N
Nasawoman
Guest
We had a child on Feb 17, 1999 and used our BC/BS Federal insurance through our preferred-provider pediatrician and local preferred-provider hospital. The child had some complications and additional testing was ordered by the pediatrician. The hospital and doctors billed BC/BS and by April 1,1999 and all billed charges were paid promptly.
In August 2001 (2.5 years after the child was born), we received a call (and subsequent bill) from a company that had evidently performed one of the additional tests. They stated that they had not been paid and that they had made previous attempts to send a bill, but had the wrong address (We had never moved nor provided an incorrect address to the hospital). We submitted the bill to our insurance company, but it was rejected because it was greater than two years after the date of service. We notified the company of the insurance company's decision. They are insisting that the bill be paid, or they will take further action to collect. (Had the bill been submitted in time, BC/BS would have paid the charges in full).
Our main question is: Are we under any obligation to pay these charges? (Since the billing was done so long after the date of service?)
What is to prevent someone from sending a bill, say 10 years from now? How can we be held responsible for knowing what medical tests have been ordered and from whom so we can track whether they have sent a timely bill? We're not in the medical profession nor mind-readers, we didn't even know we should have asked for a bill.
We have always paid our bills on time and in full. Also, this is the ONLY charge that we have ever gotten, in 10 years, that was not submitted directly to BC/BS. They don't even have a mechanism whereby we could submit charges.
In August 2001 (2.5 years after the child was born), we received a call (and subsequent bill) from a company that had evidently performed one of the additional tests. They stated that they had not been paid and that they had made previous attempts to send a bill, but had the wrong address (We had never moved nor provided an incorrect address to the hospital). We submitted the bill to our insurance company, but it was rejected because it was greater than two years after the date of service. We notified the company of the insurance company's decision. They are insisting that the bill be paid, or they will take further action to collect. (Had the bill been submitted in time, BC/BS would have paid the charges in full).
Our main question is: Are we under any obligation to pay these charges? (Since the billing was done so long after the date of service?)
What is to prevent someone from sending a bill, say 10 years from now? How can we be held responsible for knowing what medical tests have been ordered and from whom so we can track whether they have sent a timely bill? We're not in the medical profession nor mind-readers, we didn't even know we should have asked for a bill.
We have always paid our bills on time and in full. Also, this is the ONLY charge that we have ever gotten, in 10 years, that was not submitted directly to BC/BS. They don't even have a mechanism whereby we could submit charges.