Question
i received a bill from a doctor in tn stating that i owe $440 after my insurance paid everything. i have not been to this doctor since 10/00. they have hired a new office manager that is cleaning up old files. do i have recourse against this doctor to not pay this bill since i was never notified that i had this bill while seeing the doctor nor in the time after i stopped seeing her?
Answer
What exactly is it that the doctor's office did wrong? Fail to bill you for the balance AFTER the insurance company paid what it owed? In other words if the doctor was late in billing you, but you are out no more than you would have been if you were billed on time, clearly you still owe money to the doctor, and got an interest free loan for the balance he did not bill you.
On the other hand if the doctor failed to bill you, and you had insurance that would have covered it but now it is too late to submit a claim, so you would have to bear all the cost, the doctor should share some of the loss caused by his late tendering of the bill.