Phantom doctor bill from 2005
June 21, 2015 6:05 AM Subscribe
On Friday, I received a bill totaling $500 from a doctor that I haven't seen since 2010. It hit me out of the blue. It's a chunk of change, and I'm not sure how to proceed.
I had health insurance at the time, but according to the bill, the visits were not covered. The office's billing department never made me aware of an outstanding balance until now. They sent an invoice late last week that I received yesterday stating that I had until Monday to pay.
I keep records for 3-4 years and then shred them, so I don't have any paperwork that would help me figure this one out. I'm not even sure if I owe this money. How do I resolve this?
I live in Florida, and I think that the statute of limitations has run out on their suing me for this amount. However, if I contact them to try to settle, will I be re-aging the debt? Should I contact the office at all? My two main goals are: 1) to avoid any damage to my credit; and 2) to pay as little money as possible, as money is currently tight. Shelling out $500 at this point would be a catastrophe.
Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
I had health insurance at the time, but according to the bill, the visits were not covered. The office's billing department never made me aware of an outstanding balance until now. They sent an invoice late last week that I received yesterday stating that I had until Monday to pay.
I keep records for 3-4 years and then shred them, so I don't have any paperwork that would help me figure this one out. I'm not even sure if I owe this money. How do I resolve this?
I live in Florida, and I think that the statute of limitations has run out on their suing me for this amount. However, if I contact them to try to settle, will I be re-aging the debt? Should I contact the office at all? My two main goals are: 1) to avoid any damage to my credit; and 2) to pay as little money as possible, as money is currently tight. Shelling out $500 at this point would be a catastrophe.
Thanks in advance for your help and advice.
Your profile says that you're a student. Does your university have a legal clinic for students? If they have a law school, they likely do. The first thing I would do is call the doctor's office to make sure it's not a scam. It sounds really sketchy, to be honest. If the bill is real, thank them for the information, hang up, and then look into your options for free or very-low-cost legal advice. I would ignore the Monday deadline. That's a bullying maneuver designed to deny you the time to look into your options, and it's not reasonable.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:47 AM on June 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:47 AM on June 21, 2015 [4 favorites]
Also, this probably goes without saying, but when you call the doctor's office, look up the phone number independently. Don't use the phone number on the bill.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:51 AM on June 21, 2015 [13 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 6:51 AM on June 21, 2015 [13 favorites]
I had something similar happen about a year ago -- a sudden bill from a procedure back in 2009, and it was for something like $1,500. (Also in Florida, which is interesting.) It was full of all sorts of scary stuff, like "2nd and final notice" and demand for immediate payment, along with mentions of them maybe needing to sue me and the whole thing damaging my credit report. All classic scare tactics.
First, I called the surgical center directly. They said that they didn't send it, but with something that old, that any old debts would have gone to collections.
Then I called the number on the bill, and I tried to figure out with them whether it was a legitimate charge or what. I told them that I had full insurance at the time, and that this particular surgical center was one of those "you absolutely MUST pay co-pay at the time of service" places, so if there was a co-pay, it was definitely paid. They gave me a fax number, and asked that I get my insurance company to send proof that the co-pay was paid.
I got in touch with my insurance company, and they were able to fax the proof to the guys who sent the bill that I'd paid my $50 co-pay at the time for that specific service, and the rest was covered. They also sent a copy to me for my records.
When I talked to the guy at the insurance company, he indicated that they'd received multiple calls about surprise 5-year-old bills from same surgical center. I'm still not sure what happened, whether their computers glitched or they were just evil money spongers, but they accepted the paperwork from the insurance company, and suddenly I didn't owe them $1,500 anymore. Which works for me.
posted by themissy at 7:29 AM on June 21, 2015 [16 favorites]
First, I called the surgical center directly. They said that they didn't send it, but with something that old, that any old debts would have gone to collections.
Then I called the number on the bill, and I tried to figure out with them whether it was a legitimate charge or what. I told them that I had full insurance at the time, and that this particular surgical center was one of those "you absolutely MUST pay co-pay at the time of service" places, so if there was a co-pay, it was definitely paid. They gave me a fax number, and asked that I get my insurance company to send proof that the co-pay was paid.
I got in touch with my insurance company, and they were able to fax the proof to the guys who sent the bill that I'd paid my $50 co-pay at the time for that specific service, and the rest was covered. They also sent a copy to me for my records.
When I talked to the guy at the insurance company, he indicated that they'd received multiple calls about surprise 5-year-old bills from same surgical center. I'm still not sure what happened, whether their computers glitched or they were just evil money spongers, but they accepted the paperwork from the insurance company, and suddenly I didn't owe them $1,500 anymore. Which works for me.
posted by themissy at 7:29 AM on June 21, 2015 [16 favorites]
Verify verify verify. I support the crew that advises getting legal help first. When you contact the billing office, determine if it's a collection agency. I have trouble believing that the clinic will have held this debt that long without selling it to a collection agency. Do not give them any information that isn't already on the paperwork they've sent you. However it works out, please make sure this isn't a scam.
Sometimes a collection notice will be generated off a clerical error. I received a bill recently for a 400something medical bill. After a phone call, we discovered that the hospital had made an error, and the bill had actually been submitted through my insurance. I received a follow-up letter the next month informing me that my account was kicked up to "2nd Notice" status, and they would be coming after my house car and children if I didn't pay. Another phone call ensued. This time the billing office caught up with their computer and choked it into submission. I kept in mind that the people with whom I was dealing were trying to be helpful, and we all went away happy.
posted by mule98J at 9:06 AM on June 21, 2015
Sometimes a collection notice will be generated off a clerical error. I received a bill recently for a 400something medical bill. After a phone call, we discovered that the hospital had made an error, and the bill had actually been submitted through my insurance. I received a follow-up letter the next month informing me that my account was kicked up to "2nd Notice" status, and they would be coming after my house car and children if I didn't pay. Another phone call ensued. This time the billing office caught up with their computer and choked it into submission. I kept in mind that the people with whom I was dealing were trying to be helpful, and we all went away happy.
posted by mule98J at 9:06 AM on June 21, 2015
Response by poster: Thanks for the advice so far. There isn't a phone number on the bill. There was a return envelope attached to the bill with my (former) doctor's address on it. My university, unfortunately, does not have a legal clinic. Not sure where else to search out legal advice from.
The bill is just....bizarre.
posted by batbat at 12:37 PM on June 21, 2015
The bill is just....bizarre.
posted by batbat at 12:37 PM on June 21, 2015
Not sure where else to search out legal advice from.
Give your state's attorney general a call. They may have an office dedicated to consumer inquiries, or they may point you in the right direction. You could also try asking at your local public library. They will likely refer you to a state or county bar association, or to a state agency that may exist for consumer collections—but the point is, rather than us guessing, your local librarian may know. Failing that, go to your local courthouse and ask at the desk: "I have this problem, and I don't know where to turn. What resources exist?"
I am an attorney with experience on this topic. But I'm not licensed in Florida and therefore I can't comment on your question, because these issues can be so state-specific. What I can tell you generally is that (1) legal assistance is out there to be found; (2) this is a topic where a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous, so be careful whose word you take as gospel; and (3) this is also a topic where a little bit of common sense goes a long way.
Anecdotally, I can tell you that when I had a dispute with a medical bill—as a patient myself—I took it up with the provider. I found that experience to be fraught with silly and needless obstacles, and it was difficult to navigate even for someone with a law degree...but the happy ending was an apology letter from the hospital stating that, no, I did not in fact owe anything. In other words, addressing my alleged creditor directly was not simple but it worked. (They ignored my first few letters.)
Good luck.
posted by cribcage at 12:58 PM on June 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
Give your state's attorney general a call. They may have an office dedicated to consumer inquiries, or they may point you in the right direction. You could also try asking at your local public library. They will likely refer you to a state or county bar association, or to a state agency that may exist for consumer collections—but the point is, rather than us guessing, your local librarian may know. Failing that, go to your local courthouse and ask at the desk: "I have this problem, and I don't know where to turn. What resources exist?"
I am an attorney with experience on this topic. But I'm not licensed in Florida and therefore I can't comment on your question, because these issues can be so state-specific. What I can tell you generally is that (1) legal assistance is out there to be found; (2) this is a topic where a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous, so be careful whose word you take as gospel; and (3) this is also a topic where a little bit of common sense goes a long way.
Anecdotally, I can tell you that when I had a dispute with a medical bill—as a patient myself—I took it up with the provider. I found that experience to be fraught with silly and needless obstacles, and it was difficult to navigate even for someone with a law degree...but the happy ending was an apology letter from the hospital stating that, no, I did not in fact owe anything. In other words, addressing my alleged creditor directly was not simple but it worked. (They ignored my first few letters.)
Good luck.
posted by cribcage at 12:58 PM on June 21, 2015 [2 favorites]
I can't imagine you are liable for a ten-year-old bill, even if it's legitimate.
My guess here is that the provider has switched to a new billing service, or migrated their internal billing to a new system, and it's automatically sending out bills whenever the automation runs across a missing entry or incomplete billing record as it reads the db. We've encountered similar things over the years and it's almost always come down to a system error.
Ten years is old enough that you may have paid via check. Your bank at the time may have those records.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:53 PM on June 21, 2015
My guess here is that the provider has switched to a new billing service, or migrated their internal billing to a new system, and it's automatically sending out bills whenever the automation runs across a missing entry or incomplete billing record as it reads the db. We've encountered similar things over the years and it's almost always come down to a system error.
Ten years is old enough that you may have paid via check. Your bank at the time may have those records.
posted by Thorzdad at 2:53 PM on June 21, 2015
In Massachusetts, the statute of limitations on (typical) debts is six years. In Rhode Island, it's ten. I'm not licensed in New Hampshire but it's my understanding that theirs is three years. This is just one example of how these laws can, as I indicated, vary from state to state. My conversational, not-legal-advice suggestion would be to disregard what any given Internet stranger can or cannot imagine and seek legal counsel that is specific to—and licensed in—your state.
Regarding statutes of limitations, I can say that generally with regard to debts, it is not uncommon for them to sit quietly in a drawer somewhere until the statute has nearly run, at which point the creditor suddenly starts paying attention. This sucks and can feel unfair and is also super common. Again, I have no knowledge that is specific to your situation; that's just a general comment about my experience. Yours may vary.
posted by cribcage at 5:11 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
Regarding statutes of limitations, I can say that generally with regard to debts, it is not uncommon for them to sit quietly in a drawer somewhere until the statute has nearly run, at which point the creditor suddenly starts paying attention. This sucks and can feel unfair and is also super common. Again, I have no knowledge that is specific to your situation; that's just a general comment about my experience. Yours may vary.
posted by cribcage at 5:11 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]
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Call the office and ask about the legitimacy of the bill. If they say it's legitimate, tell them to send you the records that prove you owe this amount. I would also ask for copies of any previous bills they sent you.
Another option is to contact the insurance company you had. They should have copies of theses things as well.
posted by zennie at 6:24 AM on June 21, 2015 [7 favorites]