Ask for supporting documentation to ensure the bill is accurate.Follow up with the insurance company to see what they paid.Call the provider to double check what the bill is for.Check your records to see if you’ve already paid.What’s the process for paying late medical bills?įollow these steps to pay a late medical bill, whether you’ve missed the payment or gotten the bill far after the service date. Sabrina Watkins, credentialing manager at Choosing Therapy, rarely sees providers charge a late fee, but Gross has seen fees hovering around 1% to 1.5% of the total bill. But for simply a late bill, it’s up to them. If you qualify for financial assistance or arrange a payment plan, you typically aren’t required to pay anything outside the cost of the medical bill itself. The amount of late fees and interest on medical bills varies by the provider. RELATED: Medical debt statistics What is a typical late fee for a medical bill? Just keep in mind that once that bill goes to a collection agency, it may negatively affect your credit report. When this happens, you will likely need to work it out with the collection agency as it will be out of the provider’s hands. Then, if you still don’t pay they have the option to turn the bill over to a debt collection agency. If you don’t, they will often give you a last warning (and final chance to pay). When your bill is overdue, the provider can issue late fees and interest charges for a certain period of time to encourage you to pay. What happens if your doctor’s bill becomes overdue? That being said, every provider or hospital is different, so make sure you check with them to see what the allowable payment timeframe is. The standard repayment time for a medical bill-whether you receive it on time or not-is 30 days. RELATED: How to pay for medical bills without insurance How long do you have to pay medical bills? In some cases, they may identify the bill was sent in error. They’ll likely look at your income to make a determination, but it can help cut the cost or spread it out so it’s less of an immediate impact. Speak with your medical provider to see if you qualify for financial assistance or can offer you a payment plan. But, in one way or another, you will have to pay for your medical care. You may also have a secondary policy to cover the extra costs you’re responsible for. Depending on your plan, you may need to pay a copay, coinsurance, or the full bill until a deductible is met. You are required to pay the medical bills you incur-whether that’s directly or through your insurance. These time frames are called medical billing time limits, which is how long it’s allowed to take to submit a claim to the payer-whether that’s you or your insurance. “ even after that time, the hospital can still try to collect.” “It’s normally within three to six years,” Gross explains. With hospitals, it again varies between states. “In Florida it’s five years New York is two years Texas is no longer than the first day of the 11th month California is 12 months.” Gross recommends checking with your state to see what the limit is. The rules and regulations vary by state, but they are often allowed several years.įor medical providers, the law “varies from state to state,” says Adria Gross, the founder of MedWise Insurance Advocacy. You might be surprised to know, as I was, that medical providers and hospitals can take a pretty hefty amount of time to send you a bill. How long does a medical provider or hospital have to bill you? But if you’ve faced this same situation-or you’ve just plain forgotten to pay a bill-here’s what you need to know about late medical bills. How long does a medical provider have to bill you? Do you have to pay medical bills? How long do you have to pay medical bills? And how would this affect my credit? I called the insurance company to see what the issue was, and they explained to me the late medical bill was from about three years ago it just hadn’t been processed until now. When I switched to my new coverage, I ensured everything was fully paid off-at least every bill I knew about. It was unexpected for a pretty good reason: The insurance company it ran through hasn’t been my plan for three years. Last week, I got an unpleasant surprise in the mail: an unexpected doctor’s bill for $150.
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