Comments on: Return to sender

By: Alasdair

Alasdair — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:31:16 +0000

I’m surprised no-one has yet mentioned the “This is NOT a Bill” precursor not-bills which are sent while the medical institution tries to collect from the medical insurer …

And then, in the fullness of time, the actual bill arrives, looking amazingly similar on the outside, yet on the inside says “Pay This !” …

PS I concur ! The new edit capability is SEXY ! And has all the feel of a Jeopardy round ! Can you get it to play the Jeopardy theme while it is counting down ? (grin)

By: Jan

Jan — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:43:27 +0000

I never understand those bills either, just finding the bottom line (the amount you need to pay) is bad enough.

By: Expat Mum

Expat Mum — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 19:38:23 +0000

With three kids and almost monthly visits to the bloody ER (see my current post) I am getting quite good at sorting out the health stuff. I am taking bets on how much the bills will be for yesterday’s visit, and because we haven’t yet hit our deductible, we will be paying for the whole lot.
One piece of advice for anyone not in the know however – never let something go unpaid, even if you disagree with the charge. The bills will be sent to a debt collector, who will hassle you for about 6 months even for $20. It all goes on your credit report though, so sort it out rather than ignoring it.

By: benny

benny — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 12:14:59 +0000

chip-ites r gay

By: Almost American

Almost American — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:49:56 +0000

We never used to hear from our health insurance company, but now they send me mail regularly. Apparently it’s now state law that every time they refuse to pay 100% of what the doc bills them for, they have to send an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) to me so that I can see what the original amount billed was versus how much they actually paid. When the health insurance does that I simply file the paper in the trash (after recovering from being gobsmacked that the doc charged $132 for putting some freezy stuff on DS’s verruca – a 10 second item that suddenly turned into outpatient surgery on the bill!) However, when the dental insurance company sends me an EOB, I pay closer attention because in that case I have to pay the difference between the amount originally billed and what the insurance paid

By: Mr Potarto

Mr Potarto — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 23:29:27 +0000

Wahey! Perhaps we should create a Ex-pat Chipite clique.

By: Siobhan

Siobhan — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 22:52:44 +0000

I absolutely love potato waffles and miss them with a passion. If I ever find a decent recipe for them, I know where to pass it on. I used to watch Dempsey & Makepiece too, and I love great day harvesting parcels or surprise letters.

I recently got signed up for a magazine I never even asked for. I know I didn’t because they spelt my first name wrong. And yet, they keep coming.

Never have a child here or buy property, you’re just asking for the junk to hit the fan.

Good luck fighting the bills.

By: Brooklyn

Brooklyn — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:26:23 +0000

“There should be some glossary of terms and instruction manual for all non-US citizens who have US health insurance.”

Do you really think WE can understand that stuff? In a pig’s eye. [And, before I am attacked by the McCain Campaign, that is not a subtle attempt to demean Sarah Palin's candidacy.]

After all, if we possessed that capability to speak the foreign tongue of medicalbillese, we wouldn’t have to insist that everyone else speak English in their own country as well as in ours.

By: Dylan

Dylan — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:18:32 +0000

A Chip-ite clearly, Benny.

Married To A Brit – glad to see I’m keeping you company over your coffee! I’m still trying to explain to The Special One the difference between the North and the South of the UK. I think she finds it difficult to believe a place so small can have so many nuances!

And Mom/Mum, I’m glad to hear that I’m not alone. To be honest, every medical company in New York could start billing me and I’d assume that I had to pay them. Clearly I need to take a more aggressive approach…

By: Mom/Mum

Mom/Mum — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:08:10 +0000

Gosh don’t get me started on medical bills. Total foreign launguage to me. Husband’s HR/medical person at work just gets annoyed with him everytime he comes into her office waving another inexplicable bill for her to translate. I remember being totally miffed at being billed from a blood work lab, thinking they’d made a mistake, sent the bill to me rather than my doctor’s.
There should be some glossary of terms and instruction manual for all non-US citizens who have US health insurance. Not that me or the hubs ever read instruction manuals though…