and make sure that the hospital had preauthorized his procedure, it was denied because they were late with the preauthorization. So, sometimes its the provider and not the insurance companies.

The whole insurance thing is a big fat nightmare for all of us. Everytime I deal with it, I wonder how many people have debt because they don't understand it.

Deb

Call the insurance company and ask why only $1200 was covered. Get the name of the person you spoke to and if you aren't getting a reasonable explanation, ask to speak to a supervisor.
Almost sounds like they covered one treatment and didn't cover the rest, i.e. the clerk processing the claim didn't realize it was for 30 treatments at xxxx$ each. The other possibility is your insurance was terminated after one treatment. As for the collection acgency, call them and tell them this is the first you knew of the bill and that you are pursuing this with the insurance company. It is my understanding that your credit rating can NOT be affected my unpaid medical payments. Let us know what happens. I think I spend half my life on the phone to the insurance ompnat getting mispaid bills corrected.

Take care,
Eieen