This last Friday (02-27-09) I received two billings from this clinic, claiming that I owed them a large sum of money. In the amount of $549.82 and $83.82. I could not understand why I would be receiving any bills from them at all. The insurance that I Carrie through my employer allows me to be able to bring my 15 month old son in for well baby exams free of charge. In other words, he is covered 100%, meaning no co-pays or anything out of pocket that would be considered a well baby exam. However the billings they sent to me claimed to be from dates as late as April 22nd 08 until current. For immunizations, and well baby checkups, when I had been covered by this insurance since my son had been born. (Oct. 22, 2007)
I called my insurance company (United Health Care) to inquire about these billings. They informed me that all but two of the things listed on the billing had been covered 100%. And the two balances on the bill that I did owe were incurred because of fallow up exams that the doctor had me schedule because he required that my son be seen again to monitor his weight gain. These amounts totaling $156.00 at $78.00 per visit. United Health Care had to call Granger Medical Clinics billing office while I held on the other line to resolve the situation. Grangers billing then told UHC that I did not owe the amount that I had been billed for, that my actual balance was the $156.00. And they claimed that they had never sent be a billing to pay any co-pays.
The thing that strikes me as odd about these billings is that I received both billings on the same day (02-27-09) however the billing date on one does not match with the other. The bill stating that it was sent out for unpaid co-pays was sent (according to the bill) 02-23-09. And the other statement for the unpaid well baby exams reflected the billing date of 01-31-09. The billing for the well baby exams, were billings from dates as far back as 04-22-08 and reflecting other well baby exams that occurred on 10-24-08, 01-30-09, 11-28-08, 12-16-09, 12-19-08, 01-05-09 and service charges that occurred on 01-31-09. I am confused by these billings because I was not billed at any time close to these dates for any of these visits until 02-27-09. And the co-pay billing was a final notice to pay. These include the dates for the billings that I do owe.
This also makes me concerned about the doctors (D. Chapman) motives for the extra fallow up appointments. Because all the while he had been telling me that I should not get my one year old son on table foods because it would cause him to lose weight. And fallowing his orders my son remained at the same weight. And when I went against his orders, my son began gaining weight. Hence that last fallow up appointment. I can only assume that he thought that all of my sons medical treatment would be covered 100% and was trying to get my son into the clinic as often as possible. Any help you can provide in this matter would be greatly appreciated. Because they dont seem to think they are doing anything wrong.
At this point I am looking for another medical doctor for my son. Because this billing issue was not the first one I had had with this clinic. And as far as I knew the last one had been resolved through my health insurance provider in the same manner. I truly feel that they actually expected me to pay the full amounts reflected on the billings, and assumed that I would do so with no questions asked. And only began to back paddle when my insurance company confronted them on it.
