Is there a way I can fight hospital bills? And will not paying my hospital bills affect my credit?

Question

I have BlueCross Blueshield as a Health provider and i had a baby recently in a hospital that is in the network of my health provider but the doctor that performed anethsia on me and my newborns pediatrican in the nursery not in-network, i didnt kow until i saw the bills. So now im being charged for newborn care and medical visit for my daughter and 2 bills for anesthesia for me. Can i fight this?

Answer 1

First contact the hospital and doctor's billing offices - explain to them that you're going to fight with your insurance company, and that you will keep them informed as to the progress. Next call BCBS and ask them to reconsider the claims - explain why you used out of network docs - if that doesn't work, ask them for the appeals process. You may have to do it in writing. Provide as much documentation as you can. More often than not, if you appeal it - especially as a patient - you will win. (You're the one paying them for the insurance!) It won't be easy - insurance companies bank on you getting frustrated - but stick to your guns. Enlist the help of your OB & your child's pediatrician if you need to. Remember - the squeaky wheel gets the oil.

If this was a planned c-section, it'll be harder to get them to pay for out of network, but if you went into labor "spontanously" - you didn't exactly get to choose the anesthesiologst - you have to take the one who's on call. (Or did they want you to take some Tylenol?) And for the pediatrican in the nursery - did you give birth in the hospital that your regular pediatrican admits to? If so, then all you might need is a referral for the house pediatrician as a covering doctor.

Keep copies of EVERYTHING you send them.

DO NOT ignore the bills - it can affect your credit hugely. (As in, you can get sued for the money.)

Answer 2

Well they did provide the care, so you really can't fight the bill. Unfortunately, the anesthesiologist and pediatrician should have informed you up front which network they are in. At least someone should have. The insurance company wont care in the least, so I wouldn't even try it. I would just slowly pay the bills...just like send $10, $20 every month so they don't send you to collections. If by chance you don't pay and they do send you to collections then, yes it will show up on your credit report. One good thing about hospital bills and doctor bills being on your credit report is that it's explainable. I had someone tell me that that is the only thing that is excusable (sometimes) on a credit report.

Good luck!

Answer 3

I think several folks have made some very good suggestions, such as appealing the level of payment with BC/BS and contacting the doctors to negotiate a lower fee.

Unfortunately, this is how PPO/POS policies work. Even if you go to a participating hospital and receive services from a participating doctor, other doctors providing "ancillary" services are often non-participating. This means you're stuck with the portion your PPO/POS plan doesn't cover. However, this is not to say that BC/BS didn't make a mistake. You should definately appeal this.

I would like to add one more thing to what you can do: your state's insurance commissioner's office is able to investigate these types of issues. Contact them to see what you need to do to file a complaint; usually, they need something in writing from you. I do not recommend an attorney at this time; see what the Commissioner' office has to say before you spend the money.

I hope this helps.

Answer 4

no you can't fight this. if you do not pay them, they will get turned over to a collection agency and will have negative affects on your credit. however, some hospitals have a hardship program. what this does is it takes the total bills from the hospital and puts them into one account so you make payments on just one bill instead of many separate ones. it's easier and you can commit to however much you can afford to pay, i suggest to commit to like $10 a month and pay more if you can. that way if you can't pay more than $10 a month, then you don't have to. the doctor bill itself, the office may be able to help arrange a payment plan. if they're not willing to accept payment, get that they are refusing a payment arrangement in writing and go to a lawyer. if they refuse a payment arrangement after you have offered it to them, it may be able to get dismissed by a court of law. i have known of that to happen, it's hard to have done but can be done. Good Luck and Congrats on your new arrival.

Answer 5

Sure you can fight them, if they billed you for services not rendered. Otherwise, if you got the service, you need to pay!

Your fight is REALLY with the insurance company. This EXACT thing happened to me with my last birth. You need to call them, and ask how services provided at an in network hospital aren't covered. They need to fix it, because services at an in network hospital SHOULD be covered. This is probalby a coding error on the insurance company's part.

And yes, unpaid medical bills can and do affect your credit - uninsured medical costs are the #1 reason for personal bankruptcy filings.

Answer 6

The insurance company pays out according to your plans certificate of coverage. If you don't pay they will probably send it to collections and further non payment could result in you being sued. If they do win a judgement it will most definately go on your credit along with liens being placed on proprty like homes and vehicles. Make arrangements to pay what you can every month until the debt is paid. Don't miss any or they will just proceed with the judgement.

Answer 7

It will affect your credit, Hospitals will send you to collections then collections show up on your Credit Report. As far as fighting might give it a try with Blue cross blue shield.

Answer 8

First of all, it is your responsibility to know who and who is not part of the network you speak of. You need to ask the doctor. Then you can act accordingly. You may appeal to BC/BS and see if they will take up payment or at least partial payment. Your credit may be affected if you ignore the bills. However, most hospitals are agreeable to some sort of payment plan if you are willing to go that way. Best of luck!!

Chow!!

Answer 9

Yes, you can fight this with your insurance carrier, but it will be futile, I am sorry to say. However, you can negotiate with your doctors to lower your bill and make payments in the amount that you know you can afford.
My sister had colon cancer and no insurance at all! So we talked to the hospital and got her 40% off of her bill and the doctors are accepting whatever she can afford. The surgeon is matching whatever she pays. If she pays $100.00 a month, he takes $200.00 off her bill. They all want paid, so make them work with you. Good luck!!

Answer 10

Medical bills are the number one cause of Bankruptcies in the united states each year. In order to help you, I would need a lot more information, to advise the bast course of action for you.

I will give you a few options, based on your income levels and the amount of your bills.

1) if you have a family income above 50K/year contact the doctors, inform them of the mistake and see if you can negotiate a payment plan that will be fair and adhere to it. As long as you adhere to the plan, nothing will show up on your credit record. And you may be able to reduce the total as well as limiting how much interest is charged.

2) If you are near the poverty line, 20K/year. It depends on the amount you owe. If you owe nearly as much as you earn in a year, then it is going to take years to pay off anyway. And bankruptcy may be a viable answer. It takes 10 years for a bankruptcy to fall off your record, so it should be a last resort, however, like I said, it is the leading cause of Bankruptcies eac year, you are not alone!

3) You could take out a loan to pay it off, this would give you one payment, one bill, and would ensure a longer peiod to pay it off.

If you wat more detailed advice, you may email me, I will open my email for a while, so you have the opportunity. One of my degrees is in Economics, and I would be willing to give you some of my time to assist in the tough choices you have ahead.

Good luck