What the hell is going on?

[LShawn08]

UPDATE 7/26/14: DELETED! 

Just received the letter from the Collection Agency saying the collection was pulled from their office and all bureaus have been informed to delete. Awesome sauce. Who deserves cake??? ME and you people for helping.

This is generally a update of a previous post. I called my actual insurance provider, they informed that my doctors office has always been aware of my insurance.

First issue:
My doctors office financial department told me they didn't know I had insurance, that's why they sent my bill to collections, after I didn't pay.

Second issue:
As stated above, my insurance provider informed me that my doctors office billed my insurance four days after they apparently didn't know I had insurance and then kept trying to bill me a fairly similar amount to my insurance. The collection amount was $161 and the bill they sent to my insurance $132.

Third issue:
Now my insurance provider has informed me that THEY WILL NOT be paying the doctors office, for not timely billing.

So now...I'm unsure. The CSR told me "your going to have to deal with the collection agency yourself" thanks **bleep**. I'm not sure what to do now. Any help would be appreciated.

[coterotie]

Get a letter from the insurance company stating the facts.

Write a letter directly to the physician (not the office manager or anyone else) mark it personal and confidential, enclose a check for the difference between what insurance should have paid and the amount owed.

The letter should state calmly and professionally that you are happy to pay the portion of the bill that is your responsibility, but that the mistakes of his billing personnel have caused you a significant hardship.  Ask that the account be recalled from the collection agency and the amount owed written off to patient goodwill.  Enclose the letter from the insurance company,

There just isn't much "legally" you can do since you likely signed a waiver that states regardless of whether you have insurance, you are ultimately responsible for the bill.

You will have to rely on them being sensible business people.

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@LShawn08 wrote:
This is generally a update of a previous post. I called my actual insurance provider, they informed that my doctors office has always been aware of my insurance.

First issue:
My doctors office financial department told me they didn't know I had insurance, that's why they sent my bill to collections, after I didn't pay.

Second issue:
As stated above, my insurance provider informed me that my doctors office billed my insurance four days after they apparently didn't know I had insurance and then kept trying to bill me a fairly similar amount to my insurance. The collection amount was $161 and the bill they sent to my insurance $132.

Third issue:
Now my insurance provider has informed me that THEY WILL NOT be paying the doctors office, for not timely billing.

So now...I'm unsure. The CSR told me "your going to have to deal with the collection agency yourself" thanks **bleep**. I'm not sure what to do now. Any help would be appreciated.

---

[LShawn08]

Thanks for the reply. It was a office error that started this incident. My insurance was never billed the amount of $161, they claimed they were not aware of any insurance to bill.

The collection amount has now been "pulled" from the CA supposedly had NOW been billed to my insurance but will be refused for untimely billing and as I understand it, the doctors office will "write it off". My issue is getting the CA off of my credit report.

[cirrus00]

I cant say that any of this is correct, or will happen to you...but the same thing happened to me a few years ago and I was not required to pay it. In 2008 I went to the hospital, The hospital billed my insurance, but the the individual dr did not. I started getting bills and I kept calling and saying I have insurance and it  should have been covered. Eventually I found out the dr office submitted it past the deadline and the claim was refused.

I was told by my insurance that I did not have to pay the bills because it was the Dr. office fault and there are rules surrounding submitting the claim. I disputed the accounts on my credit report and they were removed. I have never heard from the companies since.

Like I said, I dont know if what my insurance company told me was true, but it worked out for me! Thanks and good luck!

[LShawn08]

Thanks for the reply you. What did you put as your reason for dispute ? Can you recall?

[JennaD075]

If they removed it from the collection agency it should fall off your credit report if it was the collection agency that reported it. Now that the collection agency no longer has your account they can't report it.

[LShawn08]

Thanks for the reply. It was "pulled" in May but according to CK it's still showing as a "open" collection. There no good for scores but I don't doubt the monitoring. Maybe I should call the actual collection agency? Good or bad idea ?

[Shogun]

Send them a DV.

[LShawn08]

So don't call ? Lol, DV'ing them sounds like a reasonable idea but I thought they were only allowed in the 30 day period ? This is far from that but I guess I'll give it a go. Wish me luck!

[Shogun]

You can DV them at any time.  The 30 days thing is considered timely and envokes a cease bar on collections.  Since there is no longer a collection, there's no reason for a cease on it and no longer any reason for them to pursue anything. 

The collections handbook says that if they no longer have authority to collect, they "should" remove their posting.  Nothing says they "have" to, but says they should.  I've found that most of them adhere to this and if they no longer have collection authority they remove.