Another way the man tries to stick it to us: Hospitals sending 'notifications' that your insurance has been billed-designed specifically to look like bills in the hopes that you send them the money-NOW- and then never notice that your insurance eventually pays. Case in point: One recent such 'notice' for medical services provided. Observe:
OK, #1 and #2: The date of the letter (February 12th, 2008) and the date that my insurance was billed (February 5th, 2008). So they're sending this notice a week after the insurance was billed. Like they expect a payment in a week??? PUH-lease! Granted my insurance is pretty efficient-the last time my daughter had a blood test done, we got the explanation of benefits BEFORE the hematologist got the results...at this same hospital. But damn if it didn't take them but one week to get this notice sent!
Ok, onward and downward-now, read number 3 and 3.2: see a pattern here? BOTH THESE SENTENCES SAY THE SAMETHING!!! Which is that on the reverse side of the paper is a summary of charges that will NOT be covered by my insurance carrier. Now, See exhibit # 2
(note: I did the highlighting). Now....does not this letter say 'any charges that will not be covered by your insurance". But the charges listed here-$4,620.00-are THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF ALL CHARGES....SO.....you see what's going on here. They're hoping to confuse me into sending $4.620.00 (as if!). You think this is far-fetched? Well, they also included this handy-dandy envelope;
Still not convinced? Well, my mother fell for this after her cancer surgery at Mayo Clinics in Rochester, MN back in 2004. They sent her one of these 'notices' that arrived about the same time she got home from the hospital. Now if you know my mother then the thought of her as a helpless old lady is sure to evoke a spontaneous guffaw. But, being medicated (and not used to it) as well as the emotional fallout from having narrowly missed the Big C Life sentence (because, yes they DID cure her) plus the deluge of after-care appointments, doctor's statements etc she was kind of on auto-bill-paying-pilot. Luckily she has her own private army of myself and my four brothers. When she told me, I was like, " Ma! You have Medigap, they pay that."-and they did. But she had to inquire in order to get her payment back and it took like 6 months-and this was nigh on $900.00 were talking here, which she had taken out of one of her CD's no doubt. Did they reimburse her lost interest? Hell no! If she had been delinquent paying a $900.00 bills would they have charged her fines and possible interest? Hell yes!
Be Forewarned! Arm yourself with KNOWLEDGE!!!
