Medical Bills Attorney
Hospital or Doctor “Balance-Billing”
H.M.O.’s, P.P.O.’s and Medicare usually have written contracts with hospitals, doctors and other medical providers that state how much will be paid for a particular “covered service.” For example, a knee surgery may cost $ 20,000 to an uninsured patient, but only $ 5,000 to a patient covered under an H.M.O., P.P.O. or Medicare. “Balance-billing” occurs when a patient is covered under an H.M.O., P.P.O. or Medicare at the time a covered service is rendered and the provider tries to charge the patient for what they are required to “write-off” because of a contractual discount. Under the above example, the doctor is not allowed to contractually send the patient a bill for $15,000 more than the specified contract amount. However, some medical providers do just that. It occurs very often. When the people involved are caught, they plead ignorance or use “strong-arm” tactics to get patients to pay. Many patients, fearing damage to their credit or being sued, will simply pay the bill. Medical providers and their collection agencies know this all too well and it is why they still continue this practice.
If you or someone you know may be a victim needing a Medical Bills Attorney, contact us today to set up a free consultation. There is no obligation.