CARES Act ran out of money - bill due now or sent to collections? Wtf

[Jerm]

I had a COVID test done in September of 2021 that was supposed to be paid for through the CARES Act because I was uninsured. Today I received a phone call saying I owed ~$260 because the CARES Act ran out of money so I, as well as millions of others, am affected by that. They said they'd be sending it to collections if it wasn't paid soon. Is this happening to anyone else? Did you just pay it and move on or what?

 

[Selbran]

Sounds like a scam. You should have received a letter or something beforehand. Did they give you a government website to check for more information or were they asking for money directly?

 

[BigDes]

On a case like this when they just phoned you out of the blue the first thing you ask for is a hard copy invoice.

Cuae this smells like a scam.

 

[Deleted member 4090]

It is almost certainly a scam. Was it actually from the pharmacy or doctor that you got the shot at?

The vaccination shots are supposed to be $50-100, not $260.

 

[Fhtagn]

yeah, find out who they claim to be representing then call those people directly yourself at a phone number you found on their official site, (and make sure that site is a real thing that would have a real reason to bill you) to eliminate the possibility this is a scam.

 

[GringoSuave89]

This is very likely a scam.

 

[Jerm]

I thought so too but hadn't heard of this particular scam. I also received the call from the billing department number of the local hospital they work through but I know that can be falsified so I believe it to be legitimate.

 

[Royalan]

This is likely a scam, OP.

You would have gotten several things in the mail beforehand.

 

[skullmuffins]

seems like horseshit if this is about a test from September 2021. The government stopped accepting claims for testing in March this year. Shouldn't the provider have submitted a reimbursement request sooner than that?

 

[Selbran]

I thought so too but hadn't heard of this particular scam. I also received the call from the billing department number of the local hospital they work through but I know that can be falsified so I believe it to be legitimate.

Click to shrink...

Scammers have been falsifying numbers of businesses so if they did call you I'd call them back directly to get more information.

 

[Fhtagn]

I thought so too but hadn't heard of this particular scam. I also received the call from the billing department number of the local hospital they work through but I know that can be falsified so I believe it to be legitimate.

Click to shrink...

yeah, in cases like this, call them back at a publicly verifiable number to make sure.

 

[C.Mongler]

Seems scammy. I would call the clinic you got the test at and let them know you're receiving these calls, and request an invoice from them if it's not flagged as illegitimate. I wouldn't trust people calling you out of the blue about owing money unless you've received a hard copy of what you owe from a reputable source and it lines up with what they're asking of you.

 

[fatigues_gasolini]

I work on the billing side for hospital. If they submitted the bill to be paid by CARES and it came back denied, they would probably write it off and stop billing CARES for tests.

 

[Squarehard]

yeah, in cases like this, call them back at a publicly verifiable number to make sure.

Click to shrink...

Never call these people back.

You'll just be giving them more reasons to keep calling, or sell your number to somebody else who wants to try to run a scam on you now that they know you're gullible and picks up their phone.

Also, having dealt with health and insurance companies for most of my life, they're not going to warn you before they send you to collections, they're just going to do it, whether it was intentional or by accident.

 

[BassForever]

Sounds like a scam, hang up and make them send you the bill in the mail. Don't give them your address though.

 

[Surakian]

Call the hospital with a verifiable number and speak to their billing department. You would have received a bill in the mail before they would ever call you.

If it is legit, dispute it and state you cannot afford to pay.

 

[bushmonkey]

Never call these people back.

You'll just be giving them more reasons to keep calling, or sell your number to somebody else who wants to try to run a scam on you now that they know you're gullible and picks up their phone.

Also, having dealt with health and insurance companies for most of my life, they're not going to warn you before they send you to collections, they're just going to do it, whether it was intentional or by accident.

Click to shrink...

He meant call back the local hospital's billing department directly, not the scammers.... and yes this is definitely a scam.

 

[F34R]

Ignore it. It's absolutely a scam. Don't ask for a bill, don't give you address to send a bill, etc. Just ignore it.

 

[Blader]

A cold call of no prior notice with an immediate threat of going to collections is a scam.

 

[Fhtagn]

Never call these people back.

You'll just be giving them more reasons to keep calling, or sell your number to somebody else who wants to try to run a scam on you now that they know you're gullible and picks up their phone.

Also, having dealt with health and insurance companies for most of my life, they're not going to warn you before they send you to collections, they're just going to do it, whether it was intentional or by accident.

Click to shrink...

Right, never call the number they called you from, if you get a call like this and feel like it might be real, figure out how to contact the real people independently of whatever the possible scam artist said.

 

[Jerm]

It was legitimate. They filed the claim in October through CARES but it was denied sometime later on, maybe last month, after they ran out of funding. They had sent one bill in the past, but I had called them after I received it - they told me that I hadn't signed the appropriate paperwork, I said I had, they ended up finding it in their files and told me to consider it paid. Then today's call came.

They offered to accept half price from all their customers (so fucking noble!!!!!!) and I offered $100 and they took that. I can't take the hit on my credit. The US is a miserable place.

 

[WedgeX]

I thought so too but hadn't heard of this particular scam. I also received the call from the billing department number of the local hospital they work through but I know that can be falsified so I believe it to be legitimate.

Click to shrink...

HHS says:

You cannot be billed for COVID-19 services if you are uninsured and the government is paying your healthcare provider for your care. If you receive a bill, and you already paid, you may be owed a refund and you should first speak to the person or facility that sent it. If they don't cancel the bill or give you a refund, contact the HHS Office of Inspector General Hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS or visit https://TIPS.HHS.GOV to file a complaint.

Click to shrink...

https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/coronavirus/uninsured-patient-covid-services-poster.pdf

Seems Cares Act reimbursements for providers have run out, but they're still not really allowed to bill you. Give HHS a call.

 

[Surakian]

It was legitimate. They filed the claim in October through CARES but it was denied sometime later on, maybe last month, after they ran out of funding. They had sent one bill in the past, but I had called them after I received it - they told me that I hadn't signed the appropriate paperwork, I said I had, they ended up finding it in their files and told me to consider it paid. Then today's call came.

They offered to accept half price from all their customers (so fucking noble!!!!!!) and I offered $100 and they took that. I can't take the hit on my credit. The US is a miserable place.

Click to shrink...

That billing department is full of shit. You shouldn't have agreed to anything and called the HHS.

 

[Bladelaw]

Yeah poster above has it right, my dad just ran into the same issue as OP's and was stubborn as hell and threatened to call HHS, that shut them up right quick

 

[Digital Dinosaur]

As they say, you can tell a bill collector is lying if their mouth is moving.

Even if the call is about a theoretically legitimate bill, if they don't want to send something in writing it means they know they don't have a legal right to extract money from you. In addition to the HSS infographic about Covid vaccines, everybody should know this:

Starting last fall, much more stringent federal regulations went into effect relating to debt collection. In addition to bill collectors being toothless (they can't even threaten to sue) if a bill is past the statue of limitations, they must now provide, in writing, a more detailed account proving you actually owe money.

Because of this, collection departments and contractors whining on the phone may increase, hoping that people will voluntarily give them money.

 

[Surakian]

You should know that because think they can get $100 out of you, they will likely still try and come after you for the rest at some point. You should call them back, inform them that you are aware of your rights and COVID rules issued by the HHS, and that the debt needs to be wiped out and you want a letter sent confirming the zero balance.

You should never give into a billing department at a hospital as they are as scummy as they get.

 

[DRock]

You better have a paper bill and a receipt for this. Sounds like they are fucking you.