Paying Bills

In spite...really, you owe the $37 so pay it...sometimes it takes a while to process medical things...this is a tad LONG but really what good does paying $15 out of a measily $37 going to do to them. Your just wasting your time and money having to send two seperate payements. wasted you time on the phone and asked them a really silly question on not paying the whole thing because it was "late" I didn't know medical bills could be "late"

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Yes, I have had medical bills take this long to bill and it annoys the heck out of me, but at the same time, I do owe the amount of money stated, regardless of when the bill arrives. Would you do the same thing at a restaurant if the server took a long time to bring your bill? Of course not! And you're only making someone else's job more difficult by having to re-issue a bill to you (because you do, in fact, owe the doctor $37). I hope you got all your spite out and are prepared to pay the balance on your account when the new bill arrives in 9 months :)

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I prepay all Doctor appointments. It used to cost me a total of 25 dollars to see our doctor when we didn't have insurance, if you prepaid, if you waited to be billed uninsured though the payment was 120 dollars so, I think 37 is pretty good.

Also it takes up to 9 months for the insurance company to get back to the doctors office on how much they will pay and how much you will so 9 months isn't that odd. Insurance companies take their sweet time hoping the doctor's office will forget and not have to pay at all.

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Lots of Doctor offices, outsource their billing processes.
And yes, it can take a long time.
Often, the outsourcing company doing it, may not even be in that same State.
Many Doctors, do not handle the billing processes, themselves.
It is a many faceted, multi-stepped process.
It goes through your insurance company too. Then to a billing company.

If you don't pay in full, then how will that affect your credit?
And any other problems or not?

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I think the longer you have to pay a bill, the better. It's a basic business principle. It means that the money you owe is in your account collecting interest, or being used for your own purposes for longer until you are called to pay it. In fact, it could be looked upon as your doctor doing you a favour. And to answer your question, my doctor requires paying immediately after consultation, and I would have put your situation down to a human error anomaly and paid the $37.

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I usually get ours within a month of service. I would have paid in full, I don't play games when it comes to bills.

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This annoys me too! Doctor's offices sometimes take SO long. I was still receiving bills a year after my 2nd c-section. Also I was in the hospital a year ago with step pneumoniae and a-fib; I'm still receiving bills that I haven't received before! Drives me crazy!

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LOL such earnest replies! I love that you sent them a random amount out of spite.

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Yeah, it's unfair. But I'd pay it in full anyway, and fight the bill later after I could find some concrete proof that they screwed up. You will get the difference back if you have proof. Unless you have proof, as far as the bookkeepers and ultimately the collection agency are concerned, you're late and that means a ding to your credit report.

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Well, to be frank, just pay the bill and be done with it. Choose your battles. Think of it as a deferred payment. The lady at the office is just doing her job. So, if it is a bill due to you, just pay it. At least it was not a late fee charge, etc.. It's kinda petty to be spiteful about a system that is not top of the line.. LOL..

Hope you have a great day. Spend your energy having fun..

Take care,

Maria B

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We got one a full year after! Insurance was going around and around with them so they had no idea what to bill us. Huusband changed jobs in that years time so we changed insurance in that time. So then old insurance denyed it so we suddenly got a bill for the full amount. My husband went in in person (had a drs apt for one of the kid anyway) and they cut the bill down and gave us the information to try to bill the old insurance for it but they were doubtful we'd ever see our money back.
9 months is nothing in comparison LOL
I've had bills take ages to get to us. Dental is the worst! With all the games insurance plays now to get out of paying anything it's no surprise to me anyore.

That's funny I did the same thing. I was always told that Dr.s bills do not go against your credit and as long as you pay something a mth they can't do anything so I paid $20 a mth till it was paid off. (Now don't hold me to that b/cuz I'm not sure if that is true or not) LOL

The poster who said that it couldn't count against you is incorrect. Unpaid & late medical bills can & will be reflected on your credit report if they get turned over to collections.

Would you not pay your electric bill because you didn't receive a paper bill? I highly doubt it. A) Because you know you owe them money and B) Because if you don't pay, your electricity will get shut off. This is no different. You requested & used their services & were aware that there would be a bill. If you didn't get a bill, you should've called & asked for one.

It's not unfair, it's business. Most likely they had an issue with your insurance company (if you have it, that is), or had some type of audit that turned up this old bill.

In any event, it's petty to only pay part of it when you have no grounds to do so. So, if you are content with your credit taking a hit for $22.00, then feel free to do so. Also, if you use this doctor frequently, they will not see you until the bill is paid.

In the end, you owe the the money, period.