Question About Paying Medical Bills

[amandal0514]

Let's just say that having a baby costs a little more than what I thought it would!!! I have insurance, but the hospital just seems to be coming up with more and more charges.

 

My question is (I'm in TX by the way) as long as I pay SOMETHING on my bill each month or each paycheck, can they send it to collections? Or do I have to pay what they WANT me to pay if I'm on a payment plan? This is not a county hospital.

[The Zoo]

Before you do anything here, do you have itemized invoices from the hospital? Do they match the amounts your insurance carrier indicates as correct? Do you have the Statement of Benefits for each billing you received showing what the carrier has paid, what is disallowed, and what is your responsibility? I am asking because I'm seeing a lot of "double ups" these days.

[amandal0514]

We requested an itemized statement from the hospital once we were told we owed $900 and we thought we had already paid everything (but I did have a c-section instead of a regular delivery). We paid $600 before we left and then we got the bill and it turns out it was for my daugter's portion only.

 

I just got a bill for me for $3800 so I called the automated system and requested an itemized bill.

 

I've been looking on my insurance website trying to figure it out and none of the numbers match! I see where the hospital submitted a $4000 bill that the insurance company said wasn't allowed so I'm curious to see what that is.

 

I'm going to wait for all the paperwork to come in before I pay anything, but I was just wondering how collections for this works so I know what to expect.

[The Zoo]

If the hospital has been declared a "non-profit", the collection rules are a little different than a private hospital. Do you know which classification this particular hospital is?

[amandal0514]

I would say Private Hospital. It's a Woman's Hospital if anyone knows.