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Back in March when I lost my job, I had to start taking steps to switch to my husband’s insurance.  Due to my medical issues, I couldn’t afford to go without.  I had a 1-month grace period after losing my job so everything got switched over quickly and without a hitch.  Or so I thought.

While I was in the process of switching insurance companies, my primary doctor was in the process of switching between the companies who actually do their medical billing.  So even though my doctor had my new insurance card on file, the new billing company did not. This resulted in my claims from April through July to continue to be billed to my old insurance without my knowing it.

Until I got the bill in the mail.

It stated that I owed $297 for doctor visits dating back to April 7 (4 visits total, one per month).  It also showed that I had paid on each visit (the 20% that my office knew I was supposed to be paying that coincides with my new insurance).  But the billing company was billing to my old insurance, which is inactive, so it shows a charge, a small payment of $15 (my current copay) and a balance for each visit.

When I realized what happened, I called the third party billing company and explained that I didn’t think they had the correct insurance on file (couldn’t tell from the bill because it didn’t show who they were billing).  I explained that I had switched insurance plans back in March/April and assumed they were still billing the old company, which they were.  The lady from customer service was very nice and took my new info over the phone and told me to disregard the current bill.  She rebilled everything and said to not make any payments until I get the new statement in the mail.

What a relief!  Had I not dissected my bill, I may have just paid the $297 because I’m used to medical bills rolling in each month.  I see a lot of different doctors and specialists, plus I’m still getting bills from months ago, so I never really know what to expect when I open a medical statement.  Thankfully I realized there was an error and got it straightened out before sending a check.

Looking over the bill, it’s possible I may even be getting a credit because I think I overpaid on one of my visits to the office.  If I’m looking at it right, my May visit was billed $252 and I paid $75 in the office that day.  But 20% (my copay) would only have been just over $50.  Unless I’m missing something, I may be getting a $25 credit.  We’ll see.

So here’s a lesson in really looking at your bills (not just medical) and dissecting the charges to ensure that everything looks like it should!