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The bitch is in.
13 comments
(Cathie) Black Magic
12 comments
I think you are an idiot.
12 comments
It's finally Friday. I'm free again.
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I should warn you. This post is going to be about corporate life but it is not going to be directly about MY corporate life.
I should also warn you that I am going to talk about the most taboo KathyHowe blog topic ever known to man…or woman for that matter:
My ex-husband.
*the crowd goes silent*
It was a dark and stormy night in June (not really but isn’t that the start of all great tales?) when KA-PLOOEY! my dearest last born baby child fell from a clearly reckless and boy-hating set of monkey bars and broke his poor little boo bear arm.
I was distraught but like a good mother I sucked it up and hauled him into the E.R. so he could see his favorite E.R. doctor.
So sad that they know us by name.
We went through the routine: exam, x-rays, break confirmed, temporary cast, go home for a week, permanent cast put on.
I do these stunts blindfolded donchyaknow.
Because I am the parent that primarily brings the children in for doctor visits I have to sign the waiver and claim financial responsibility for their medical expenses. Never mind that my divorce decree firmly and clearly states that my ex-spousal unit is solely responsible for insuring the children for both medical and dental.
For some reason, dang near EVERY TIME we need to go to the doctor for a major event, I am sent a bill for anywhere from $500 - $1000 in medical expenses that my ex’s insurance company is denying or disputing.
This happens with such frequency my head immediately goes into a RAGE when I see something in the mail from the clinic. It can only mean one thing: some crackerjack at the insurance company needs to be yelled at.
Sad as it may be, my ex-spousal unit is always the first person I call to displace my rage on. Usually this rage is launched into his voicemail because having any brains at all has made him smart enough to know that when I call, someone is getting yelled at.
So to voicemail I must go.
He and I have been divorced for many years now. You would think that maybe, just MAYBE his insurance company could get this figured out on their end.
HE insures the children. I ensure me. There is no overlap in coverage.
One of the first times we had an incident like this I thought “Oh jeepers. No problem. I’ll just call the 800# for customer service on the back of the insurance card and square this away.”
ERRRRRRRRRRR. El wrongo.
No. The insurance company REFUSED to talk to me because I am not on the policy as either the policy holder or one of the insureds.
So today, after AGAIN receiving one letter notifying me that payment was denied by the insurance company and a bill for $500.00 I verbally assaulted my ex-husbands voicemail. I. am. really. getting. tired. of. this. nonsense.
We seriously just went through this less than 6 months ago.
Why is it so hard for insurance companies to keep straight who is and is not insured? Just like every other time before this, I am certain the claim will be paid in full. But why must MY CREDIT be put at risk because I don’t want to pay a $500 bill that the insurance company is responsible for?
Does anyone out there have any experience in dealing with insurance companies? A struggle that has come up for my ex and I repeatedly is that I am denied information by the insurance provider and his employer because I am not named on the policy. This, to me, is insane. I am there mother and I am the one that takes them to 99% of their appointments and fills 99% of their prescriptions.
What gives!?!?!?
Discuss….
This entry was posted on Friday, July 27th, 2007 at 7:32 pm and is filed under Politics.
July 27th, 2007 at 8:33 pm
It absolutely stinks. I suggest you send via registered mail, return receipt requested, a copy of your divorce decree explicitly outlining the insurance coverage responsibilities and the custodial rights. Then call the the insurance company and let them know you won’t tolerate any more of their crap regarding your children’s health, or you’ll have your attorney ask them what exactly they don’t seem to understand.
I used to go through this shit with my insurance company regarding my daughter, for whom I had no custodial rights, yet was required to insure. Fricking idiots.
July 27th, 2007 at 9:04 pm
First of all. I need to breath before I even begin with this one.
Let’s just say, ya in a perfect world both parties may work together in communications to deal with insurance companies. But it isn’t. I think there needs to be Privacy Act Provision that allows the other/ex- spouse to discuss the case even though they are not the policy holder but they are the custodial parent.
I have been around the block on this so much, my BP just went up remembering it all.
July 27th, 2007 at 10:00 pm
I am forwarding this to my friend Don, guru of all things health insurance.
July 27th, 2007 at 11:38 pm
I have to say, I don’t think your credit is particularly at risk. You can go a long time against a hospital in my experience and I have never had a whit show up on my credit report.
I’ve done a lot of billing disputes, but I’m not an attorney. However, having an attorney involved may in fact be the least troublesome course of action. Since you have a legal document (your divorce) which makes your husband the responsible party, your signature on the “I’ll pay” form probably isn’t that relevant.
If you went before a judge, do you really think he’d say, “Oh, yeah. You signed that. You owe.” It’s a kind of paperwork hostage-taking when the hospital makes you sign that.
So going forward, remember this. The ER has to take you. By law. Don’t sign the stupid form next time you go to the ER. Or write your husband’s name there, or whatever. Of course since you’ll be getting an attorney, I’d get their opinion on it. But I’ve not seen the little sheet of paper make that much difference.
Ok. What to do now. Do not pay the hospital. They will have no interest in helping you resolve this bill once they have money. Do not pay them anything even if you think it will “help your credit” somehow. You pay, you lose.
As for the insurance company not talking to you, of course (by law) they can’t. Total invasion of privacy stuff there. They can talk to the hospital though. So getting the hospital on your side can help. I’ve had reasonably good luck going in person to the billing office at the hospital, and waiting while they call the provider number to find out why a claim is denied. It takes a lot of time, because the hospital gets put on hold just like you do.
But it achieves at least 2 things. First, you are working on getting the bill resolved, so it generally keeps things out of a collection agency (never fun). Second, it often helps you make progress, getting an appeal started or getting extra paperwork in to make the correct determination. At least you usually know what you need to do next.
By the way, I’m very fond of letters. A letter to the hospital telling them that you are being incorrectly billed, that the correct responsible person is your husband (with address and phone number), with supporting documentation, might well dump this correctly onto your ex. The insurance company can legally talk to him, and you’ll have given him incentive to get somewhere on it.
If your letter doesn’t do it, I’d say that there’s a good chance your attorney’s letter would.
If you should get a call from a collection agency…. Don’t pay them. You don’t pay people just because they ask you to. You pay bills that legitimately belong to you. They’ll want you to, because that’s their business model. You’ll need to write a letter “disputing” the bill (and that word is important). Explain who really owns the bill. If they do mark your credit report in any way (not in my experience over medical things) they have to note the dispute. I have found the general level of heat goes down substantially once you dispute a bill.
If it should come to that stage, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act is a must-read. You need to know what your rights are so you don’t put up with being abused.
July 30th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Usually a letter from the father to insurance company listing each child, giving you authorization will usually work. It does depend on the insurance company.
July 30th, 2007 at 10:27 am
Don has some good points -
I wonder if a notarized letter from the ex (obviously crafted by you) authorizing you to initiate & manage care for the children with all billings being his responsibility - which you could then photocopy & hand out as needed - would do the trick?