Two Years Gone Yet Still A Pain In My Side

On July 26, 2004 I had my first experience with a kidney stone. The timing was bad because I didn't yet have health insurance. That didn't kick in until almost a month later. Which means my ER visit and my CT scan bill fell completely on me. It was expensive. Very expensive. So, as suggested by my bishop, I wrote a letter to the hospital explaining my situation. They wrote me back saying that they reduced my bill and would only require me to pay $20 a month until it was all paid off. They didn't tell me how much they reduced the bill by but the amount they said I owed was significantly less than the original number and I was grateful.

I paid the $20/month for almost a year until I got a raise and had enough money to pay the rest off in April of 2005. I was free.

But then yesterday I got a call from some lady saying I owed $350 for ER expenses. I was confused but I paid it. And today I called the hospital to ask if the agency that called me was legit and to have them look at my account. The hospital lady said that their computer said my balance was paid in full back in April of 2005 but that she would transfer me over to the ER wing. The ER wing lady said she knew nothing about the $350. She said she was sure the agency was legit, though, because doctors bill seperately and it's quite common for this to happen.

"Doctor? What doctor?"
"The ER doctor. You have to pay for his services."
"Right. But I got a bill for the ER."
"Yes. For medicine and shots and stuff... not for the doctor. They charge seperately, depending on who serves you."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. I also see here that you never paid your ER bill."
"What?"
"Yes, you owe $700."
"For what?"
"For your ER visit."
"But I thought you said that the money I gave the agency yesterday paid for that."
"No, that was for the doctor. You never paid for the shots and stuff either."
"Sure I did. I wrote a letter to the hospital and I paid $20 a month for almost a year and then I paid off the remaining balance."
"Oh, I see what you're saying. No, that was just for your CT scan. Your ER bill was never included in that."
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. We don't really communicate with that part of the hospital."
"So, I got three seperate bills and even though my letter included them all, only one section of the hospital responded and that lump sum only included the CT scan?"
"Yes."
"Well, I never saw any other bills."
"They were returned."
"I moved. But not until late August."
"That's right."
"So the ER and the doctor didn't bill me until over a month later?"
"Probably several months later."
"And so instead of calling me, the doctor waited two years and then sent my balance to an agency and the ER just hoped I would call one day wanting to pay?"
"I suppose so."
"Alright. How much do I owe you again?"
"$700. But you can pay in installments if you'd like."
"That would be nice. Divide it by four and I'll pay it off in four months."
"Perfect."
"Thanks. I feel like an idiot."
"Don't. It happens more than you know."

And that's how a kidney stone that was passed in 2004 just cost me over $1,000 in 2006.