I guess I'm just venting. They say there are only two realities in life: Death and taxes. Not true. It is death, taxes, and bills. Mom died just a few months ago, and I am still getting filed bills from services performed a year ago. What surprises me these medical idiots file the bills a year later AFTER the service was performed. This makes me afraid to seek medical doctors because I could get surprises even a year or more after. For five seconds in the hospital you can get bills at all directions in every way possible. Hospitals will bend over backward to create bills representing a great deal of creativity to deplete your bank account. That's why I refuse to see a doctor, even with medical insurance. I'm afraid of the surprise billing which pop up when mom was alive.
While I am getting a hold of this "new life" of mine--life without mom--these bills bring back a lot of pain.
These bills are under mom's name. I'm not paying any of them. I have to go through the motions and if I get a bill from home I sent them a copy of her death certificate.
Death is painful not just the actual process, but the enormous flood of paperwork. Why must life be so painful. What made it easier was preparing for her death such as pre-arranged cremation, and I did estate planning five years ago while mom was still able. I feel sorry for anybody who has not done these things. Funeral homes will really gouge you if you don't do a preplanned burial or cremation.
Now I have to get through doing her taxes. For the last time. More pain.
Even with all this preplanning it still is painful. I can't imagine how awful it would be to have to deal with probate AND these ongoing billing issues on top of that.
To stop junk mail: If they send a self addressed envelope put everything sent into it with the persons address on top. Circle address and write "take me off ur mailing list, deceased". If first class mail, just "return to sender, addressee deceased" If no envelope and no first class, then go online and contact by email. I cut my Moms junk mail really down. I find that subscribing to magazines will start a barrage of junk mail. I called a Charity one time and was told they didn't have to remove my name because they were a Charity. Not true.
So, check your own insurance statements. IF the place you go accepts Medicare and/or your insurance plans, they accept the "discounted" payments they get. Know your copays and out of pocket expenses.
Some bills can be sneaky - if you get blood drawn, or other similar tests and the place taking the sample is in the plan, they sometimes send to labs that are NOT in your plan. They shouldn't do this, but it may be the only lab they use. Still, they should at least confirm. It would be best to ask, but you probably won't get an answer (nurse at work had this happen to her - it's a covered test, but was refused because it wasn't in her "network".)
The only creditor I did contact was Xfinity (Comcast). Mom had the account for internet in her name only. I had them close the account properly, including emailing a death cert, in case my dad ever wanted to transfer his phone and TV to Xfinity since utilities like these are often linked to a physical address and not always just the name on the account. The woman I spoke to in billing was very nice and sent a personal note of condolence with the email confirming the account had been closed.
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