ahh.... the joys of modern medical insurance

[gh]

I recently went to my clinic and had labs done for an upcoming physical. Same clinic I've been going to since '72, so I'm not zackly a new customer.

The billing was rejected because they went through my previous insurer (even though I've been to the clinic and had proper billing a half-dozen times since Iast hand this insurer).

Called up the clinic's billing office and they said, roughly, "Oh, we can't do anything about that. Wait until they send you an overdue notice and that should have some contact information on it."

Pardon my French, but are you fucking shitting me?!

(I hasten to add that my insurance runs through my wife's employment at the Stanford Hospital, not Joe's 5-and-dime street clinic.)

Bring on socialized medicine!

[gm]

Seems to me that is a clinic staff problem, not a system/insurance problem.

[Cooter Brown]

My wife went for an ultrasound months ago. The doctor was on her insurance plan. However, instead of a $25 copay bill, we got one for $495. Turns out the doctor was coded wrong in the system. They said to ignore any late notices and they put a note in the account folder saying not to submit it to a collections agency. It's still disconcerting to get an automated threat letter every month. We call and check on the status and 8 months later, they still have no clue when or if it'll get resolved. I'd guess they've spent a couple of grand on their end to try and get our $25.

[j-a-m]

Seems to me that is a clinic staff problem, not a system/insurance problem.

It's precisely a problem of the system. The issue is way too much power in the hands of bureaucrats instead of where it should be, with doctors, nurses, and patients. And this is one of the cases where the bureaucracy hits a patient right in the face.