September 2012 Moms

Inlaws and insurance drama: WWYD?

This is loosely baby related...

So, we were talking to my FIL this evening and he asked if we had United Healthcare (which is one of our insurance companies). Somehow my bill for my snake bite and ER visit went to his insurance. They denied the claim (which they should) but I find it really weird considering our policies aren't related and we have the same last name but that is it. I'm pretty sure it's a violation of privacy since now he has detailed info about my health stuff.  

Anyway, I'm not sure what I do about it- if anything. I just don't like the idea of someone else having all that info, and I anticipate having plenty more medical bills/insurance claims over the rest of this pregnancy and after.  

 WWYD? Is there anything to do? I don't even know. 


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Re: Inlaws and insurance drama: WWYD?

  • Why did fil open your mail? I would contact the insurance co and make sure they have the correct mailing address for you. 
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  • imageilovelife:
    Why did fil open your mail? I would contact the insurance co and make sure they have the correct mailing address for you. 

    Ok, i reread your post. I'd still contact them and make sure they know your policies are not to be linked. 

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  • Well, it wasn't my claim sent to his house. They actually filed the claim to his insurance. I don't know how that even happens since I gave them my insurance card at the hospital. Too weird! 

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  • I'm not really sure what there is to do?  Mistakes like this happen all the time. 

     

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  • I'd call the insurance company, as well as the hospital, tell them of the mixup and make sure they have the right info for you so that this doesn't happen again. That's really weird, and I'm with you, I wouldn't want anyone else getting my mail either.

    On a related note, I obviously missed a past post on this, but how did you get a snake bite?


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  • imageLoveLossHopeRepeat:

    It's bizarre that they tried to file it against your FIL's insurance, and I would ask someone at the hospital how they allowed something like that to happen. I wouldn't raise a big stink, but it's a problem, and I'm going to assume that it violates something HIPAA-related. Not that i'm suggesting threatening something, but the hospital needs to be more careful and more thorough, and I would stress that to them while getting the billing sorted out. 

    It's not always the fault of the hospital, though.

    I worked in medical claims/billing for 7 years. We had a recurring problem with a father/son (father was the 2nd, son was the 3rd) and their policies with the same insurance. We would send a paper claim so that we could attach a copy of the policy holder's card and their ID, illustrating a difference between John Doe II and John Doe III, and when the claim would land on an adjuster's desk, they would still pull the first policy that came up, without checking the patient's DOB. I used to spend hours on the phone with both the father/son and their insurance representatives trying to straighten out those messes.

    So, in all fairness, it could be a UHC issue - and honestly, it wouldn't surprise me. UHC was the primary payer I worked with for those 7 years and they can be a nightmare.

    Aside from that, though, this is definitely an unintentional HIPAA violation. It's not like your FIL intended to snoop through your records, but because of this mix-up (whether it was the hospital's fault or UHC's fault), he was given patient information that he should not have had access to.

    If it were me, I'd check with the hospital's billing department and ask them to verify which policy number they submitted on their claim. If they submitted the correct policy number, then contact UHC's Member Services and ask them if there's a way they can flag your policy number to prevent this from happening in the future. If you can't get anywhere with the representative, ask to speak to a supervisor. If you drop the phrase "HIPAA violation," you'll probably get somewhere fast. ;)

    Lilypie First Birthday tickersimage
    partial molar pregnancy : bfp 6.28.10, d/c 8.17.10, 7 rounds methotrexate, cleared 7.1.11
    alexander patrick : bfp 1.16.12, born 9.20.12 @ 39w1d, 7 lbs./11 oz./22 in.
    scarlett irene elizabeth : bfp 5.24.13, born 2.3.14 @ 41w2d, 7 lbs./13 oz./19 in.
  • imageLoveLossHopeRepeat:
    imagebrideandbreve:
    imageLoveLossHopeRepeat:

    It's bizarre that they tried to file it against your FIL's insurance, and I would ask someone at the hospital how they allowed something like that to happen. I wouldn't raise a big stink, but it's a problem, and I'm going to assume that it violates something HIPAA-related. Not that i'm suggesting threatening something, but the hospital needs to be more careful and more thorough, and I would stress that to them while getting the billing sorted out. 

    It's not always the fault of the hospital, though.

    Oops, sorry! I wasn't familiar with how it all worked. 

    That's okay! Trust me, the hospital I worked for screwed up plenty of claims.. ;)

    Lilypie First Birthday tickersimage
    partial molar pregnancy : bfp 6.28.10, d/c 8.17.10, 7 rounds methotrexate, cleared 7.1.11
    alexander patrick : bfp 1.16.12, born 9.20.12 @ 39w1d, 7 lbs./11 oz./22 in.
    scarlett irene elizabeth : bfp 5.24.13, born 2.3.14 @ 41w2d, 7 lbs./13 oz./19 in.
  • Y'all are so knowledgeable! Thank you! 

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