Question for experts on debt collections

[chiefmickeymouse]

About six months ago my son's doctor sent him to a geneticist. The insurance pre-approved the visit. The doctor ordered a genetic test which we went and did right after the visit.

A month later we get a bill from the hospital system for over $3000. The insurance company (Tricare) denied the claim. I called them, and they said it was an "no pay code". They told me not to worry because I wasn't responsible to pay the bill because the hospital was in network.

The hospital called me bi-weekly and continued to bill me. The insurance company sent them a letter telling them they were in "violation" of their agreement and to discontinue billing me. The billing continued as well as the calls. The insurance company sent another letter. I got a letter from a collections agency after six months.

I called the insurance company, and they told me they have "debt collection specialists" who would help me. A week later, someone from the insurance called me and told me the hospital had pulled the account back from collections. She said it "seemed they had finally realized the can't hold me responsible". I have nothing in writing to prove this, and haven't heard from the collections agency since the original letter.

My question is, should I send the letter telling the collections agency to provide proof of the debt? I don't feel comfortable with taking the insurance company's word for it.

 

[Egdisney]

How long has it been since you received a letter from the collection company? I would probably call them and ask for any information they have. If they no longer hold the debt, they might not have any information. Our credit is gone over with a fine toothed comb for my husbands job in gaming. The investigators said that there was a debt from 9 years ago that appeared when they pulled our credit, but that had not once shown up on any credit reports I pulled(which happens yearly, as well as anytime we got a loan,etc). And after they told him about the debt, I called the company and it wasn't there! I called the company and they have no record of anything. They told me that they don't sell to other companies either. The alleged debt was for a company we had used, but were pretty sure we had paid. It was very weird.
Call them, but they may not have anything to give you if they have no record of it anymore.

 

[The Grays]

I agree call the collection company or the hospital. Our DD is a cancer survivor and when she was going through treatment we were always getting letters from the hospital that we owed them tons of money. It was always the hospital coding it wrong and the insurance company kicked it back to them not paying it. We would have to do 3 way calls to clear it.

What a waste of time this was.

Don't worry it sounds like it is cleared up.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

How long has it been since you received a letter from the collection company? I would probably call them and ask for any information they have. If they no longer hold the debt, they might not have any information. Our credit is gone over with a fine toothed comb for my husbands job in gaming. The investigators said that there was a debt from 9 years ago that appeared when they pulled our credit, but that had not once shown up on any credit reports I pulled(which happens yearly, as well as anytime we got a loan,etc). And after they told him about the debt, I called the company and it wasn't there! I called the company and they have no record of anything. They told me that they don't sell to other companies either. The alleged debt was for a company we had used, but were pretty sure we had paid. It was very weird.
Call them, but they may not have anything to give you if they have no record of it anymore.

It's been three weeks since we received the letter from the collections agency. The only reason I haven't called is because the insurance is in my husband's name, so he would have to call. I was wondering about sending the letter because we are coming up on thirty days since I received the first collections letter.

 

[chiefmickeymouse]

I agree call the collection company or the hospital. Our DD is a cancer survivor and when she was going through treatment we were always getting letters from the hospital that we owed them tons of money. It was always the hospital coding it wrong and the insurance company kicked it back to them not paying it. We would have to do 3 way calls to clear it.

What a waste of time this was.

Don't worry it sounds like it is cleared up.

Thanks, I hope so. Glad to hear your daughter is doing better.