Great Medicine, Hair-Trigger Billing
Todd and Andrea Martini found a treatment that beat their daughter Alex's cancer. Then came the mishandling of their medical bills.
In 1998, our ten-month-old daughter, Alex, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, a rare cancer. We heard that Duke University's cancer center, in Durham, N.C., had a miracle treatment, called a cord-blood transplant. We went to Durham so that Alex could receive the four-month-long treatment. Duke's doctors were great, and Alex's health improved.
Row 0 - Cell 0 | A Musician's Life in Jazz |
Row 1 - Cell 0 | From the Marines to Business School |
Row 2 - Cell 0 | I Published My Own Book |
Row 3 - Cell 0 | I'm 96 and Still Investing in Stocks |
But Duke made our life hell by prematurely putting into collection bills that our health insurers owed. After we switched insurers, Duke charged $2,700 to our old insurer, which denied the claim. We repeatedly told Duke about our new insurer, but Duke still put $2,700 into collection. It took months of calling before Duke billed our new insurer, which paid the $2,700. Meanwhile, we had a black mark that killed our credit score. When we bought a house in Seattle in 2002 to be close to a cancer-treatment center, the interest rate on our new mortgage was a steep 8%.
In 2003, Alex went back to Duke to receive a second transplant. Again, the billing snafus turned into a nightmare. We told Duke that Alex qualified for a Medicaid program in the state of Washington for expenses that our private insurer wouldn't cover. But when our insurer denied about $20,000 in bills, Duke passed the bills to us. Worse, it sent the bills to the wrong address despite repeated calls to correct the records. Medicaid eventually covered most of the debt, but Duke mistakenly put $3,500 into collection.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
This winter, Duke wrote off the $3,500 after a Medicaid official went to bat for us. Overall, insurers paid Duke $480,757 for Alex's treatments. Over eight years, we have paid about $44,000 in insurance premiums and deductibles.
Today, life is good. We got the black marks erased from our credit report. Duke apologized for billing us erroneously. Most important, Alex's cancer is in remission.
--As told to Sean O'Neill
To continue reading this article
please register for free
This is different from signing in to your print subscription
Why am I seeing this? Find out more here
-
Stock Market Today: Stocks Pop Then Drop After Fed Meeting
Stocks went on a roller-coaster ride after Fed Chair Powell said interest rates were likely at a sufficiently restrictive level.
By Karee Venema Published
-
Fed Holds Rates Steady at 23-Year High: What the Experts Are Saying
Federal Reserve The Federal Reserve struck a dovish pose even as it kept interest rates unchanged for a sixth straight meeting.
By Dan Burrows Published
-
403(b) Contribution Limits for 2024
retirement plans Teachers and nonprofit workers can contribute more to a 403(b) retirement plan in 2024 than they could in 2023.
By Jackie Stewart Published
-
Roth IRA Contribution Limits for 2024
Roth IRAs Roth IRA contribution limits have gone up for 2024. Here's what you need to know.
By Jackie Stewart Published
-
Four Tips for Renting Out Your Home on Airbnb
real estate Here's what you should know before listing your home on Airbnb.
By Miriam Cross Published
-
Five Ways to a Cheap Last-Minute Vacation
Travel It is possible to pull off a cheap last-minute vacation. Here are some tips to make it happen.
By Vaishali Varu Last updated
-
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
insurance Instead of relying on rules of thumb, you’re better off taking a systematic approach to figuring your life-insurance needs.
By Kimberly Lankford Published
-
When Is Amazon Prime Day?
Amazon Prime In 2023 Amazon had two Prime Day events — one in July and another, called Big Deal Days, in October. We expect 2024 to follow the same schedule.
By Bob Niedt Last updated
-
How to Shop for Life Insurance in 3 Easy Steps
insurance Shopping for life insurance? You may be able to estimate how much you need online, but that's just the start of your search.
By Kaitlin Pitsker Published
-
5 Ways to Shop for a Low Mortgage Rate
Becoming a Homeowner Rates are high this year, but you can still find an affordable loan.
By Daniel Bortz Published