Is there anyway to resubmit unaccepted insurance if hosptal accepts the company one month later?

Question

In my town, there is only one hospital in the area. Previously, they accepted Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance, which is the primary insurance in our area. This year, they rebuilt the hospital and decided not to accept BC/BS insurance. We had an emergency in May and have huge hospital bills. In June, the hospital says they'll accept BC/BS. Is there anything I can do to lower my bills from May?

Answer 1

Insurance plan participation is tied to the effective date of the contract.

If your hospital is going to become a contracted insurance provider again effective June 1, 2008, then no...the hospital has no obligation to reduce a May bill.  The hospital is participating as of June 1st, period.  (Or whatever the effective date is.)

If the bill for the May services is more than you can afford, you should contact the hospital's patient financial services department.  They may be able to negotiate a discount and/or work out a payment plan with you.  Do not just ignore the bills - you may miss out on programs the hospital has available to help people in your situation.

Answer 2

They may have not had a contract in place with BX/BS in May. I know a lot of providers were unhappy with the reimbursement rate they were getting from them. The one thing you might try is contact the hospital and see if they will agree to accept the contract rate they are now getting from BX/BS. It will mean a larger write off for them, but they may agree to it since your services were so close to the new contract date.

Answer 3

Ask your insurance company if they'll pay the bill in May.  Probably, they won't.