I paid my ER bill through the hospital, but I keep getting these weird bills from something called US Acute Care Solutions for $572.24. It’s been coming every couple of months, but I don’t get why since I already paid the hospital. Anyone know if this is legit?
Call and ask them. It’s probably legit, but you should also call your insurance company and ask them about it. All medical bills should go through insurance first. They can help you figure out if it’s a reasonable charge. I once got a bill for $25,000 for a blood test while pregnant, and after my insurance denied it, I didn’t pay. Eventually, the bill just disappeared. It’s not always fraud, but sometimes they overcharge to see if insurance will cover it.
@Harper
Thanks, yeah I’m going to ask my insurance because it’s so odd. The bill doesn’t even say what the charge is for, just ‘ER Visit,’ and the one I paid to the hospital was $200 less with a full breakdown.
Sometimes hospitals have care providers that aren’t directly associated with them. So, you pay the hospital for the facility and then get a separate bill for the care provider. It’s a messy system but probably a legit bill. The healthcare system is broken, man.
@Zee
Update: I called the hospital, and they confirmed I don’t owe them anything. I even asked my provider, and she’s never heard of US Acute Care Solutions.
Keep in mind that with any ER visit, you’ll usually get at least two bills: one for the facility and one for the physician. You might also get an imaging bill. It could be a legit physician bill. I’d follow up so it doesn’t end up in collections and mess with your credit.
@Jalen
Yeah, send it to your insurance. They can tell you if it’s reasonable or not. It’s worth asking them to check before you pay anything.
This happened to me because the ER was in-network, but the doctor treating me wasn’t. Always check if the doctors are contracted separately from the hospital.