Hospital bill?

Question

so i recently went to the hospital and i dont have insurance but recently applied for medi cal. i got the hospital bill today and its not pretty. haha. how long does it take before you get sent to collections if they paper says bill due upon reciept? and if im accepted to medi cal how can i go about getting them to cover part if not all of it? if they cover it how will the money be refunded or is it ? about how long does it take medi cal to be useful once approved and how long does it normally take for them to decide to approve you? serious answers only please. im freaking out ha ive never had a bill in my name and this isnt a great one to start with.

Answer 1

You need to contact the hospital and work out a payment plan, don't ignore them because you may need them again, and you could be refuse medical attention you may need.

Remember they were there for you, now you pay them for taking good care of you.

Answer 2

~~Medi-cal will only cover you if you were efective on the day you were admitted. It that's the case call the hospital and give them your medi-ca info once you receive it and ask them to bill them. You can begin a payment program with the hospital while you wait for the medi-cal information. Tell them you are low income and give them the amount you can pay (be honest and pay as much as you can afford to) and have it set up as your monthly payment. If Medi-cal ends up covering it for you, then the hospital will write a check to refund you.  I don't know the contracted rate Medi-cal has with the hospital so it's hard to say what if any you will have to pay, it should go by income. Once you get the medi-cal card there will be a customer service number to call and you can have them  answer most of these questions. In the meantime, protect your credit and call the hospital and set the payment program up.~~

Answer 3

I don't know specifically about medi cal, but it all depends on when you become effective with medi cal.  As far as the hospital bill, I would suggest calling the billing office.  May times hospital have programs or discounts for uninsured patients and you may be able to get the bill reduced significantly.  As long as you make payments (I've seen payments as low as $10/month), your credit will be okay.

Answer 4

Can't help you with the MediCal questions, but in the meantime you need to contact the hospital and set up a payment plan.  They WILL, otherwise, send it to collections.

Answer 5

You need to call the hospital as soon as possible.

If they are aware that you are waiting for a decision on coverage from MediCal, they will put a hold on your account.  (Not send you to collections until after you get a decision from MediCal.)

Its important that you communicate with the hospital - don't just let the bill sit aside out of fear.

If you are denied for MediCal, the hospital may have charity care discount programs they can offer to you.  But they can't offer the programs unless you discuss your situation with them - that's why its important to call them as soon as possible.

If you are accepted to MediCal, then you give the billing info to the hospital - if your coverage was in effect on your date of service, the hospital will bill them on your behalf.