Not Made Of Money

Our medical and dental bills have been rather large lately, and we’ve been reviewing all the bills for accuracy before paying them. These bills involve both our dental and medical insurance which are with two different insurance companies. Due to our diligence in double checking the bills, we’ve found a couple of errors.

1. Insurance reimbursements not included. When we visit the dentist, our dental office bills our dental insurance company for the visit and then bills us for anything that is not covered. I made a visit to the dentist in January and my husband went in February. We received a bill from the dental office this past week. At first glance the bill looked reasonable. However, we used a calculator to check the numbers and sure enough they didn’t add up. After researching it further, we could see that the insurance reimbursement for my husband’s visit, which was the most recent one, was not included in the bill. Therefore, the amount showing as “due now” was incorrect and was about $50 more than we owed. After calling the dental office, we were told that “oh yes, we didn’t include the insurance reimbursement because we hadn’t received it yet.” Our question, “then why was this bill sent out saying the total was due now?” Their response, “our system just sends out the bills the first of the month.”

2. Payment made not recorded. I recently had an outpatient procedure performed at a local hospital. To expedite the billing process, I was required to pre-register the day before the procedure and to pay my portion of the estimated bill which would be 20%. This transaction was handled over the phone and I put the 20% portion on my VISA card. The hospital immediately e-mailed a receipt showing a confirmation number and transaction ID. Last week we received a bill from the hospital (which was substantially larger than the estimate). The total number reflected insurance adjustments correctly but did not show the payment I’d made the day prior to the procedure. After calling the billing office, I was informed that they had no record of this payment and I would need to prove to them that I did pay it. I told them I had an e-mailed receipt showing a confirmation number and a transaction ID. They said I had to mail it to them! I will be making a visit to the billing department of the hospital this week in an attempt to correct this matter.

Always double check medical bills to make certain that payments have been recorded, insurance reimbursements included, and use a calculator to make sure the numbers add up. Always keep supporting documentation showing insurance reimbursements, receipts for payments, and estimates of cost.

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