Seniors Face $54 Billion in Unpaid Medical Bills

MANY ERRORS But many charges are billed in error, according to the CFPB report, which is based in part on about 1,100 debt collection and more than 300 credit-reporting complaints made to

the agency about Medicare billing. “We systematically see populations that are well covered, well insured, including dually eligible Medicare-Medicaid beneficiaries, with high percentages of

unpaid bills,” says Hector Ortiz, a CFPB senior policy analyst who worked on the study. Some, he says, were billed for services that should have been covered. In other cases, providers

failed to submit their claims correctly. Many people learn about these errors when the debt collectors start to call. “And at that point, it’s difficult for an older adult to fix the

problem. They have to go back to the provider, they have to collect the documentation. It’s a time-consuming process,” Ortiz says. And “it’s placing that burden on people who can’t use the

internet or don’t have digital skills or access.” Forty-one percent of U.S. consumers who experienced at least one billing mistake in the past five years were “significantly frustrated”

trying to correct it, a January survey by the claims and payments company Zelis found. A similar proportion spent up to a month getting bills corrected, and 70 percent spent more than two

hours trying to resolve an error. Patients often “just end up paying the bill to get people out of their hair, if they have the money or can scrounge it together,” Adler says. “There’s only

so much fighting folks want to do here. Then there’s the time suck of trying to fight it and trying to figure it out. Everyone has done the runaround with insurance companies and providers

to try to fix something.” The White House announced on Sept. 21 a proposal to keep medical bills off a person’s credit report. The CFPB, which is working out the details, said in a statement

that including medical debt in credit scores is problematic because “mistakes and inaccuracies in medical billing are common.” Threats to a patient’s credit reports is a common collection

tactic used by hospitals, according to KFF Health News.  “These measures will improve the credit scores of millions of Americans so that they will better be able to invest in their future,”

Vice President Kamala Harris said. WHERE TO GET HELP If you have a medical billing issue, don’t give up. You can get help. AARP. Our Money Map can provide guidance for dealing with medical

providers, reducing your costs and finding the best ways to pay your bill. It’s free. CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES. CMS can give you information about eligibility for

Medicare and Medicaid, as well as details about both programs’ rules.  CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU. Consumers can file complaints about incorrect bills or harassing debt collection

processes. PATIENT ADVOCATE FOUNDATION. The PAF can help you find patient advocates in your area. Patients must be diagnosed with a chronic, life-threatening and debilitating disease to

qualify for free aid. STATE HEALTH INSURANCE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. SHIP offers free one-on-one assistance with Medicare-related issues. USA.GOV. The government has several programs for helping

with medical bills. Here’s how to find them. As for Domingo, she has no plans to give up. “Living hell,” she calls her yearslong fight with her insurer, chuckling. “I had a whole notebook

full of people I spoke to, whether it was the insurance company, whether it was the distributor. You never really get a straight answer. You talk to 20 different people, and you get 20

different explanations.” But she adds, “I’m going to fight till the last bit of breath in me.”