Question

Hello, I just got a bill from dental work from December 2018, that's right 14 months ago. According to this they just finished getting the adjustments done February 5, 2020. I paid at the time of services my deductible, should I fight this one or just pay it? It seems like an extreme amount of time and the day of the procedure they didn't even numb my daughter with a topical so I was beyond upset and we never went back for our 6 month appointment because of the instance. Thanks!  

Answer 1

Was ur dental insurance this late in paying?  

Comments

I honestly don't know if they forgot to submit the paperwork?  

Answer 2

Check to see when your insurance company received the claim from the dentist. I literally JUST went through this and cleared a $450 bill! The anesthesia office from my September 2018 epidural wasn’t submitted until October 2019 (after they tried to bill me for the FULL amount, repeatedly, before even submitting it to BCBS ) so I provided them with the BCBS policy that providers need to submit claims to insurance within 180 days of the service date and basically told them kbye (but not as nice! ).  

Comments

Thank you for this. I'm under the impression they didn't submit the bill and it finally went through now, lucky for them, and now they are asking for more from me, which I gladly would have paid a year ago, because honestly it's not that much, but now it just seems like their lack of professionalism continues. Thanks for the tip about the days for claims.  

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I hope it helps in your case! I get it, I would have paid it too. while I was paying off my other bills a *year* before! I couldn’t believe they would try billing me the full amount without even submitting it to insurance first, and that is what set me off the most and made me look into the fine print.  

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So glad I can ask these questions!  

Answer 3

If something was denied initially, and the dentist decided to appeal this vs dropping the charges to you right away, the appeal can take months to process, especially if the plan is through the state. If that appeal was denied & a subsequent appeal was filed, the delay is not totally unreasonable. Is there an explanation on the billing statement? If not, call the office & calmly ask them the nature of the charges.  

Comments

It was private insurance. And we never saw that it was denied.  

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@kimberly I would still call & just ask for an explanation. Tell them you just want an explanation for the delay.  

Answer 4

With our experience, dental claims can take so very long to process. At times I actually feel sorry that they have waited so long to be paid. Id give a call to settle it.  

Comments

I'm going to check and see. I can't understand how the dentist wouldn't have sent a bill sooner if they had done their due diligence. I've worked in accounting for many years and dinner AP and AR and every month it would generate a bill say the client was past due, my bill like current.  

Answer 5

I work in the dental field and yes some insurances take 12 months to pay claims it’s ridiculous. Offices have a year to submit claims.  

Comments

This is insane to me that I never received a bill in that entire time though? Is that typical? As our current dentist sends us a bill monthly.  

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@kimberly well you would get a bill just for outstanding insurance so maybe they were waiting to get insurance payment before sending you a bill

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I'm going to reach out to the insurance, I need more details from them it seems.  

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@kimberly yes do that!  

Answer 6

I would call your insurance. We got a bill today for almost $2, 800 for my daughter’s wisdom teeth extraction in June. They got the preapprovals from both our medical and dental insurances. We paid what they said our responsibility would be at the time of her procedure. I called our insurance, they had no record of the claim. They called the medical group, apparently the bill goes there first, and they said the oral surgeon submitted it to them too late and we were not responsible for that bill. The woman at BCBS told me the medical group and doctor’s office had to fight it out. She told me to call to check on it tomorrow, if I didn’t hear from anyone today. Which I didn’t. I almost had a heart attack when I opened it.  

Comments

The insurance did pay, and we paid the deductible 14 months ago, this is the difference I guess? Which I know happens, but I'm just blown away that we never got a bill up until this point, or anything to indicate we might owe more.  

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Joanna, I would still call the insurance, just to make sure. We have had several bill issues lately. I had bloodwork done and they had $180 on the bill, which the insurance said should not be there. I called the billing department and she said the insurance was right and it shouldn’t be on the bill. The kicker was that $180 should not have been charged and was never submitted to the insurance! So, if I would have paid it, without checking, I would have paid DMG an extra $180, and they would have kept it because it was on the bill.  

Answer 7

I had this happen to me with vision insurance I called my insurance company to find out when they actually submitted. I denied it it was two years after I had the visit

Answer 8

Happened to me just recently- a dentist I went to for a “deep cleaning” sent me a $650 bill because they said it wasnt covered- it was done at least 18 months ago! I was so upset because they never gave me any indication that it wouldnt be covered- and additionally charged me $125 the time of since it was a deep cleaning. The entire experience left me with a really bad taste for dental offices in general and now I make sure to ask about every price upfront with or without insurance.  

Comments

I'm very happy to say our new dentist is very transparent, and I know issues come up, but this seems extreme. I'm so sorry that happened to you.  

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@kimberly yeah it wasnt a good experience at all.  

Answer 9

If the dental office didn’t submit in time, it’s a write-off and you will not have to pay it.  

Answer 10

I’ve been in the insurance business before you don’t have to pay the bill they legally have to bill you within the first 180 days if they don’t it’s considered null and void they have to eat that money because they had 14 months to get the bill whether they were appealing something or not they could of sent you a letter to let you know if this is bcbs they know better and they dropped the ball either them or your dentist has to eat the money most likely your dentist the phrase is called timely filing it’s a law

Answer 11

Also, I once paid nearly $1000 for a procedure because I got a bill from the provider saying that was the portion not covered under my insurance. Except that was a lie—the provider usually agrees to take a reduced amount from the insurer, then you pay whatever co-pay etc. So, wait until you get confirmation from the insurer that you owe that amount before paying anything.