Lincare After a Year I get an Invoice

[Roadking]

I went for a sleep study and then to a local Lincare office to get a Cap machine. This was back in February 2013. I have coverage with two insurance companies so I thought I was covered. Well today March 3, 2014 I get the mail and guess what an invoice from Lincare for my visit over a year ago. Never a word, nothing from Lincare until today. Today I get an invoice from Lincare for over $500. Needless to say I was shocked. No notice that my insurances hadn't paid, or that I owed them anything, no explainations, no nothing. I thought my insurance had covered the bill.
This is a bunch of xxxx.

[jbloodwo]

Could this be a ¿¿¿Copay???

[Sheriff Buford]

Welcome to world of cpap....

[purple]

You have a right to be angry. Take a deep breath. Choose to bemused instead. Assume it is a clerical error from a computer. Call your local Lincare office and ask to speak with manager, and ask for an explanation. If you do not get the answer you think is right. (Which I assume is you owe nothing). Then contact your insurance company, let them sort it out. We all know insurance companies have some real hard cases working for them.

I have gotten several computerized bills for medical which were not right, and I found that when I contacted the right people, and explained why I thought the bill was wrong, it was reconciled. In fact, I have spoked on the phone with some very nice people, who told me some interesting things about medical billing, insurance and such. They are frustrated and angry as well, just not at me.

[Too tall]

Hey Road King,
Tell them you'll pay them in a year! That's bullshit. Give them a good ass chewing and threaten to switch DMEs. Tell them you can do business with a company that has those kind of book keeping practices. Tell them if you want to get paid, they'd better reduce that number or you'll walk as you just can't afford to shell out a year's worth of fees at one time. Give them holy hell and maybe they'll compensate you. That's what I do, it may not always work but it get their attention.

[mememe]

Sounds like they are phishing for money. Don't pay, but do call.

[chunkyfrog]

Insist that all items be itemized, dated, and identified in English.
You will then forward the list to your insurance, at the least.

[Jeannh]

Send them a certified letter back, asking for an Explanation of Benefits. Write that you are appealing (use that word) the year-old charge. CC your state's insurance regulator.

[ldyjane1]

I also have Lincare and the level of customer service in that company is horrible!!! I found their billing company to be very unethical (I know it's a strong claim but....) and they were constanly balance billing me, maybe hoping I would pay a bill unknowingly. Finally after the year my insurance interviened and got it all straightened out with them. My advise... know what you insurance covers and don't pay the bill until you have all the facts. Good Luck!

[NameGoesHere]

I went for a sleep study and then to a local Lincare office to get a Cap machine. This was back in February 2013. I have coverage with two insurance companies so I thought I was covered. Well today March 3, 2014 I get the mail and guess what an invoice from Lincare for my visit over a year ago. Never a word, nothing from Lincare until today. Today I get an invoice from Lincare for over $500. Needless to say I was shocked. No notice that my insurances hadn't paid, or that I owed them anything, no explainations, no nothing. I thought my insurance had covered the bill.
This is a bunch of xxxx.

pretty old now and the person doesn't appear to have come back so maybe they figured it out. What bothers me though is there's no mention of any communication with the business. They got a bill and their first thought was, "I'm going to go complain on the internet?"

To the forums!