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.
Me, before Mom went on Medicaid I called all the doctors asking for bills I had not received. I had gotten Medicare and suppliment statements but no bills. I found that because Mom was in a home (first 2 months private pay) the balances owed were written off. Only one agreed I owed something but the acct was on hold. Turned out the claim was resubmitted and found it was covered. Ended up owing less. Billed me and I paid it. Mom died with no debt.
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.
People in the hospital administration racket have nothing to do with patient care and really should be working in high-profit corporations or that other racket making a killing these days, the higher education industry.
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".)
I am holding on to my faith sometimes I feel I can not breath
Hope you are doing better need to talk I am here.
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.
Another thing--when I called the hospital and asked if bills could be sent to my home instead of my mother's home, they said fine, as long as I agreed to be the responsible party. I said no way!
After FIL died, we paid all 'true' bills and refused the rest. (old ones, some 2 years old). No retribution, they accepted his death certificate as proof that he wasn't capable of paying. We did pay for hir new dentures, and when I went to the office to pay the bill, they handed me a box with the new denture inside. I lost it. They looked like 'dad's teeth' and I was so sad he never got to use them, His old ones never fit well and these were expensive and nice. I'm just standing there, holding a set of dentures that cost $1,000 and didn't want them. Why he went to the dentist when he was in Hospice and knew he was dying to get new teeth was beyond me. I left them at the dentist, they were hardly something anyone else could use.
As far as ins co and slow pay--my chemotherapy of almost a year ago was FINALLY paid in January. They just did not want to shell out $150,000 in 2019, and they didn't. I fought them tooth and nail and they always had an 'excuse' for why they weren't paying. It was frustrating beyond belief and made me opt OUT of the follow up regimen my doc wants me to do b/c 5 more years of life (maybe) is not worth the incredible hassle my ins co gave me.
Shame, shame, shame on them.