Insurance Billings

rizzo15

Just thought I would mention to the discussion that once you are starting to feel better, it doesn't hurt to take a close look at the explanation of benefits that your insurance companies send out. Luckily I have several health insurance policies. You'd think coordination of benefits would be a pretty straight-forward process, but I've found several errors already. I wrote several checks to my doctors and now have found out that the insurance companies had jointly already paid more than 130% to 150% of the billed amount. It's weird how all the insurance companies have different negotiated rates, so in a case like mine, they get lots more money than if I only had a single health insurance policy. So, in a couple cases, I asked for my money back, and got it! Not that I don't think my oncologists deserve to make money...but the $150 I've gotten back so far can be used to other future medical expenses.

When I was really feeling yucky, I just let the bills and statements kind of pile up and only paid when they sent notices that said that everyone else had paid, now it's YOUR turn.

I really understand why sometimes people pay for a service that studies their insurance benefit statements. It's sometimes complicated and doesn't make a lot of sense. And most of the time when you talk to the insurance reps on the phone, they don't know what they're talking about either!

cammie

You are so correct. I work for a physical therapy department. Sometimes when they send to your first insurance a bill will automatically come out to the patient. Well that bill also gets sent to the second insurance company. So when you paid the first one, it was oviousouly not due until your second insurance took over. Get a printed statement from each doctor. It should show what was charged, first insurance payment, (whether they have even charged your second insurance, if you paid to quickly, they might not have even charged your second insurance.) and your second insurance payment. It is a awful thing to have to look through all these bills, but your right, everyone makes mistakes and when you can hire someone for $6.00 a hour fresh out of school to do the billing -- you get what you paid for. Cammie