We had something like this happen when my daughter was born. My husband had just started a job less than 2 weeks before my daughter was born. I didnt have a insurance card yet and all i had was the #. I gave it to the billing department but they said they needed the actual card. So they used the old BCBS card. The day that Emma was born, hubby had HR send the hospital a fax with all the insurance info. we thought it taken care of but a few months later we started bills. I started calling around and giving them them new info again.....
A year and a half later we get this bill in the mail from a collection agency. I call to see what was going on and it was from my epidural. The doctor waited a year to place a claim with the insurance agency and unfortunelty hubby's company changed back from Unicare to BCBS so somehow they got my new BCBS # and refused to pay it. I spend months on the phone with people... At least I got a nicer lady from the collection department. I was told I needed to deal with them,but I called the hospital billing and asked them why it took so long to bill. ( the date of the bill a month ago..) they said it must have got misplaced. I said thats not my fault and u need to deal with the correct issurance company. they were like ok... well then the insurance company told me to pay them and they would reinburse us. I was no way. I want the $$ FIRST. they kept swearing that the money was sent and we cashed it. Finally hubby went back to HR and complained. Turned out that Unicare lied because since they had no more money from the company ( the company basically paid for all claims directly.) they just said it was paid to stop us calling them... HR immediatley cut us a check and the bill was paid.......
well a few months ago we got a call from the same billing company about the unpaid bill......I almost started laughing. I told the lady it was paid 2 years ago and to check your info.....they wanted me to send them the cashed check.....well i told them that my bank charges me 15 a check so if you sent me the cash I would get them the check.... i havent heard from them since... Hubby called them to check on it and the didnt have us in the computer......i wonder if they were trying to get more cash out of us......
A year and a half later we get this bill in the mail from a collection agency. I call to see what was going on and it was from my epidural. The doctor waited a year to place a claim with the insurance agency and unfortunelty hubby's company changed back from Unicare to BCBS so somehow they got my new BCBS # and refused to pay it. I spend months on the phone with people... At least I got a nicer lady from the collection department. I was told I needed to deal with them,but I called the hospital billing and asked them why it took so long to bill. ( the date of the bill a month ago..) they said it must have got misplaced. I said thats not my fault and u need to deal with the correct issurance company. they were like ok... well then the insurance company told me to pay them and they would reinburse us. I was no way. I want the $$ FIRST. they kept swearing that the money was sent and we cashed it. Finally hubby went back to HR and complained. Turned out that Unicare lied because since they had no more money from the company ( the company basically paid for all claims directly.) they just said it was paid to stop us calling them... HR immediatley cut us a check and the bill was paid.......
well a few months ago we got a call from the same billing company about the unpaid bill......I almost started laughing. I told the lady it was paid 2 years ago and to check your info.....they wanted me to send them the cashed check.....well i told them that my bank charges me 15 a check so if you sent me the cash I would get them the check.... i havent heard from them since... Hubby called them to check on it and the didnt have us in the computer......i wonder if they were trying to get more cash out of us......
Having the file sent to an attorney is not the worst thing in the world. Most of our debtors told us we were easier to deal with than the agency. Sometimes, even going in front of the judge was better than dealing with the agency. 
