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        New Message Board Archives >> 2003 Posts >> Coot's pissed off question !!!
        
(Message started by: cootie on Oct 24^th, 2003, 3:11pm)

Title: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by cootie on Oct 24^th, 2003, 3:11pm

Hi guys.......hope ya's don't mind the 'stupid' question here......I'm purday PISSED OFF and need ta chill ! I have been gettin TWO bills after havein two sets of exrays in June from the hospital. Insurence won't pay a dime cuz I screw'd up and went to our docs nice new clinic radiology dept downstairs for the spine exrays and my insurence co says NO WAY to that kinda behavior....I HAVE to go out of town for them to cover stuff like that. OK...my mistake......duh. My exrays total $ 103.00......had nothin else done. I am gettin a bill for that amount and for $ 189.00 both same date for same service. I got turned in to collections for the $ 189.00 but the hospital can not find any other balance I owe them other then that $ 103.00. The lady on the phone got so upset she had a quivery voice and told me ta bring the bills in Monday and hung up cuz she could not find where I owed the larger amount. The collecttion place don't care........I HAVE to pay it they say !!! So now I have a total of $ 300.00 I owe for the total of the two bills ? Are there separate bills for exrays.......do you get charged double amount for sumone to read them and a bill ? You'd think the hospital could define that for me if so rite ? Can you wipe bad credit off thru collections when it was not your fault or bill....or will this credit place drop it if proven I don't owe ? Shit shit shit......if I owe it I wanna know for what and why. OK...I'll shud dup now.......I've bored you all enuff with my petty whines !! Pam the unrelated to CH whiner [smiley=nopity.gif]

Have a good PF weekend all !!!!! I'm gonna go kick sum puppies now !! Grrrrrrrrrrrr.......

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by cathy on Oct 24^th, 2003, 3:17pm

Hi Cootie....I don't know how the system works in the US but hope you get it sorted out....whatever you do though only pay one bill ....Cootie that shouldn't BACK down!! ;;D

Cathy

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by BarbaraD on Oct 24^th, 2003, 3:27pm

Sometimes the KEYBOARD is mightier than the TELEPHONE - Write the head guy (might have to research a little to find out who's in charge of the whole shootin' match) and let him/her know the whole story and how upset you are and how it brought on a ch attack for you because you're so upset (always throw that one in for good measure). And that your credit means a lot to you and because of their STUPIDITY (use another word - a nice one) your credit is now in jeopardy.

As soon as you're able you'll be seeking legal remedies if they don't get this mess straighten up immediately (give them a date). And put a CC: at the bottom with the name of a good attorney-at-law. Send the attorney a copy of the letter.

If that don't work (it usually does) then start sending them $1 a month in good faith. At that rate you'll have the bill paid in full in about 30 or so years.

Works for me.... HUgs BD

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by Roxy on Oct 24^th, 2003, 8:29pm

Barbara, Cootie is one of the best supporters here....but, luckily she doesn't get ch's, her husband Brad does.

Cootie....I hope you get this all worked out. Call the CEO of the hospital and talk with him, just explain the situation and what is happening. Going to the head office usually works, and if it doesn't call your local TV station. Most stations run a consumer problem segment....may sound far fetched, but it has worked for people in our little town.

KICK ASS WOMAN!!!!!! Good luck,

Tracey

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by cootie on Oct 24^th, 2003, 8:52pm

'sigh'.......I jus HATE fightin city hall.......reason is I get my panties in too big a fluff over it. I keep wonderin if fer sum reason I'd get TWO bills for exrays done. My clinic has the exact same name as our hospital and sumhow it's jus a small spinoff of the big hospital deal. Brad didn't get two bills for his routine exrays and tests not long ago tho. One bill has my clinic's addy and other has the big hospitals addy but BOTH say there charges for the same exrays done and nothin else. Yeah tell ya what.......if this gives me CH (bein a supporter and all)...I'll sue there pants into a fluff !!!!!! My luck I owe both bills.....I wish sumone could explain to me why tho ! Man isn't that alot total fer jus two sets of exrays......$ 300.00 (the two separate bills total..does anyone know if there is a separate charge to READ THEM ?) Pam that feels she'll loose the fluff off her pants either way [smiley=wtf.gif]

THANKS all fer the response cuz I am LOST ..........

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by brain_cramps on Oct 24^th, 2003, 9:02pm

on 10/24/03 at 15:27:26, BarbaraD wrote:

...and because of their STUPIDITY (use another word - a nice one)...

Hmmmmm... Lets see now...

ineptness, amateurishness, ignorance, inability, incompetence, ineptitude, inexpertness, maladroitness, skill-lessness, ungainliness, inability, inadequacy, incapability, incapacity, ineffectiveness, inefficacy, inefficiency, inutility, shortcoming...

need any more?

oops forgot one... [smiley=looser.gif]

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by oringkid on Oct 24^th, 2003, 9:12pm

Yes, you might get two bills for x-rays... if your clinic has to send the x-rays out to the hospital to have them read. I've gotten a bill for the doctor and 2 bills from radiologists. I guess one to take the x-ray and one to read it.

If you don't want your credit screwed, do as Barb said, send $1 a month until you can get the answers you need.

Call both the clinic and the hospital and there should be a person in your (or your husband's) company who handles insurance questions and problems. Kind of a liaison between you and the insurance company. That person may be able to find out exactly what the two bills mean.

Good luck!!

Sherry

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by cootie on Oct 24^th, 2003, 10:14pm

Yeah I been wonderin if there'd be two bills for exrays like ya said Sherry. Thing that got me is I called the number on the one bill with the higher amount and they said I only had a balance of the LOWest amount........huh ? So after that it seem'd the two were the same or at least knew of any outstanding bills total to explain them ? Did that make sense......I think I am confuseing myself now. Insurence is out of the picture cuz I went to our town's facility........I found out we can not have ANY work done (tests or exrays or MRI's) in "our own town"......we have to go to this other crappy town's hospital to get any coverage. My doc didn't hesitate to send me to the new clinic's exray dept downstairs cuz he works with our insurence group all the time and didn't realize our plan was different. I didn't question it cuz we both thought we were doin rite. We have this new clinic we go to now and real nice hospital in town......go figure !! The collection agency will not take $ 1.00 a month...it's not an actual collection place that ruins credit jus a middle man for now deal. Hospital says they won't take payments on bills.....how can they say that ? I'll pay it off soon as I get them to tell me what the two bills are for !!! Both bills are billed from our town's community hospital they say at the top and the clinic and hospital ahve that same name and offiliation. Both bills say it is a chage for the exrays and nothin else. Geeze.....so it mite cost double to have the dang exrays read....sheesh.....I'm in the wrong business !!!! Pam exray vision technician

Am I boreing you guys yet ?

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by BillyJ. on Oct 25^th, 2003, 12:06am

Pam,
Send them the check for $1 if they don't accept it,it is
refusel of payment and the account becomes invalid,
witch means you don't owe them a cent anymore.
At least thats how it works in NY.I think it is fed law
though.
Be well sweety and PF2 Brad,
Billy

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by Charlie on Oct 25^th, 2003, 12:42am

Quote:

Hospital says they won't take payments on bills

They'll help you out if you go to them and ask them to. All you have to do is not get nasty with them. They'll take whatever they can get but a buck probably isn't a good idea. Ask around. You may get some local help. You can also file a greivance with your insurance. Works for me now and then.

Be as shitty as you want with the colleciton agency. Our radiologists don't collect anything directly. It's a nasty way to do business. Here, the first bill they send is full of threats. Really pisses me off so I take my time.

Charlie

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by KingOfPain on Oct 25^th, 2003, 1:19am

Cootie,

I'm not sure if this makes a difference
in this situation but:

Is your insurance HMO,PPO or other?

Also..... yes, there is usually a seperate
charge (&/or person,facility) to read
x-rays.

Good luck.

KingOfPain

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by cootie on Oct 25^th, 2003, 1:44pm

"THANKS GUYS" !! Our insurence is Anthem......but Brad has a small shop so they don't get the same group deals.....only about 6 employee's actually. They jus changed the policy 'agin' not long ago cuz of the cost to the shop for insurence on everyone and now it has STRICTER TIGHTER rules for us and guildlines. One bein we have to go OUT OF TOWN for any tests or work done (not sure if others are that way or not ?).....guess they figure ya will thnk twice about the stuff to be done if ya have to go out of yer way to do it and then save them money in the long run........hell I dunno !!! My big problem is I never paid the bills cuz they never made sense and could not get thru to the billing dept cuz the line is ALWAYS busy. They told me NOT to take the bills to the radiology dept where my exrays were taken downstairs at my docs office and they have to be brought in to the big hospital facility at the other end of town. Which means.......both bills would have to be associated with the big hospital I take it and can't figure out why they can't find trace of me owein for the larger amount ? If the largest amount was for the exrays period it'd have the smaller hospital's addy and phone number but that bill has the big hospitals addy and they told me they have NO idea what that bill is for and not in there computer I owe it ? Tell the collection agency that that bill'd me with a warning of 'ruin'T....that lady told me I had to settle it by the 30 days or it would be officially turned in...they don't care WHAT I tell em inbetween. The hosp only knows of the bill with the addy of the clinic at my docs office I recieved.....huh.....if ya weren't confused before ya prolly are now ech ? So I am concern'd about paying them cuz no one can tell me exactly what there for to itemize them.....you'd think they could do that rite ?? Ok...gotta git ready for a Halloween party a bit later....I think I am gonna go as a " Bill Collector " !!!! Blahhhhhhhh-ha-ha-ha-ha.....arghhhh !!! Thanks again all !! Pam that has a bill of pain !

How you doin Billy....how's Minnie......how's the back and neck ? (modify'd cuz I hate them question mark smiley's that show up unanounced)

Title: Re: Coot's pissed off question !!!
Post by catlind on Oct 25^th, 2003, 2:51pm

Pam, the only thing I can suggest is that you contact the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) regarding this collection agency and explain the situation to them and ask them what they think should be done.

Tell the collection agency you are doing or have done this. It is starting to sound to me like a scam almost.

Just plug in FTC to any search engine on the web. You'll get their website and some contact numbers.

Cat