Hospital Submitted Medical Bill to the Wrong Company

by Sasha
(Florida)

I got radiology done in January 2007. I had an insurance and paid my co-payment then. I suddenly got a call from collection agency claiming I had a unpaid debt in October 2010. It turns out the hospital sent a claim to my insurance company. the insurance company never responded to them for 4 years with no reason. so they turned my account over to collection. after I got a call from collection, I contacted the insurance company, they said they had no claims on file. I think this is mis-communication problem. the hospital sent a claim more than 20 times and never got a payment. I contacted hospital and they were so mad about insurance company asking insurance company to call them. so I called the insurance company to ask for calling hospital, they said no. after several phone calls, I figured out that the hospital sent a claim to a wrong company. because insurance company had a partner sharing the same claim address. and according to insurance company's rule, they do not process a claim after 90 days after the date of service. so the insurance company did not process the claim without the proof that hospital initially filed a claim within 90 days after the date of service.
meanwhile, I keep getting a call from collection. I tried to talk to them first but now I ignored their calls since they threatened and treated me like a criminal. thing is I do not have a SSN. but my husband was a policy holder of my insurance. would it hurt my husband's credit report? can I keep ignoring collection calls? I am so stressed out about this issue. I kept the all records of phone calls between me, hospital and insurance company in order to prove I am trying to solve this problem. this insurance company said they would get over the claim when the hospital fax a claim to them. but it seems that the hospital determined to get money from me via collection. this is so frustrating. please help me.

Comments for Hospital Submitted Medical Bill to the Wrong Company

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 11, 2013
 I know what your going through!!!
by: Leah

Contact your insurance company. Find out what their inner law's are. Blue Cross has an inner written law with hospitals that all your bills have to be processed. I am not sure how it all works. Your best bet here is to work with the insurance company because if your hospital has done something against their own rules with the insurance they can actually be dropped by the insurance company. Research all your options. Write down everything. Getting this resolved is your best bet letting it go and ignoring it will make you sick. Attack it with knowledge! And it's not to late you just have to talk to the right person if one doesn't help then call at a different time till you find someone helpful. If nothing else you can write the people that govern the medical system in your area. I know what your going through and I am in the fight of my life and it's made me so sick. Hospitals are supposed to be places that help not places that cover up their mistakes by making them worse and making us all sick. I am truly afraid for anyone going into a medical place these day's. They have to remember that these places are not loving helpful. They are money grubbing cold harted business!
Apr 16, 2011
 Hospital Submitted Medical Bill to the Wrong Company
by: Debt Collection Answers

So sorry to learn about your problems! Sounds like you are caught between the proverbial "rock and a hard spot."

Given the run around you are getting, I recommend that you get in touch with a consumer law attorney in your area right away -- one who helps consumers resolve their debt collection problems. Often, a call or letter from an attorney can clear up a problem that a consumer has been unable to work out. It should not cost you a lot to get this kind of help from an attorney and knowing that you have an attorney helping you should ease your anxiety. It's important that you get in touch with an attorney right away before the hospital decides to take more extreme actions to try to collect from you -- like suing you. If the attorney is able to clear up this matter for you and if the fact that the medical debt was sent to collections appears in your husband's credit history, the attorney can also advise you about the best way to resolve that problem as well.

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Medical Debt Collection Questions.

Learn how debt collection laws can help you!
This website does not provide legal advice.
All information is for educational purposes only.
Copyright 2007 - 2018 by Mary Reed and Gerri Detweiler.
All rights reserved.

Disclosure: We may receive compensation for marketing some of the services mentioned on this site. Above all though, our goal is to recommend products and services we believe can help our readers. You can learn more here.