I managed to be a little productive yesterday. I dusted, vacuumed downstairs and cleaned our master bathroom. I took a short nap. DH was outside spreading the casoron weed killer around and I didn't realize he was out there talking to the son of the people who bought the lot next door. I guess they were here to see the property while we were on our cruise. He said they have a house plan and a builder, so the son will be the one working with the builder (since they live out of state). I'm guessing none of this building will start until next spring.
I also got my closet cleaned up. After returning from our cruise, sick, most of my stuff, even after washing, just got dumped into the closet and onto the top of the dresser in the closet. So, now that is all straightened out again. I really need to go through some of my clothes and purge. I know I have quite a few tees that just need to be relegated to the rag bin in the shop. They have little holes in them (how do they always get little holes right in front? LOL).
Now I need to work on getting my office and desk cleaned up! When I am sick and tired, things pile up.
No response from Dell on my work order for repair being escalated and I was supposed to get an updated reply today. I am also able to log in to see the work order status and I also just found where I can send a message reply back to their updates (last update saying Nov 9th estimated completion of repair). I again said I returned a brand new computer that I have now not had for 2 1/2 weeks and am supposed to now wait at least 3 more weeks. I cannot go without a computer and need a resolution of either sending me a new replacement computer for the faulty computer or refund my money so I can go buy another computer. If I don't hear back by noon, I am calling customer service again and this time I am going to tell them I am going to put in a purchase dispute with my credit card to (try) get my money back.
DH had a PSA blood draw at our town hospital 2 months ago. They still haven't billed our insurance. They are the slowest! This charge, as well as the Urgent Care visit last week (before we were sent to ER) will be more than enough to meet the annual deductible, so the ER visit and his future medical bills the rest of this year should mostly be covered, thankfully. I'll have to look back up when dh had his GI appts and endoscopic ultrasound before and see what they billed insurance for, 3 years ago. Will be interesting to compare and see how much the cost has increased.
Things pile up when I am ill or just losing sleep. The table beside me has so much junk after only three days! I would be very upset about the computer, too.
ReplyDeleteRe:Hospital bills: DD’s gallbladder removal circa 2012 (right after our insurance changed benefits after ACA blew my mind. We went from 100% of sick coverage with a 1Million lifetime cap, to 80% covered, no lifetime cap, as those were now illegal.. In any case, with DD, the hospital eventually transferred her to Seattle Children’s. When we called to pay, the hospital wouldn’t accept payment without insisting we filing income paperwork. I was a bit miffed, but they did it over the phone, and to my surprise, they said our income level qualified for full coverage. I almost fell off my chair. With youngest’s appendectomy, we were at a different hospital. It’s still a pain to pay. The hospital insists you either fill out, or sign a form claiming you refuse to fill out various requests for assistance. I appreciate that, (because it turns out he, as a full time student qualified for a reduction) but let’s just say the process isn’t streamlined! I am told the hospital is so careful about collecting payments because our Attorney General filed suit, and won, against a major hospital’s billing practices. We were actually victims of such years ago. Long story short: DH had a stent put in. About 3 years later I received a bill for about 30k. I had forgotten for what it had been so long ago I called the number provided , and they asked if I had surgery. I said I don’t recall such, I need an itemized bill. They said they would send me one, with adjustments. Well, the next one said I owed 50k. I investigated further, and it turns out this hospital had contacted with an asset recovery service to attempt to get patients to enter into a verbal contract to pay the DISALLOWED expenses. The hospital itself couldn’t do it, so they gave the company a % of what they “recovered.” They preyed almost exclusively on Medicare patients. I found this out only by calling the state’s insurance commissioner. They directed me to the attorney general who were very helpful. She asked me to fax everything I had received. By dinner time I had learned that it turns out there is a guy in Bismarck, who did nothing BUT deal with these shenanigans for Medicare, and he had opened a case. I received a certified letter in the mail shortly after stating clearly that we were indeed NOT responsible for any payments.
ReplyDeleteAbout 6 months later the guy in Bismarck phoned to make sure it had been respond we were not being bothered further. I asked him to explain what happened and that’s when I learned what the hospital had tried to do. Apparently if I had said “yeah, I remember that, “ they would have tried to get me to enter into a payment plan. What’s worse, it isn’t technically illegal because it wasn’t the hospital doing it. And, again, they preyed on the else.
The hospital in question has since discovered that this AG doesn’t play.
(Meg B.)
Delete(And forgive the incoherence . My device’ autocorrect hates me…and the next to last sentence should read “and again they preyed on the *elderly* not else.)
DeleteThat's crazy!! So, if I'm understanding, your insurance paid their portion, of the surgery, and 3 years later the hospital, using a collection agency, tried to collect the w/o adj portion from you?
DeleteThe hospital, in their contract with insurance company, (say, United Healthcare) agrees to only charge x amount for services. DH was/is on Medicare. So they charged say, $100,000 for the procedure, but they were allowed, per the contract with Medicare, only 70,000. The additional 30k is “disallowed.” Insurance doesn’t owe it, patient doesn’t owe it. The hospital, in their contract with the insurance company can’t ask the insurance company or the patient for it. So, this hospital contracted with an “asset recovery” firm. They aren’t forbidden by the contract from asking for it. They were paid a percentage of any $ the “recovered.” Problem is, that isn’t $ the hospital was allowed to charge per their contract with the insurance company, in this case Medicare.
DeleteAbout 3 years had passed …just under the time to “legally” try to “recoup” losses. (Which weren’t losses, because, remember, those are disallowed expenses.) They bought time by initiating contact. (Like sending me the “adjusted bill” which wasn’t a bill at all. If you looked VERY CLOSELY you saw those very words in tiny print on the bottom of the paper.) Interestingly, about two weeks after the Medicare guy contacted us and told us it was handled, we owed nothing, and if they ever sent us anything again, do not respond and to send it straight to him, we had to see our own attorney. We told him about it, and he explained in more detail just what the hospital was trying to do, and said, and I quote, “ that’s sleazy, and I am a lawyer. I should know.”
Seriously, if this was sent to an older person living alone with even mild cognitive decline, they very well may have entered into a payment plan! They were deliberately targeting Medicare patients. Oh, and it is a CATHOLIC hospital. Shortly after that happened to us, a local official informed us that the hospital had been “encouraged “ to end the contract with the “asset recovery “ company. There were other billing practices they engaged in, however, including “double dipping” from Medicaid recipients. Whelp, they found out our AG doesn’t play. They were sued and fined SUBSTANTIALLY for their billing practices.
Got it - I understand the disallowed part (I used to work medical billing). I had just never heard of them trying to collect the disallowed part, as that is what they contracted with insurance companies to adjust/write off. That is totally sleazy and I could see how elderly would get duped.
DeleteSickening. It was sickening. If I had to guess, which is what I am doing, when this hospital was “encouraged “ to end that practice, they then went after low income patients, many of whom were not exactly fluent in English. If I understand correctly, they received the Medicaid payments, and also strong armed the patients into setting up payment plans for the expenses, and ultimately were “double dipping.” The result of that case was why it was so hard for us to pay my kid’s recent bill. The hospital (different hospital) wouldn’t take my payments until they metaphorically checked all the boxes assuring they had informed me exactly what my financial obligation was, and, more importantly, wasn’t. Like I said, this AG doesn’t play. What that hospital did was criminal!
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