And if so, should it be about $25?? I ask because I’m facing a minor moral dilemma. On Tuesday, the hospital where I had my surgery last August sent me a statement saying I owed them $25. This by itself, should be a red flag to someone. These accounts were all settled in September, and then suddenly this bill pops out? But in an effort to be prepared, I dug out my folder replete with $35,000 worth of various medical bills (thank goodness for medical insurance!), and proceeded to plow though it looking for something which matched. I suppose the other argument would have been that they had already been paid $35,000, why were we quibbling about $25? Or in a similar vein, it was only $25, how much time was I going to spend to prove I didn’t owe it? But this was a matter of principle, not financial expedience.
Anyway, I eventually found a bill with the same base charge. I noted that the bill from September showed a $25 credit from my credit card where I had paid a co-pay. The new bill they sent did not show that credit. Just to be sure, I pulled the credit card statement, and sure enough, I had paid that $25. “So,” I says to myself with unwarranted confidence, “There’s yer trouble right there!”
The next morning I called expecting it to take way too long. I was prepared for the person to put me through the wringer and insist that their system could not possibly have made a mistake. After only about 30 seconds on queue, Dagmar answers and I proceed to explain the situation. I have documents I’m prepared to fax, and color photographs with circles and arrows on the back to explain each one. I wait tentatively as he pulls up my records. I’m poised for the return volley. And I find that I’m almost deflated when he informs me that he’ll credit my account $25. I should just ignore the bill, and they are very sorry for the confusion.
“Damn!” I mean, “Cool!” But… “Damn!”
Well tonight I go to the mailbox and find that the hospital has now sent me a check for $25 to reimburse me for overpaying them when they sent me the previous bill, which I never paid.
“Curses Dagmar!! I knew it seemed too easy!”
I have to admit, that it’s tempting to just pocket the money as a stupidity tax on them and call it a day. But that wouldn’t be right. If $25 was worth the trouble in one direction, it would only be fair to call them again tomorrow. But I doubt I’ll be as well prepared.
Follow-up: I did call and spoke to a very nice girl who was absolutely adamant that the hospital owed me $25. She assured me that once I cash the check, we’ll be square and my balance will be zero.
I protested that this makes no sense. If this is true, why did they think I owed them $25 just a few days ago? She assured me that she didn’t know, but she was looking at all the records and they absolutely owed me the money.
Whatever. But I think I’m going to sit on the check for a while such that when they send me a bill next week for $25, I’ll just mail them their check back in the payment envelope.