I am so pissed off at how quickly medical bills are going to collections

[WCGreen]

As many of you know, I have been seriously ill for over a year and consequently, have amassed a fair amount of medical bills. So many that now, just to keep up with med's and doctors appointment, more that 30% of my income is taken up by those bills.

What bothers me is the delay in processing and the payment of bills to the providers of medical services fro the insurance companies.

For over eighth months, a doctor was sending me bills for the same service provided with deferent amounts each month. It took the insurance companies that long to respond or settle. I did not want to make any payment until it was settled simply because I know how hard it is to get a refund from a doctor if something is overpaid...

So, the day the doctors bill is settled up with the insurance company, they send my portion of the bill to collections...

I made two payments to the doctor, not to the collection agency and was then sent a nasty letter from the collection agency saying they would take legal action if the, get this, $37.50 of a bill that originally totaled $7,250.00 that remained unpaid....

I was so pissed off. I don't deal with that doctor anymore, thank god... But he did do a fairly good job for me while I was employing him...

So, to make a long story short, if you are still with me that is, I cut a check for the $37.50 and across the top of the bill I wrote....

I HOPE TO GOD YOU NEVER GET SICK! KEEP VOTING REPUBLICANS AND YOU WILL BE IN AS DEEP SHIT AS I AM!

Still paid the bill but got a little satisfaction......

I figure that is how I am sending all bills back to any agency I have to deal with now....

[Dogmudgeon]

1. Story of my life

I developed a low-grade cancer when I was 18. That was in 1976.

Utterly benign, the tumor was removed, but it had done some damage to my ear, sinuses, throat and balance. Long story short, my life became an unbroken chain of infections, vertigo, pain, and physician office visits.

I estimate that I am some quarter of a million dollars in debt -- theoretically. I have no credit. I will never be able to buy a house. And I ain't exactly marriage material now.

I don't even pay my bills now. I tell the intake person at the hospital I go to that I'm indigent. I don't go very often, and I am grateful for the help the people give me, so they don't treat me like a leper. (It also helps that I am white.)

It sucks, completely. And to think, if I was a Canadian citizen in 1976, I would not have had to spend a single minute worrying about my physical and financial survival.

There ain't no justice.

--p!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. Good morning to you, my dear WCGreen!

What a horrifying story....and boy am I with you on this subject...I loved what you wrote on the bill! That takes *um* chutzpah!

Keep on swinging at them....they deserve it!

:woohoo:

[WCGreen]

4. And a wondeful morning it tis.....

But I am heading back to bed cause it is already pushing 90....

[CaliforniaPeggy]

6. Please take good care of yourself!

So many are relying on you to be here...

:loveya:

[Samurai_Writer]

3. I can completely relate

Ever since my car accident in 1990, I have had the worst luck, health-wise. Not only the permanent back injury, but also my asthma has gotten worse as well. Between the two I am ALWAYS needing to go to the doctor or emergency room (asthma attacks).

Nearly all the bad debt on my credit report is from medical bills. I pay what I can, but as for the rest, I don't worry about it. I'm 44 and will never have good credit. Probably never own a house, either. I have a pickup truck, a mattress, and a tent for whenever it gets to the point I can't afford rent anymore.

Welcome to Corporate America.

[WCGreen]

5. The tent thing is a bit hard here in Ohio....

But, I'm close....

I rang up over $400 k in the last year.....

[Samurai_Writer]

7. Ouch! OK, you win.

And why do you think I don't leave the south? At least I won't freeze to death in the winter.

[WCGreen]

10. Florida needs all the Dems they can get

[Swede]

8. This sickens me.

I live in Canada and medical bills are something I only ever hear about. Why can't America,the richest nation on earth, have real medicare?

[WCGreen]

9. Because the bible says so..... Or some guy named Calvin

from Switerzerland.....

[miss_kitty]

11. I too have been ill a long time

Being hassled is no way to bolster the immune system. I am lucky I have a friend who is a bankruptcy atty. I just give the collectrolls his #.

Also I was indigent (unemployed, no assets and uninsured) so I got some relief from the state and the Federal gov't and the charity allowance the feds fund at hospital to help pay med bills for poor people. If you are in a similar boat as I, and are going into a hospital for some of your treatments, or have gone into a hospital, check to see if there is a financial advocate (specialised social worker) that can help you out. That's what they are there for.
Good Luck :hi:

[Old_Fart]

12. "I went to the doctor two hours ago and i just got a call for payment"

I forgot my medicare card at home and they are billing me for the office visit. Apparently I haven't met my deductable yet and they are worried about the bill. It seems to me like the collection letters start going out as your getting dressed after your visit :crazy:

[BeTheChange]

13. Honestly.. it can work in your favor

My hubby and I were trying to start a business as mid 20 somethings in a field we didnt have alot of experience in :) Obviously we werent making all the brightest decisions. We chose not to carry cobra when we left our old jobs..

Well, some idiot rear ends us because they dont know how to drive in the snow and for some reason are up in Tahoe during the middle of winter. They are driving an Enterprise rental car.

Our lawyer ends up being an idiot, Enterprise has whole teams of lawyers to screw you even if you were rear ended... It was a big horrible mess. In the end they offered us 100 and we had 20k in medical bills.

We didnt have the money to pay it and honestly, I just didnt deal with it for 6 months. I put all the notices in a box for one day when we actually had the money and went on.

Well, things finally turned up and we could start paying. I wanted to pay one off every pay check if possible. So, I called all of them and said, listen.. I have this amount of money to give you to settle this bill or Im going to file bankruptcy while I still can and you will get nothing. They came down SIGNIFICIANTLY in every single situation. We ended up paying 8k to settle everything and while Im still not happy that I paid that much, Im just glad to be done with it.

Since it had moved to collections so quickly they were more willing to settle. I also found on a couple bills that annual funds had reimbursed the doctor for my unpaid bill and I was no longer liable.

Good luck.

[WCGreen]

14. Yea but this all came after bankuptcy.....

It's just fucked...

But I deal with it as best I can