As a preface, let me just say that this is a question for a friend, and that I do not have all the information on this situation. Mostly, this is for my own peace of mind.
A friend of mine is unexpectedly on the hook for a medical debt they had thought previously addressed by their insurance. (They are listed as a dependent on their mother’s policy, and the service in question was one that had previously been approved.) Insurance denied payment, and my friend was contacted by debt collectors for $2k that they didn’t have.
Per advice from their mother, my friend has decided to do nothing at all, neither accepting calls from the debt collection service nor submitting any payments toward the debt in question, as the mother believes the payment denial was unjust. When I asked if they had been in contact with the insurance company to address this or file an appeal, the answer was no – though it’s unclear whether this is because the policy is in their mother’s name or because the mother has said they need do nothing. In addition, they cited the Statute of Limitations as an objectively good reason to do nothing, saying that if the insurance company fails to initiate legal action within the time limit, the whole problem will just go away on its own.
I’m not convinced this is how either finances or insurance works. Can someone tell me if this is a legitimate course of action or not?
submitted by /u/InkOnMyPaws
[link] [comments]As a preface, let me just say that this is a question for a friend, and that I do not have all the information on this situation. Mostly, this is for my own peace of mind. A friend of mine is unexpectedly on the hook for a medical debt they had thought previously addressed by their insurance. (They are listed as a dependent on their mother’s policy, and the service in question was one that had previously been approved.) Insurance denied payment, and my friend was contacted by debt collectors for $2k that they didn’t have. Per advice from their mother, my friend has decided to do nothing at all, neither accepting calls from the debt collection service nor submitting any payments toward the debt in question, as the mother believes the payment denial was unjust. When I asked if they had been in contact with the insurance company to address this or file an appeal, the answer was no – though it’s unclear whether this is because the policy is in their mother’s name or because the mother has said they need do nothing. In addition, they cited the Statute of Limitations as an objectively good reason to do nothing, saying that if the insurance company fails to initiate legal action within the time limit, the whole problem will just go away on its own. I’m not convinced this is how either finances or insurance works. Can someone tell me if this is a legitimate course of action or not? submitted by /u/InkOnMyPaws [link] [comments]Read Morer/HealthInsurance