Medical bills

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2004
Medical bills
5
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 9:08am

Hi, everyone,

I came on this board a few months ago, having finally owed up to my credit card debt (about $27K) and was happy to have faced it and ready to work on it, when my son had what I thought was a minor injury to his finger playing football with his friends. That "minor injury" has now added another $10K of debt onto my current debt. He had outpatient surgery that lasted a few hours and cost $8,500! I thought I was carrying insurance on him but I wasn't, it's a long story, but bottom line is that I can't possibly pay this $10K. I've been putting the bills in a pile (they just keep coming!) and really need to deal with this, but I don't know where to start. I know I should call each place but part of me is worried that they're going to demand payment and another part of me is so angry because I think this amount is absolutely outrageous. No one told me how much it would cost, just that it needed to be done, and on top of that, the insurance company told me that he couldn't be insured until this injury was taken care of. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place.

I'm going to gather up the bills today and see what, if anything, can be done. Any suggestions or ideas from anyone here would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Karen

Avatar for cl_beckymk
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-19-2003
In reply to: uniquornbay
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 9:47am

I'm sorry you are going through this.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-17-2004
In reply to: uniquornbay
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 10:37am

Hi, Becky, thanks for your reply. The problem is that with all my other bills I am actually coming up short each month, so there is no extra money to pay the medical bills! I'm starting my own business that will be profitable, but in the meantime I'm broke. Well, I need to stop procrastinating and contact these people.

Wish me luck!

Karen

Avatar for mymartes
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
In reply to: uniquornbay
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 10:58am

My DD had a liver transplant when she was 4 months old. She has a twin brother. We have very good insurance through my husband's employer. However, after all was done...bills starting arriving in the mail. It was over $5K that was not covered by our insurance. Take in mind, this procedure cost in totatl approximately a quarter of a million dollars. I called the billing department, and told them we could not afford to pay. Thank Goodness, it was written off.

May be worth a try. Call them. Good luck.

MYM

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-06-2005
In reply to: uniquornbay
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 3:11pm

HUGS! I am so sorry all of this happened to you!!!!

Get ahold of each company separately and arrange a payment plan. Tell them what you can afford and stick to it. I know some companies would like 10% each month (so that it is paid off in 10 months) but they will be flexible. If all you can afford is $10/month, tell them that! They will be happy to work with you, I am sure!

Good luck !!!!!!

~Aravis~

 

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iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
In reply to: uniquornbay
Thu, 12-08-2005 - 8:25pm
Hi, Karen. Well, I too, am going thru the medical bill mess. Took (prior) suggestions and here is what I did.
l) Contact billing department for each medical bill--i..e., ER, doctor's office, lab, etc. Send them CERTIFIED letter with your insurance number, account #, COPY of statement, fill in any blanks they request (for example, they had a wrong # listed for me).
2) Then, contact the claims dept. for your insurance. Also send them info. WRite down name of person you talk to. Ask how long it takes for claims to be processed (not paid---that is another dept!).
3) Then, call the processing (payment) dept of insurance. The lady told me it takes 30-45 days after they receive the processed claim. Never mind that this takes forever to go from one state to another (by covered wagon?!)
4. Set up payment plan. As long as you make a payment of something, they cant fuss at you. The one time that I paid $200+ to the lab, the next bill I got, they wanted the full amount. I just mailed back a payment and explanation for what I could pay.
5) Get their e-mail. Let me tell you, it has made a HUGE difference that I can e-mail the hospital billing dept with info, etc. What do I owe? Oh, about $8K to x-ray and about $1900 to hospital. BUT---the docs are paid (the ER docs) and most of the local docs. I just keep in contact with their billing dept. Am I worried? No more. Whiz.