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A comment on Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear envelope windows. Parent comment

Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by pinneycolton on Friday August 25, 2017 @12:32PM (#15099770)
I wonder if they meant that you shouldn't pay providers until things are sorted out. I agree that you need to pay your premiums, but doctors and hospitals will just send you to collections. Still not a great option, but it does keep the money in your pocket until things are sorted out. (Of course, I wouldn't do this unless I was very sure I was right, also, so that any collections issues would be an insurer/provider error.)
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Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by LanceH on Monday August 28, 2017 @01:08AM (#15114510)
It is (also) their problem. If they're in the network, they've agreed to certain terms as well.

I'm not saying skip out on your bills. I'm saying that the provider and insurance need to figure the bill out. I'm not floating a provider in my network so that I can fill out a ton more paperwork to get reimbursed eventually.

And yes, they do make errors in major ways. Just two years ago, I got as though I hadn't made my deductible. It was a $2500 difference. It's much easier to have a provider refile to get their money than for me to pay them and then work through the insurer's system to get reimbursement.

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Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by emodendroket on Friday August 25, 2017 @12:58PM (#15100090)
As far as your provider is concerned, whether your insurance should pay or not isn't really their problem. I have never been somewhere that did not make me sign a form saying that I agreed to be responsible for whatever my insurance did not pay.
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Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by subway on Friday August 25, 2017 @01:21PM (#15100357)
Most providers understand the shit-show that is insurance, and will drastically adjust their behavior and prices based on who is paying.
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Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by emodendroket on Saturday August 26, 2017 @12:55AM (#15104133)
Maybe, but that doesn't help if it goes to collections like the parent part describes.
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Re:Aetna accidentally exposed customer HIV statuses in clear... by arkades on Friday August 25, 2017 @12:56PM (#15100067)
If you don't pay a bill, there's no error. The subsequent hit to interest rates on something like a mortgage outweighs most minor medical bills.
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