| If you have any complaint at all it is with the dentist. It is not the insurance carrier's fault that the dentist did not submit the bill on time; nor is it the fault of the collection agency. You have no cause of action against either of them. The insurance carrier has no legal obligation to pay a bill that is submitted after the time limit has expired; the collection agency is only doing its job.
Depending on how your insurance policy is written the dentist MAY have some liability.
The bottom line, however, is that YOU have the ultimate responsibility for all services you incurred. That you may have been able to defray some of that responsibility over to the insurance carrier had the bill been submitted in a timely fashion, does not excuse you from being responsible to pay the bill. |