So many of us are inundated by mail-it can be hard to catch up or take the time to really read and understand what someone may be sending you a bill for!

This happened recently to a family member-they received a medical bill for a small amount of money-under $100. It was from a medical provider that was associated with one of this persons regular care doctors. It did not state the “date of service”, it did not have a code for the “service”, and it did not say anything about what the insurance company had paid towards that bill. These are things that any/every medical bill (or any bill for that matter) should have on it.

¯ There should be a date of service- for whatever it is they are trying to bill you for

¯ There should be a medical code listed describing what they are trying to bill you for

¯ There should be some indication that your insurance company has reviewed it and paid something or nothing towards the charge and why they did not pay the charge.

Best advice is to never pay a medical bill until you have checked it to make sure it is yours, it is accurate and why it was not covered by your insurance or what part was paid by insurance.

In the example of a family member, we discussed this and called the billing agency to find out the date of service and what exactly was it that they billing for -since there was no code or date of service. Turned out the doctor’s office was billing for the full amount of the pathology check on a common lab order. When questioned why-they indicated the patient had no insurance. The “patient” assured them they did and initiated a 3-way conference call with the customer service department with their insurance carrier. Problem solved, error caught! Long story short, the bill was an error-the patient did not owe it, it was not complete (did not have the date of service or any type of billing code) and the medical provider needed to resubmit the bill to the insurance company. Insurance would cover the ordered lab with pathology costs and did just that!

You may have experienced what I experienced at a recent doctors visit to a specialist. Many of us have co-pays that are due at the time we see a medical provider. Each insurance policy is different- some have high deductibles other do not-mine has a high deductible. The receptionist checking me in said I had needed to pay for the entire anticipated cost of that visit. I assured her I did not, that it was just the copay because I had already met my high deductible for the year at that point. She insisted I pay the whole amount. I politely asked the supervisor to recheck the inquiry regarding my deductible status and when they did, they confirmed I had met the deductible. I only needed to pay the copay. Folks-this is your money-do not be afraid to disagree and ask for the complete explanation or to have the information checked again.

We need to be aware of what is billed to us and to our insurance companies! It is important!

Nextavenue is an organization that seeks to” meet the needs and unleash the potential of older Americans through media”. They are located at www.nextavenue.org/about-us Richard Harris in his article “Never Pay the First Medical Bill You Get” on the website nextavenue.org notes how difficult and complex medical billing is. He cautions that many bills have errors. If you need to learn more about your health insurance coverage, read and question your bill, call the customer support lines.

Chautauqua County NY Connects program can provide Information and Assistance on available long-term services and supports options to the older population, individuals of all ages with disabilities, and caregivers. Information and Assistance is available in various ways including telephone access, face-to-face meetings in the community, or email. NY Connects can accessed through its statewide telephone number (800-342-9871), which connects callers with local offices by county. If you need to information for programs, services, benefits or entitlements, you can call the Chautauqua County NY Connects program. There is an online resource tool called the NY Connects Resource directory. Go to www.nyconnects.ny.gov . to take a look.

There are NY Connects programs located with the Office for Aging Services and the SouthWestern independent Living Center. You can reach NY Connects by phone: Jamestown areas: 716-661-7582, email: ccnyc@chggov.com Southwestern Independent Living NY Connects at 716-661-3010 or 716-490-7561.