They charged us for a circ and our insurance already paid!!!

[nummies]

Our twins were born at home, but one needed some care at the local hospital for breathing trouble. We just received the bill and they charged our insurance $745 for a circ that we didn't have done!!!

[luv-my-boys]

I would immediatley notify the insurance company (there is usually a billing dispute dept) and inform them. You can be held liable for not reporting mistakes to them. Make sure you take down the insurance agents name and # and also report it to the hospital billing dept (if that is who billed it) trust me the insurance company will gladly jump all over it to get reinbursed.

[Crunchy Frog]

And we wonder why medical costs are soaring in this country.

I would contact the insurance company and tell them that the hospital committed an act of fraud against them. Somebody got a nice payment for pretending that they did something they didn't even do! (I'd double check your son to make sure he's really OK.)

[JollyGG]

Some insurance company even have a policy of paying you if you find an error. It's usually a small amount but it's worth asking if they have any sort of policy like that when you call.

[Fyrestorm]

Insurance companies LOVE to be reimbursed for errors.

My insurance was thrilled when the hospital had to reimburse them for my section and entire hospital stay!

[MCatLvrMom2A&X]

Call them ASAP they will get their money back from the hospital.

[glongley]

I guess the main point here is not so much the insurance company's side of it, but more why the heck did the hospital charge for a circumcision that didn't happen? Just assuming that all boys are circumcised? Some billing siutaions are set up so that the costs of however many circumcisions are done are rolled into a general newborn fee (DRG = diagnostic related group) that is the same whether the baby is a boy or a girl, circumcised or not circumcised.

I would think you could at least give the hospital some stiff feedback about making such an ill-founded assumption, and throw in some info on the lack of medical nececessity, falling rates, ethical issues, etc. to wake a few people up over there. And not just the billing department but the head of the OB unit and whoever else you can think of. Medical people need to have this kind of unthinking behavior pointed out to them.

Gillian

[Red Pajama]

My mother once told me that when I was born there was a charge for circumcision. I never heard if it was an honest mistake or a deliberate attempt to collect more money.

[jimblejamble]

No advice but...

SEVEN HUNDRED AND FORTY FIVE DOLLARS?!?!?!

[KempsMama]

[Triangle]

Nail them to the wall!

Go after them.

They're stealing from your family.

Go Nummies!

[billikengirl]

While you're at it, tell your insurance company that they've got no business covering non medical circs anyway

[fruitful womb]

Originally Posted by billikengirl

While you're at it, tell your insurance company that they've got no business covering non medical circs anyway

[eepster]

I really need to get around to checking DS's bill to see what's on it. I'm impressed with how organized you are with new borns.

[nummies]

Thanks everyone. I will be calling today (I got the bill too late last night to call). I am first going to call the insurance company and then I will call the hospital. This just makes me so angry! Mainly because circ is so common that they just tack it on to every baby boy's bill. It also makes me wonder what else we were charged for that we didn't receive! Ugh.

Eepster- Be sure to check your bill. Thankfully ours was spelled out and clearly said "Circumcision". But I imagine that some bills may have it under surgical services or something.

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by nummies

Eepster- Be sure to check your bill. Thankfully ours was spelled out and clearly said "Circumcision". But I imagine that some bills may have it under surgical services or something.

It's entirely possible that some lump it in with other, needed, services so that a person can't refuse.

I know it's not the same caliber but it's like when I went to college I didn't have a car but I had to pay a parking fee because it was "Parking/Security."

I wouldn't be surprised if some hospitals did "Circ/Necessary Infant Thing" and charged you for it.

[K703]

Originally Posted by AFWife

It's entirely possible that some lump it in with other, needed, services so that a person can't refuse.

I know it's not the same caliber but it's like when I went to college I didn't have a car but I had to pay a parking fee because it was "Parking/Security."

I wouldn't be surprised if some hospitals did "Circ/Necessary Infant Thing" and charged you for it.

If that was the case (charging for a circ no matter what), I think that you could likely take legal action (don't take my word for that because I'm not a lawyer or anything like that) (especially if they automatically charge more for a boy than for a girl because of that).

[AFWife]

Originally Posted by K703

If that was the case (charging for a circ no matter what), I think that you could likely take legal action (don't take my word for that because I'm not a lawyer or anything like that) (especially if they automatically charge more for a boy than for a girl because of that).

lol Don't quote me on it either...I just suspect it's the case because institutions (no matter the kind) do that sort of thing all the time.

And I wouldn't be surprised if having a boy costs more

[Jaesun's Dad]

It sounds screwed up for sure but I would treat it as a billing error, notify your insurance and let them handle it. Leave it at that and go back to loving your new twins instead of wasting perfectly good energy on it. You're not an insurance fraud investigator but if things really are as amiss as they seem to be I'd be pretty sure someone who is will be called to action. I don't think there's really any action you personally can or should take against the hospital. They didn't actually perform a circumcision without permission (if they had obviously you have one hell of a lucrative case), so it's really between the insurance co and hospital.

[Juvysen]

ooh... I'd be