Being
single, divorced or widowed during a pregnancy
can be daunting enough.
Then come
the bills. Lots of them. First
you receive a bill for a pregnancy test
and then an ultrasound you may or may
not remember having. After the
baby is born, you'll receive the hospital
bill also. How do you know what
you should pay or if your doctor's office
or hospital is charging you the correct
amount?
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 First, look
at the statement your doctor sends you. Most
of your visits and appointments should
be on your personal calendar. Check
your statement against your calendar
to make sure every item is on a date
you actually saw the physician. Remember
too, that the physician may send some
items out to a separate lab (you will
receive a separate bill for these items). You
may also receive separate bills for ultrasounds,
amniocentesis, fetal non-stress testing
and blood draws.
Compare
your EOB to the bill you receive from
your doctor or medical facility. Make
sure the patient responsibility section
matches what you are being charged for
each date of service. When medical
services are submitted to your insurance
company; this will usually generate an "Explanation
of Benefits" (called an EOB) which
should list each service and how much
your insurance paid. This
EOB will
show your responsibility, as well.
It is also a
good idea to check your EOB to make sure
the insurance is billed for the services
you actually had done. If the EOB
shows multiple services, make sure you
had all services done. Call your
doctors office or their billing service
for an explanation of the items charged
if there is anything you don't understand
or don't remember having done. If
there are any errors, insist that they
be removed from your bill and corrected
with your insurance company.
Make
sure your insurance has processed your
claim properly. If
you have a plan that is supposed to pay
80% of the allowed charges, make sure
they have paid 80%. If the insurance
has paid your claim incorrectly, ask
them t o reprocess your
claim. The
more you understand your plan, the better
off you are. If you have a deductible
and a co-insurance, look into those terms
and fully understand them. Knowing
what you will be responsible for ahead
of time lessens the shock and allows
you to plan BEFORE your bill arrives.
Once you receive
a medical bill, deal with it as soon
as feasible. Little bills
quickly
add up. Large bills need to be
paid or arrangements made as quickly
as possible. If you receive a large
bill you know you cannot pay all at once,
call the medical facility and arrange
an acceptable payment arrangement. If
you are single, recently divorced or
widowed; tell the office your situation
and ask if you can make payments. If
you make an arrangement, get it in writing
and stick to it. If for any reason
you are unable to make one of your payments,
contact the office immediately.
If you are truly
hard-pressed financially and are overwhelmed
by the amount of
medical costs:
ask the office if they will give you a
discount. You
cannot get what you do not ask for. Depending
on your insurance (or lack of it), the
office may be willing to cut you a break. (Please
note that some offices, depending on
their contract with your insurance company
may not legally be able to do so). Many
medical bills are sent to a
collection agency over the patient's
procrastination or failure to make a
call to ask for arrangements. Most
offices do not want your account to be
sent to a collection agency and are usually
happy to make an arrangement for you.
Make your pregnancy,
birth experience and baby your number
one focus. Understanding your medical
coverage and dealing with bills directly
is the best plan for cutting financial
stress.
~Melissa Hernandez
lives in San Luis Obispo county with
her husband, 3 children and chihuahua. She has
been in the administrative medical field
for over 10 years and is a medical biller
and writer. |
