My mom had a gastric bypass from a reputable company and she paid the money up front that was to cover everything including follow ups. After she had it done a year later most of the people that worked there are now gone and the new people are going through and doing an audit of the past pacients and are saying the she owes thousands of dollars again. She has gotten a final notice bill because she told them that she doesn't owe any more and has even stopped going to the follow ups. Is there a law or anything that protects from going back on the pacients like that or not.
Any info would be great
thanks
2006-07-19 17:06:03 · 4 answers · asked by SANDY B 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
I forgot to mention that her insurance covered it. She had to pay the copay for that and what ever percentage that they weren't going to cover. I don't remember how much that was. I think she ended up just having to come up with around $4000 up front which she did and I think she has receipts for that. But they are saying she owes extra. But they wouldn't have done the surgery without it all being paid up front. That is just the way the company works. They make sure they have all their money before they do anything.
2006-07-19 17:31:24 · update #1
First you might want to have your mom find any billing statements or receipts. If you've got those, then you should be fine, because they would be proof that she had paid. If she doesn't have those, she might be able to get a bank statement about her account at the time of her surgery. That should show the amount of money she paid if she used a check. If she paid in cash, then she's probably out of luck... It might be really good though if she'd find a lawyer that specializes in billing in any case though.
If the audit shows that she hasn't paid, and she did, then that, to me, says that the money she paid was misused for something, and that's not good. I think that it'd be best if you had your mother consult a lawyer, because unless someone on yahoo!answers is a lawyer, they don't have the training to tell you about laws such as that. FindLaw.com would be a good place to start, though, if you want to do research on laws. ^_^
2006-07-19 17:21:56 · answer #1 · answered by WinterRhya 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The advice to consult an attorney is valid. The advice that many attorneys give advice for free is not necessarily true. Many attorneys will speak with you briefly for a short period and won't charge you. However, the attorneys who do this are generally personal injury attorneys or other attorneys who will make their fee from a settlement.
The insurance company should be able to provide them a listing of the amounts paid. Hopefully, your mother paid by check. She can then obtain cancelled checks showing the amounts that she paid. Add up the amounts and if the amounts equal the total due, then she has paid in full.
IF she is contacted by a collections firm, request that the collections firm verify the debt by providing a listing of the amounts owed and why. Then, provide proof of payment. If the collections firm persists, hire an attorney who can communicate for her to resolve the matter.
If you need more specific advice before that, consult an attorney in your state. If you don't know an attorney, contact your local or state bar association for a referral.
2006-07-20 12:25:03 · answer #2 · answered by Phil R 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This same kindof thing happened with my mom, only not with something medical. She payed it so it didnt go on her credit, but if she has any reciepts then you can give them a copy of that. You can also contact an attorney, a lot of them give free advice. It later turned out that the company doing that to my mom had done it to a lot of people and there is now a pending class action law suit. You can also ask an attorney how to start a class action suit. A lot of times they will do it on a commission base only, so if money is not won you dont have to pay anything.
2006-07-20 00:15:40 · answer #3 · answered by SAHMommy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
no law on this
it's a billing dispute
and that's one where you better have all contracts, receipts ect in hand ( you give them copies, NEVER orginals ) when you go to "settle" the account, special care msut be when you are reviewing thecontract for any clause or riders that in effect may allow for extra unforseen charges that may apply. as they say the devil is in the details, so to it is in contracts. good luck
2006-07-20 00:22:07 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋