WTF? One tooth extraction somehow equals $1500?
Okay, could someone explain this one to me?
In December, I had one tooth pulled and due to my insurance program - which is a discount service, not a true insurance plan - I had to pay the full amount due at the time of service - which was $353.
Then, in February, I got a bill for $959. I was totally caught off guard, thinking it was a billing error. No, after writing a letter to the oral surgeon's office, the doctor called & tried to say, "Oh, we had to do more work, that's why we want more money!"
I told them, no, I'm not paying this bill a) because I have no $$ to do so (Hello? Do I seem like the type of person who has $959 laying around to just throw at a bill which is totally false. i also said that further attempts to collect on this bill would result in me turning it over to the state's attorney general's office for false billing practices.
So, what do they do? Turn me over to a collection agency and now the bill has gone up to $1100+!
WTF?! How does one simple tooth extraction - done with local anesthetic, mind you, not general where I would be asleep - somehow equal close to $1500?!
Then, today the collection agency calls & she's all like, "This is going to affect your credit!!!" I just laugh at her & go, "Lady look, I don't have the money to pay this bill, nor will I ever pay this bill. $1500 for a simple tooth extraction that I was only in the chair for like 20 minutes to have the tooth pulled and my single follow up visit was all of 3 minutes!"
Her advice was to write to the credit agencies to dispute the charge since ironically enough, she did agree w/ me that $1500 for a tooth extraction was excessive!
I am going to turn this over to the state's attorney general office, because seriously.... how does $353 morph up to another $959 then, suddenly another $1100+? This doctor's office doesn't need to be in business with billing practices like that!
Therefore, I am putting out a warning against anyone in St. Louis going to the oral surgery institute of Eureka at East North Street and stay far away from Dr. Makepeace Charles.
From now on, I will go further out of St. Louis for dental work - apparently there's a guy over in Gerald (yeah, drug capital of Franklin Co.) who accepts my plan and I will go see him for the rest of the work I need until I can get on with a plan that doesn't want you to wait 6 mos. before they will cover anything more than simple x-rays & cleaning.
In December, I had one tooth pulled and due to my insurance program - which is a discount service, not a true insurance plan - I had to pay the full amount due at the time of service - which was $353.
Then, in February, I got a bill for $959. I was totally caught off guard, thinking it was a billing error. No, after writing a letter to the oral surgeon's office, the doctor called & tried to say, "Oh, we had to do more work, that's why we want more money!"
I told them, no, I'm not paying this bill a) because I have no $$ to do so (Hello? Do I seem like the type of person who has $959 laying around to just throw at a bill which is totally false. i also said that further attempts to collect on this bill would result in me turning it over to the state's attorney general's office for false billing practices.
So, what do they do? Turn me over to a collection agency and now the bill has gone up to $1100+!
WTF?! How does one simple tooth extraction - done with local anesthetic, mind you, not general where I would be asleep - somehow equal close to $1500?!
Then, today the collection agency calls & she's all like, "This is going to affect your credit!!!" I just laugh at her & go, "Lady look, I don't have the money to pay this bill, nor will I ever pay this bill. $1500 for a simple tooth extraction that I was only in the chair for like 20 minutes to have the tooth pulled and my single follow up visit was all of 3 minutes!"
Her advice was to write to the credit agencies to dispute the charge since ironically enough, she did agree w/ me that $1500 for a tooth extraction was excessive!
I am going to turn this over to the state's attorney general office, because seriously.... how does $353 morph up to another $959 then, suddenly another $1100+? This doctor's office doesn't need to be in business with billing practices like that!
Therefore, I am putting out a warning against anyone in St. Louis going to the oral surgery institute of Eureka at East North Street and stay far away from Dr. Makepeace Charles.
From now on, I will go further out of St. Louis for dental work - apparently there's a guy over in Gerald (yeah, drug capital of Franklin Co.) who accepts my plan and I will go see him for the rest of the work I need until I can get on with a plan that doesn't want you to wait 6 mos. before they will cover anything more than simple x-rays & cleaning.