NY AJ Discloses Hospital/Insurance Billing Fraud!
Probably a number of us have paid a medical bill only to find that we are being stiffed by both the medical supplier and our medical insurance company that was supposed to pay our bill.
I happened to catch a re-run last night of an interview with a representative of our NY Attorney General's Office which has exposed two of our major NYC hospitals which have been playing a game of extracting payments from patients for medical bills that are covered by their medical insurance.
The way that this game works is that the medical insurance companies either do not make payments required to the medical suppliers or else delay in making these payments. The suppliers -- mainly hospitals, but in our experience, doctors' offices as well -- demand payment from the patient -- sometimes with the threat of a collection agency. Nervous patients pay these bills and then are left holding the bag. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office has disclosed this fraud and required two of our major NYC hospital complexes to pay back patients so defrauded. His representative indicated that other hospitals are doing similar things either by carelessness or intent.
The number to call if one suspects that this game is being played with one's bills is 800-771-7755 for New Yorkers. I suspect others outside of NY are being victimized as well.
The U.S. medical system is now a disaster area costing twice as much as our nearest competitor for delivering medicine only to _some_ U.S. residents -- and then all too often in limited forms. The Spitzer's rep cited figures to the effect that we could cover all Americans with a single payer system (some 45 million are now left out) and actually SAVE money doing so. Our only equivalent which gives the best medical care for the lowest costs is our U.S. Veterans medical system. It should be the model for us all!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
I happened to catch a re-run last night of an interview with a representative of our NY Attorney General's Office which has exposed two of our major NYC hospitals which have been playing a game of extracting payments from patients for medical bills that are covered by their medical insurance.
The way that this game works is that the medical insurance companies either do not make payments required to the medical suppliers or else delay in making these payments. The suppliers -- mainly hospitals, but in our experience, doctors' offices as well -- demand payment from the patient -- sometimes with the threat of a collection agency. Nervous patients pay these bills and then are left holding the bag. Attorney General Eliot Spitzer's office has disclosed this fraud and required two of our major NYC hospital complexes to pay back patients so defrauded. His representative indicated that other hospitals are doing similar things either by carelessness or intent.
The number to call if one suspects that this game is being played with one's bills is 800-771-7755 for New Yorkers. I suspect others outside of NY are being victimized as well.
The U.S. medical system is now a disaster area costing twice as much as our nearest competitor for delivering medicine only to _some_ U.S. residents -- and then all too often in limited forms. The Spitzer's rep cited figures to the effect that we could cover all Americans with a single payer system (some 45 million are now left out) and actually SAVE money doing so. Our only equivalent which gives the best medical care for the lowest costs is our U.S. Veterans medical system. It should be the model for us all!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort
to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy)
--
Ed Kent 718-951-5324 (voice mail only) [blind copies]
http://BlogByEdKent.blogspot.com/
http://www.bloggernews.net
posted by Ed Kent at 2:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home