In September my younger daughter Madison got very sick, they think now that it was Swine Flu. She was running temps in excess of 105 and had a seizure at her daycare. We took her to the hospital on 9/18. They weren't able to tell us what was wrong with her. We took her again on 9/20 when her fever was at 106 and she was blue and barely breathing. Both times they did chest xrays to check for Pneumonia, blood work, urine cultures..and they couldn't tell us what was wrong with her. The second trip (9/20) they gave her a round of antibiotics after I requested them.
Then on 10/3 I had to take my older daughter Mackenzie back to the emergency rooms because she was bleeding from her eyes when she cried.
The following Monday, (10/5) I took both my girls to the pediatrician because they were both ill.
I received bills in the mail and kept all of them, they totaled up to $2,918. I kept them because I was applying for CHIP (Texas medicaid for children) in hopes that they would help pay the bills. We weren't accepted so it turned to paying it ourselves.
I had five different places I was sending checks too and so I only sent $20 to each location.
I got a letter in the mail last week stating we were turned over to collections for unpaid medical bills. I ignored if, stupidly, because we had sent money. Then yesterday I received a phone call from a woman at Dell Children's Hospital asking if we had paid any money to our bills. I informed her that I had. The woman asked how much I paid to each bill every month and I told her $20 and she told me 'thats not enough to keep you out of collections." So I asked her how much I'd have to pay each month to stay out of collections and she told me "380 every month for 12 months". I asked her how much the entire bill was for the minimum payment to be that high, she responded back with $4,936.
I hung up with her very pissed off because I knew it wasn't that high, I had all of my bills. I found every bill they ever sent us and added them up. I owe the hopsital $1,152 and the girl's pediatrician is owed $532 and I owe the X-Ray place $82.
So today I called collections to find out how much was owed to them. I was told that I wasn't in the system but would show up soon if I had been told to call them, that I should call back in a few days. I called Dell's to get an itemized list of what I owed and to find out the exact numbers. The 'lovely' woman on the phone informed me that I owe $1,783 for Madison's appointment on 9/18 and another $2,881 for her appointment on 9/20. She told me Mackenzie's appointment on 10/3 was $272. I asked her why the bills I had here at home weren't adding up with the ones she was telling me and she told me "Oh, we never sent you these bills."
Well why the hell not!? How are you going to turn me over to collections for something that you never sent me a bill for? How are you going to turn me over to collections when you never even called me to find out why I wasn't paying? Why are you going to turn me into collections for something that happened 3.5 months ago when you didn't even let me know that I owed it?!
I'm not refusing to pay the bills, I never refused to pay them. I would gladly send checks to them, had they sent me a bill. What upsets me is that I was never sent a bill, never sent a letter saying 'hey, pay this bill or we're turning you into collections'. It's like they made no effort whatsoever and just threw me to collections.
So the $4,936 that the woman quoted me, doesn't even include the $1,766 from the bills that I have in my room. This whole sum turns out to be $6,702...I am sick, sick. I wasn't excited that I was having to pay towards hospital bills...when the hospital couldn't tell me what was wrong with my child. I wasn't thrilled with the amount..I'm really upset about this whole thing.
So tomorrow I get to call the Hospital and get them to once again admit they never sent me a bill for those numbers. Watch, I bet they don't admit it tomorrow, I bet you. After I get off the phone with them I have to call the JAG office and let them know that we have been turned into collections for a bill I was never sent. I have to ask them what they think I should do, and most of all..let them know I wasn't refusing to pay it. Tim is currently going through a background check..where they also check his credit. It's very important for his MOS. I want them to be aware that us being in collections isn't because we refused to pay a bill, it was because we were never sent the bill.
Someone send up some prayers for me. Tim and I were suppose to be able to completely pay off our debt while he was in BCT and AIT...now...that won't be happening. I can't tell Tim this though..because it's not what he needs to be worried about while he has much more important things on his plate. So like I said..please send up a prayer for me..because I am emotionally drained and feel a break down coming on.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Monday, January 4, 2010
7 weeks later..and onto another countdown
So my last entry was awhile ago..like..forever ago. It's been 7 weeks as of tomorrow and guess what, I'm still alive.
Tim came home for his leave, Christmas Exodus, and went back yesterday. When he came home he was definitely in the military mindset. He was "walking with a purpose" (which means speed walking as fast as he could to the next place he was headed), speaking VERY loudly and almost told his sister "add a sir to that" when she was speaking to her manager at work. He was barking orders at me and the girls and calling people out in HEB for staring at him, which I dumbly pointed out one night. (I told him a man had been staring at him for a good 5 minutes and he turned to look at the guy who was less than 10 feet from us and pointed at him while saying 'you mean this guy?') I wanted to die. After a few days he calmed down and became old Tim again, which was nice. For about the first week, the girls refused to let him out of their sights and he didn't object. There were lots of cuddles and kisses and 'my daddy is here'.
It was definitely nice having him home with us. Since it was Christmas, family came into town and one of those family members is my brother, Trenton, who is also in the Army. At first Tim was intimidated of him, after 5 years of knowing the guy, because he has the rank that a DS has. I told him he was an idiot, but still thought it was funny. He had a good break from basic, and wasn't ready to go back. He was ready to have it over with, but the two weeks went way too fast for him. He was able to hang out with friends, drink a few beers and relax. It was nice.
Finally after not having a single professional photo done since Mackenzie's 6 months and mine and Tim's back in Dec 05...we had our first complete family photo. I had originally planned on having a friend shoot some outside photos, but it didn't happen before he left for basic and these were done less than 24 hours after I reserved them. They turned out awesome, especially the ones of the girls. They were both all smiles and playing to the camera. Tim even smiled in a few too. I'm so thankful I was able to get those before he left. Tim's family also wanted family photos so those were done too, but our girls weren't too excited about those, so they didn't smile.
He left yesterday and that was especially hard on him. We were leaving for the airport at 1:30 and at we laid the girls down for their nap at noon. Normally their naps are an hour long, but this one would of been longer had we not needed to wake them up. I woke up Mackenzie and told her 'you need to wake up, daddy has to go to the airport, it's time for him to go back to school'. (We had been calling it school, because it was the closest thing for our girls to relate it too. My brother Trey would come home for the summer and Christmas and then go back to school, and the girls were use to that, so we told them daddy was going to school and would be away for awhile.) Mackenzie went to Tim and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly and said 'I don't want you to go' and it hit him like a train. We took a couple photos of the girls with their daddy and then we were off to the airport.
I had been told by a few other wives to get a gate pass so I'd be able to sit with him, so we left a few minutes early hoping we'd be able to get me one. I was thrilled that I was able to get one, it made it so much easier. We sat over in a corner by ourselves and took photos and talked. When it came time for him to board the plane, we did good, no tears! I did have a mental breakdown on the way out of the airport though, thank God for waterproof mascara.
So here we are...on another countdown. His family day is Thursday February 4th and graduation is Friday, February 5th. I will be driving to my brother's house in Columbus GA on Tuesday, February 2nd and staying the night..then driving the 5 hours from Columbus to Columbia, SC on Wednesday. I plan on buying a DVD player for the car with the dual screens to go on the headrests for the girls. It'll be my first long trip without Tim there to help me, so I'm fairly nervous! I already booked my hotel off post, and I'm hoping that I can book one ON post 10 days prior. You can't book more than 10 days in advance for your stay, so I plan on waking up 8am their time and calling the first day. Hopefully I can get it! They won't be allowed off post during family day, hence why people try so hard to get stay on-post, so they aren't stuck in an overcrowded mall or bowling alley with all the other families.
Well, there is my update/ramble.
Tim came home for his leave, Christmas Exodus, and went back yesterday. When he came home he was definitely in the military mindset. He was "walking with a purpose" (which means speed walking as fast as he could to the next place he was headed), speaking VERY loudly and almost told his sister "add a sir to that" when she was speaking to her manager at work. He was barking orders at me and the girls and calling people out in HEB for staring at him, which I dumbly pointed out one night. (I told him a man had been staring at him for a good 5 minutes and he turned to look at the guy who was less than 10 feet from us and pointed at him while saying 'you mean this guy?') I wanted to die. After a few days he calmed down and became old Tim again, which was nice. For about the first week, the girls refused to let him out of their sights and he didn't object. There were lots of cuddles and kisses and 'my daddy is here'.
It was definitely nice having him home with us. Since it was Christmas, family came into town and one of those family members is my brother, Trenton, who is also in the Army. At first Tim was intimidated of him, after 5 years of knowing the guy, because he has the rank that a DS has. I told him he was an idiot, but still thought it was funny. He had a good break from basic, and wasn't ready to go back. He was ready to have it over with, but the two weeks went way too fast for him. He was able to hang out with friends, drink a few beers and relax. It was nice.
Finally after not having a single professional photo done since Mackenzie's 6 months and mine and Tim's back in Dec 05...we had our first complete family photo. I had originally planned on having a friend shoot some outside photos, but it didn't happen before he left for basic and these were done less than 24 hours after I reserved them. They turned out awesome, especially the ones of the girls. They were both all smiles and playing to the camera. Tim even smiled in a few too. I'm so thankful I was able to get those before he left. Tim's family also wanted family photos so those were done too, but our girls weren't too excited about those, so they didn't smile.
He left yesterday and that was especially hard on him. We were leaving for the airport at 1:30 and at we laid the girls down for their nap at noon. Normally their naps are an hour long, but this one would of been longer had we not needed to wake them up. I woke up Mackenzie and told her 'you need to wake up, daddy has to go to the airport, it's time for him to go back to school'. (We had been calling it school, because it was the closest thing for our girls to relate it too. My brother Trey would come home for the summer and Christmas and then go back to school, and the girls were use to that, so we told them daddy was going to school and would be away for awhile.) Mackenzie went to Tim and wrapped her arms around his neck and squeezed him tightly and said 'I don't want you to go' and it hit him like a train. We took a couple photos of the girls with their daddy and then we were off to the airport.
I had been told by a few other wives to get a gate pass so I'd be able to sit with him, so we left a few minutes early hoping we'd be able to get me one. I was thrilled that I was able to get one, it made it so much easier. We sat over in a corner by ourselves and took photos and talked. When it came time for him to board the plane, we did good, no tears! I did have a mental breakdown on the way out of the airport though, thank God for waterproof mascara.
So here we are...on another countdown. His family day is Thursday February 4th and graduation is Friday, February 5th. I will be driving to my brother's house in Columbus GA on Tuesday, February 2nd and staying the night..then driving the 5 hours from Columbus to Columbia, SC on Wednesday. I plan on buying a DVD player for the car with the dual screens to go on the headrests for the girls. It'll be my first long trip without Tim there to help me, so I'm fairly nervous! I already booked my hotel off post, and I'm hoping that I can book one ON post 10 days prior. You can't book more than 10 days in advance for your stay, so I plan on waking up 8am their time and calling the first day. Hopefully I can get it! They won't be allowed off post during family day, hence why people try so hard to get stay on-post, so they aren't stuck in an overcrowded mall or bowling alley with all the other families.
Well, there is my update/ramble.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
