Last month I received a whopping $1400 bill from my medical center's laboratory for my monthly blood tests that began in March of 2006. Insurance never paid a dime whenever the lab submitted the charges. When I called the billing office, they offered me a payment term of $200 a month for 7 months - no interest. Due to limited income - only Social Security, and a small pension check, I told them that I could only afford $50 a month. THey agreed to that term/with no interest. OVER THE PHONE. They then contacted an agency to administer this payment agreement. This agency then contacted me, verified the $50 monthly payment term/agreement that I had made over the phone with the medical center. Is this agency now bound to my verbal agreement with the medical center? Should I insist on something in writing from them, spelling out the terms in case they try to f..k me over by charging me interest? Unfortunately I was unable to record the conversations with the medical center and this agency.
A couple of actions required here: 1) YOU should send a written letter (send Certified Mail Return Receipt Requested, or Delivery Confirmation Notice) to both the hospital and this new agency. State clearly what you understand the agreement to be, and detail the date, person spoken with, via phone, medical bills and period covered, no interest, etc.. 2) Make your agreed payments by check, or some medium where you can keep documented records. The key here is the agency/hospital "acting in agreement", if they do not dispute your letter of agreement of terms and conditions, AND they accept the payments on a continued basis, then they have fully "accepted" the verbal agreement.
That's what I'd do, too. I think I'd make sure the letter said something like "This is the complete agreement between the parties" or something like that, so they can't say later that this was only part of an agreement.
Definitely memorialize the agreement in writing. This is a good prescription for every faucet of over the phone arrangements.
You always want to have your steps well documented. These companies start getting funny at times, and they are really doing nothing to protect you, so it is entirely up to you. On the other hand, why didn't your insurance cover those payments? Check you insurance plan and contact them to see why they never paid out. You may not have to pay anything at all.
I was under California's version of MEDICAID. Made "too much" money to be eligible for them to pay anything. For them to pay anything I had to incur $600 a month in medical expenses for them to pay a dime over and above $600. If I would have had major surgery they would have had to pay it all. Anything under $600 was my responsibilty. Those monthly blood tests were only about $40 a pop. But in February I will be eligible for MEDICARE and also carry a supplemental MEDICARE plan.
Good advice; sometimes "people" change within an organization, and "agreements" do not get fully documented, or paperwork lost. Best to always cover yourself.
