Yeehaw!

Well we received three bills from the hospital the day after Christmas. None of the bills seemed right. One of the bills has been around since July and I already thought it was resolved twice.

Fun, fun, fun, unfortunately I'm quite used to this kind of thing. So I was hardly shocked.

I decided I would attack these current bills slowly, thoughtfully and methodically, and one at a time.

First I attacked the bill that I was already told was taken care of twice. I really threw myself between the hospital's billing department and the insurance company's claims department. I held their hands and walked them through all issues. I held on the phone for hours as one party called the other party. By the end of the day my insurance company agreed that they processed the claim incorrectly and was sending out a check to the hospital to settle the claim.

Now I can't be too confident. I've been told to rip-up bills before only to have them sent to me again some weeks later. But as much as I was devoted to completely following these bills through I have a high degree of confidence that this bill is finally resolved.

The difference? I was being charged $400 and now I'm being charged my expected co-pay of $25.

I was proud. I did a little dance.

It's not easy being a little sick guy stepping between two-corporate giants.

Yesterday I devoted myself to resolving another bill. I again was expecting a $25 co-pay and ended up again with a bill for $400. For this one I needed Barb's research assistance to pull a bill from early 2009.

The older bill was for $25, my expected co-pay, for a very similar treatment that I was now getting charged $400. It just didn't add up.

I called the radiation department, got one of the key members of the staff on the phone, and asked her why I would be billed so differently for virtually the same treatment.

"Why is this billing so different from the previous one? What is the expected standard?"

I could feel, over the phone, the light bulb going off over her head. She got it. She understood. She asked for time to discuss this with her boss.

Soon she called me back and the bill I was sent was all wrong. It should have been billed as one complete treatment of radiation therapy. But instead it was charged as 16 separate treatments, resulting in my $400 bill rather than my expected $25 co-pay.

I'm still waiting to hear back from radiation on how they specifically plan to resolve this one. This could have far reaching implications. When did LGH and radiation start billing people incorretly like this, and how many people were affected, or even knew about it? Some people just pay the bill. Not everyone is a stubborn hard-head like me.

Again I felt confident that this is addressed. But I'll never know for sure before I get a corrected billing or statement. Still, it was enough success that I had to break out the dancing again. That always draws some odd looks from both Barb and Freckles.

So, now I'm down to just one bill to address. I've been saving this one for last because it's the most complex. I will have to spend some time studying it and figure out what mistakes were made where. When I'm ready. I'll make the calls. I'm not on anybody's time frame.

If I hadn't taken the time to question these bills, and fight for was accurate and right, I'd owe $800 so far, instead of the $50 that I actually owe.

It's tough enough to get up every day and fight this cancer. It's terrible that I also have to fight with the hospital and my insurer almost everyday too. Aren't they supposed to be the companies looking out for me?