A $100 DIFFERENCE IN BILL MAKES PROBLEMS FOR SENIOR CITIZEN

One of this insurance agency’s clients from Lowell, Indiana sent a bill to me for review. The bill balance of $375.35 was not getting paid.

I reviewed the bill and contacted the client’s insurance company to discover what it knew about this bill.

The hospital in Lake County charged our client an original billed amount of $3,709.49. But, Medicare reported to the insurance company that the charges from the hospital were $3,609.49. Medicare calculated the insurance company’s portion of the bill and the insurance company paid that. I got the date of payment and the check number of payment and the fact that the check had cleared.

A difference between what a hospital reports as the bill to the patient and what Medicare reports to the insurance company is rather common. Medicare does not work very well in my opinion. I’ve been helping senior citizens with Medicare billing problems for over five years.

I wrote to the hospital to inform it of the discrepancy between the bill to the client and the billing information from Medicare to the insurance company. I requested that the hospital contact the insurance company to share information that is critical to finding and resolving the problem.

There may be other problems with the bill, too. But, first, I want the hospital, Medicare, and the insurance company to agree on what the charges and final bill are. Then, I can work on the other billing problems for our client.

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior problem resolution officer for Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana which is one of the largest senior citizen oriented insurance agencies in the Midwest.

© 2008 Woodrow Wilcox

www.WoodrowWilcox.com