smartestnumber5
<font color=blue>Then it's just a fun time<br><fon
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2006
- Messages
- 2,916
I posted a few weeks ago about a phone call I thought was a scam in which a person claimed to be from a collections agency, but wouldn't give me any details and was asking for my personal information. After checking things out, I realized it wasn't a scam--there really was a bill in collections from my local hospital. I called the hospital who insisted that there was no bill under my name. I then asked if it could be under GF's name since she is on my health insurance as a domestic partner. I didn't think about this possibility at first, because I couldn't understand why they'd be sending me a bill under her name. But sure enough, that's who the bill was for. Of course, the hospital billing couldn't talk to me about the bill. Sure it's sitting in collections ready to affect my credit, but since the bill is in her name she has to call back when she gets home. (I know, of course, that this is because of medical privacy and I totally understand and am glad things are this way, but still it's kind of annoying at times.)
When GF talked to them we found out the bill (for a pap smear) had just never gone through our insurance. They had tried to bill her old insurance (even though she'd been on my insurance for 6 months by then
) but of course she was no longer covered by that company. The hospital also had the wrong address for GF. I don't know how they missed that she had new insurance or had the wrong address 
. The pap smear occurred at her primary care physician's office and they have all of her info--the hospital just does the billing stuff if the insurance doesn't cover something. So where does the hospital get insurance info and addresses if not from the primary care physician's office? We pointed out the error to the hospital billing dept and they said they'd take care of it and let the collections agency know. (Of course, the collections agency says they changed the date at which they will be affecting my credit, but they're still going to do that in the next 2 weeks or so unless the insurance company sends them a check by then. Last I talked to the insurance company they hadn't yet gotten the claim from the hospital. 
I'm thinking perhaps we should just pay that bill to get it out of collections and then fight with the insurance later to be reimbursed.)
Now what I don't understand about this, is if the hospital didn't recognize that GF has insurance as my domestic partner (hence they never sent the claim to the insurance), then why in the heck are they sending bills to collections *in my name*?
And it gets even more confusing. Today I got two more collections notices
in the mail (both in my name), both from the hospital billing for physicans' offices. I'm almost absolutely sure that these are also bills that are under GF's names. When she talked to the hospital billing they informed her that she also had a copay (not small) and some other fee for an ER visit from over a year and a half ago (before she was on my insurance) for which she never received a bill (probably because they had the wrong address). This was a few days before we left for vacation so we were focused on trying to get the pap smear situation settled and so at that time we didn't get all the details of what these charges were for, to make sure they were accurate. The collections notices are for amounts quite similar to the numbers GF remembers hearing from the hospital billing dept, so we are almost sure that they are the same bills.
So now, the 20 million dollar question, why are they sending GF's bills to collections under my name? These last two bills occurred long before I added her to my insurance, so it can't even be a matter of the insurance connection. And, given we are same-sex partners, as far as the law is concerned we have absolutely no legal connection to one another. So why in the heck am I being held responsible for bills in her name? This can't even be legal right?
Rationally, I know we can work it all out. And of course, since these two latter bills are likely things that GF really does owe from the ER visit, we'll pay those ASAP. But it sure does tick me off that this could potentially affect my credit, even though we have no legal relationship. Isn't it convenient that when it comes to any benefit of marriage or civil unions we're not allowed to get squat? But suddenly, when there's an overdue bill, I start getting treated as if I'm her wife and I'm legally responsible for her bills! 
When GF talked to them we found out the bill (for a pap smear) had just never gone through our insurance. They had tried to bill her old insurance (even though she'd been on my insurance for 6 months by then
) but of course she was no longer covered by that company. The hospital also had the wrong address for GF. I don't know how they missed that she had new insurance or had the wrong address . The pap smear occurred at her primary care physician's office and they have all of her info--the hospital just does the billing stuff if the insurance doesn't cover something. So where does the hospital get insurance info and addresses if not from the primary care physician's office? We pointed out the error to the hospital billing dept and they said they'd take care of it and let the collections agency know. (Of course, the collections agency says they changed the date at which they will be affecting my credit, but they're still going to do that in the next 2 weeks or so unless the insurance company sends them a check by then. Last I talked to the insurance company they hadn't yet gotten the claim from the hospital. I'm thinking perhaps we should just pay that bill to get it out of collections and then fight with the insurance later to be reimbursed.)Now what I don't understand about this, is if the hospital didn't recognize that GF has insurance as my domestic partner (hence they never sent the claim to the insurance), then why in the heck are they sending bills to collections *in my name*?
And it gets even more confusing. Today I got two more collections notices
in the mail (both in my name), both from the hospital billing for physicans' offices. I'm almost absolutely sure that these are also bills that are under GF's names. When she talked to the hospital billing they informed her that she also had a copay (not small) and some other fee for an ER visit from over a year and a half ago (before she was on my insurance) for which she never received a bill (probably because they had the wrong address). This was a few days before we left for vacation so we were focused on trying to get the pap smear situation settled and so at that time we didn't get all the details of what these charges were for, to make sure they were accurate. The collections notices are for amounts quite similar to the numbers GF remembers hearing from the hospital billing dept, so we are almost sure that they are the same bills. So now, the 20 million dollar question, why are they sending GF's bills to collections under my name? These last two bills occurred long before I added her to my insurance, so it can't even be a matter of the insurance connection. And, given we are same-sex partners, as far as the law is concerned we have absolutely no legal connection to one another. So why in the heck am I being held responsible for bills in her name?
This can't even be legal right? Rationally, I know we can work it all out. And of course, since these two latter bills are likely things that GF really does owe from the ER visit, we'll pay those ASAP. But it sure does tick me off that this could potentially affect my credit, even though we have no legal relationship. Isn't it convenient that when it comes to any benefit of marriage or civil unions we're not allowed to get squat? But suddenly, when there's an overdue bill, I start getting treated as if I'm her wife and I'm legally responsible for her bills!
I never dreamed out-patient surgery could be soooooooo expensive. It took us a little while to realize that they were claiming him on my insurance number so of course it wasn't going to pay. The hospital was giving all of the wrong info to all of the doctors and everybody else that gets your money after surgery so I am having to call all of them myself to correct their error. Even our surgeon, who we had gone to see before the surgery and had given all of our info to used the hospitals info. They even had copies of our insurance cards. It is definitely a pain to deal with. I just hope we catch them all and nothing happens to us like it has to you and we get collections agency notices.
hugs for you, i know first hand how annoying this can be. one very important thing to do is to write down everyone you speak to and a summary of the conversation. Then ask them to shoot you an email with the same info they gave you. because JUST as you think you're about to settle it, that person who was so helpful last week suddenly drops off the face of the earth.
GF like crazy. But that's irrelevant to the fact that it isn't legal to hurt my credit because I didn't pay someone else's bill. And in fact, GF and I both have a deep interest in keeping my credit as clear as possible--with her credit having some blips on it we're going to depend on my credit in the future when it comes to buying a house and such.
. I called the collection agency and the amt was 60.00 bucks. Then I explained to the person that I am a maniac about paying bills ontime. he said that since I paid it before I had even been contacted by them and that because it was under 100.00 they would have it removed. It just ticked me off royally that because some idiot didn't send a bill that my credit could have taken a hit. I HATE hospital billing-it has to be the most assinine billing in the universe!
Sorry -I read the first 2 paragraphs only (pretty much all I'll read on long threads) & I didn't see the gay thing.
