Hospital bill sent to collections even though I provided insurance info.. what is my recourse?

Write to the collection agency via certified mail with return receipt stating that you dispute the debt for the reasons you stated. Request all documents supporting the debt. Then, when you get the documents contact Aetna and try to get them to cover the claim. Keep records of all contact with the collection agency. Consults an attorney if you can't resolvr the dispute through those means and or try to negotiate a settlement with the collection agency based on the facts of your situation. Hope that helps a bit.

In the future, if you're aware that there's a problem, this can be avoided by paying the bill, then timely submit claim to your insurance carrier for reimbursement to you. If they improperly deny the claim, then you can appeal the decision and possibly sue them in small claims court. Also, complain to the Department of Insurance about false denial. This started when you did not provide full insurance info at time of admission. Hospitals and physicians routinely screw up insurance claims, because the the system is a paperwork mess. Unless you had an express agreement with the hospital to handle all billing for you and not submit any claim to you until they have billed your primary and secondary carriers, it appears that the problem may rest with you, in this instance. At this point, pay the bill to avoid having this on your credit reports and risk a debt collection lawsuit by the debt collection agency, with court costs and attorney's fees tacked on. If you have a dispute as to the quality of the services or items that were not provided at the time, dispute those items and try to negotiate a settlement in full that is lower than the full amount that they claim. Send a cover letter with your check that confirms the conversation or exchange emails to document the agreement that the payment is considered settlement in full of the debt and ensure that this covers all account numbers (sometimes there are several account numbers for stay in the hospital). If you assume that you have a settlement and there is no documentation confirming it, don't be surprised if the debt collection agency later seeks to recover the unpaid balance. Robert Stempler (please see DISCLAIMER below) www.StopCollectionLawsuits.com www.facebook.com/SoCalConsumerLawyer Twitter: @RStempler

In many instances it is YOUR responsibility to present your claim to your carrier, not the hospital's or doctor's. Still, under the facts you allege, others goofed-up too. If the account has already been sent to collections its too late to fix your credit until you can get the bill paid and/or the hospital acknowledges they -- not you, goofed. If the bill is substantial you may want to pay an attorney for assistance. If not, lick your wounds, learn and move on. Good luck.

I am currently helping a client with a similar situation, although the facts are a little different such as timing of notification to primary insurer. My success was based on convincing the collection agency to give some waiting time as I worked it out with my client's insurance company. Based on my client's facts, I was able to get the insurance company to cover the medical bills owed. My best advice would be to contact Aetna again and harp on the fact that you were in ER and the situation caused you to overlook the fact that a bill needed to be sent to Aetna until you thought the hospital had done so. Also, when you talked to Aetna, did you tell them you would be considering your legal options and change of insurance carrier? Answer provided by: http://kowalskilawfirm.com/Home.html

Hire counsel Stand up for your rights Get Aetna into this.