Collection letter- how do I validate medical debt and get an itemized bill?

Submitted by _ilovemydogs t3_11ekvj4 in personalfinance

I was at urgent care last year and I have insurance. My copay is 50 and I paid it. They didn’t do anything (no tests or anything I just spoke with a doctor regarding sinusitis & he recommended over the counter stuff)

A month later, urgent care tells me I owe 250. I spoke with their billing to see what’s going on and they can not provide me with an itemized bill. I asked them over 5 times since I’m unsure why I owed that amount. I refuse to pay something I don’t owe.

today I received a letter from MBA Law (collection agency) I want to dispute it but I don’t know how. I don’t think this is urgent enough for me to hire a lawyer so I figured I’d ask here. Should I ask them for an itemized bill? I doubt that they can provide one because I don’t owe anything, even billing couldn’t give me a reason as to why I owed that amount.

Any advice is appreciated!

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CEasey t1_jaeluk7 wrote

Did you get an Explanation of Benefits form from your health insurance?

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rbekins t1_jaenttx wrote

This, start with your EOB for the visit. It will be more useful than trying to ask for an itemized bill.

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AllTheyEatIsLettuce t1_jaesidv wrote

What does the insurance seller say about how much you owe the vendor?

>I spoke with their billing to see what’s going on and they can not provide me with an itemized bill.

"Itemized bill" spell doesn't work as well as its touts say it does or believe it does. What it does do is save professional, 3rd party, retail health bill fighters a first punch if you've already hired those in or plan on hiring them in. They'll appreciate you for it.

>I received a letter from MBA Law (collection agency)

>Should I ask them for an itemized bill?

A 3rd party debt collector does not have access to your medical record with which it could generate an "itemized bill." If it does have access to your medical record, that's a far bigger problem than $n in health care-induced debt now in hands of a 3rd party debt collector.

But let's get to the actual good news!

The credit history/reporting/score-generating industry imposed a 180 day "free clean up" moratorium on itself in 2017 regarding health care-induced debt.

180 days is now 365 days.

Clear your health care-induced debt within that window of opportunity and the credit history/reporting/score-generating industry promises no damage or downgrade to your credit score.

Paid health care-induced debt is no longer included in consumer credit reports.

And there's a new offer of a health care-induced debt obfuscation deal worth up to $500, maybe even more ..., beginning sometime in 2023!

Why did the credit reporting/history/score-generating industry do this? The generational pervasiveness and sheer dollar amount of health care-induced debt in America: people with shit credit can't buy or keep buying homes, cars, and legitimate consumer services/goods on credit.

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_ilovemydogs OP t1_jaetnga wrote

Thank you so much for the explanation. I’m assuming they can’t sue for for the $250 either? That’s what I’m worried about it. My partner thinks I should pay it to avoid additional fees and a lawsuit.

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AllTheyEatIsLettuce t1_jaevfse wrote

You should first ask the insurance seller for its "EOB" regarding this billing event. Any person or business that's owed money can use whatever legal means are available to to recover the money owed, and that includes the civil court system. But I wouldn't worry too much, or at all, over his vendor and its $250 demand.

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wickedkittylitter t1_jaeuu8t wrote

You paid the co-pay, but had you already maxxed out your deductible for the year when you went to urgent care? If not, you still owe up to the deductible amount and that means you'd owe $250.

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_ilovemydogs OP t1_jaev3hu wrote

I checked with insurance today and they don’t know why I’m being charged so they’re investigating. I also checked the insurance app and it just shows that I owed $50 and it was “paid”

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