A few days ago I received a statement from my insurance company detailing what charges they had paid for my heart tests at Swedes in Rockford. Beside each unpaid amount there was a code of some sort. When reading to the bottom explanation the code indicates those charges were in excess of medicare allowable charges and I should not have to pay them. I saved the statement and sure enough, here came a bill from Swedes for hundreds of dollars indicating I am to pay the charges unpaid by my insurance company. I called them and they said there must be a mix-up and asked for a copy of the letter. I sent it to them. This is not the first time I have run into questionable charges that were eventually dropped. Once I was told they send the bill because some insurance companies pay and some do not. In other words just a shot in the dark. That time was not from Swedes.
Adding to this I received my credit card statement and there was a charge indicating I had purchased exactly the same dollar amount of gas from the same station twice the same day. HUH? Same story, I called them and they dropped the second charge. Do I think these people are thieves? Not at all, but mistakes are made and we all have to be vigilant and actually look at our bills to be sure they make sense.
I have another monthly bill hanging fire right now that I am waiting for them to catch. It is in my favor and sooner or later it will dawn on them. I will pay it but I want to see their explanation of how they miss-billed for months. It goes both ways.
Ken Dillenburg