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Medical Bills...How do you handle it?

etyler's picture

So, BM pays for insurance for SD8. In our plan, it says that we are to split all costs outside of insurance 50/50 and the paying parent must send proof of payment to the other payment within 90 days.

Welll...BM decided to wait until now to tell us about $300 of bills that have been piling up. She does not have anything to give us besides the EOB from her insurance. Well, I am NOT sending BM money through the mail...who knows what she would say happened to it. We asked her to set up a paypal and she refuses.

I don't know how to send it to her. At this point, I'm feeling like just paying the dr directly. What would you all do?

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the real mom's picture

We're on the other end of that... we have to send EOBs and bills within ten days of receiving them, however, we have a health savings account and our dentist recently just charged the whole amount owed to a card. So we had to provide her with a receipt and she then had to pay us directly. Same thing with prescriptions, we provide her with the receipt and she has to pay us directly. If you have a cancelled check then that's all the proof you need that you paid her.

the real mom's picture

The CO should state exactly what she needs to provide you with. Ours does. If you don't have a receipt or a bill, you shouldn't be paying anything.

NCMilGal's picture

EOBs are inflated anyway.

When my dad passed away, the EOB came about three days after the funeral. My mother was FREAKING OUT. The EOB (for ER, tests, fluids, painkillers, cardiac unit) was for $10,000. The BILL that came later was for ~$3,000 - covered by insurance, except for the $275 deductible.

DH pays for SD16's medical insurance. This has covered therapy for the last 4 years, BM's attempts to drug SD16 into zombiehood, a week-long stay in a mental ward, and vision and dental. (the last two unused for the last three years - there' ZERO DEDUCTIBLE, BM!!) What does BM do? Complains that nobody takes Tricare. Tough shit BM - you signed the paperwork, you have to follow the CO too!

NCMilGal's picture

Aaaaah, I guess I was mistaken.

I don't deal with insurance at all - my medical is military, so I just make appointments and get my 'scripts at the military pharmacy; no money changes hands.

The paperwork that came so fast was the hospital's estimate of services rendered - it very plainly said "THIS IS NOT A BILL." My dad (age 86) had a massive heart attack on a Friday morning, was taken to the ER by ambulance was diagnosed and tested and given painkillers and sedatives. About an hour after he was moved to the cardiac unit, he passed away. The funeral was Monday, and the hospital sent the estimated services soon after. I guess I thought that was an EOB.

Still though, an EOB isn't a bill and doesn't show what BM paid - she needs to send you receipts.

simifan's picture

::Sighs:: We are supposed to split the medical not covered after the first $250.00 with BM. We send receipts showing payment & receive nothing. We took her back for a review as she was not paying other medical. They determined the medical available to her was cheaper so she would carry insurance. So now we pay the insurance (even though BM gets a CS credit for it) because even though BM should be carrying insurance because she refuses to supply a card or information.

I would pay the doctors office or only with a check & only after an actual receipt showing what BM paid.

I remember years ago when SD was in child care BM being furious & taking DH to court because he refused to pay both the bill she gave him and again when she furbished the receipt. The dates of service were right on the papers. They laughed her out of court & DH actually had a minimal credit - apparently one slipped by.