Sorry if this is TMI...
I went to the gyn a few months ago just for a yearly pap test (which is covered by my insurance) and apparently she ordered a bunch of other tests that I never would have asked for (chlamydia? really?) that are not covered at all by my insurance because they're considered preventive care. (Funny how the insurance covers bariatric surgery but not preventive care...) So now they want me to pay $150 for a bunch of tests that I never asked for because my insurance won't pay, and the billing people told me that those are just the standard tests she orders with a pap test and she doesn't know what each patient's insurance covers, blah blah blah (which I understand- but I still don't think I should have to pay all this money for tests I didn't ask for!!) Am I wrong to be really pissed about this? This just never happened to me before and I really can't afford to just drop $150 for no reason.
Re: I am SO annoyed
I would tell the gyn office to dispute the charges. That is ridiculous.
ditto
Definitely don't pay it.....especially if you can't afford it. They're not going to come after you in court for $150.
Something similar happened to me. My dentist office switched dentists and silly me, I didn't check to see whether or not the new dentist was covered. He wasn't but the office kinda sorta assured me that he was and so I had a $200ish bill. Not only was I angry and annoyed but I was also pretty broke, like you so I basically called the office and just said "I can't afford to pay it. I'm not going to pay it. Thanks and have a great day."
Sooooo......that's my recommendation for you! GL! Insurances suck! :-(
Grrrr don't even get me started on the state of healthcare in this country (my husband is British where they get free healthcare)...a few years ago I ended up paying like $1k for tests and appointments I really needed...I had the crappiest most expensive insurance and they hardly covered anything...
Then I switched insurances and went for a physical which would've been covered and the receptionist took a copy of my new insurance card...I ended up getting a bill for $301 because they must've lost my insurance info or something... When I got the first outstanding bill, I called the billing department and gave them the updated insurance info to bill...of course, I no longer had that insurance because I switched jobs and even though I had the insurance at the time of service, they refused to pay because I no longer had it. That was a few years ago and I'm still getting bill collectors calling. I refuse to pay for a simple mistake that the doctors' office made... I work in healthcare myself and I always tell people to just not pay their medical bills if they can't afford it...it's insane and ridiculous that people cannot afford the medical care they need because of insurance companies and it infuriates me.