From double billing to frivolous charges, Voices for Affordable Health community speaks out against surprise medical bills

Voices for Affordable Health is diving into the issue of surprise medical bills. Why do they happen? Can you prevent them? And when you receive one, how do you fight back?

Our growing community has already shared a number of stories that may stun you.

There’s Gayle Johnston in Lakeview, Ore., who was charged $50 for a “syphon device,” which turned out to be a straw.

And Voices heard from Fereydoun Tavangary of Beaverton, Ore., who went to the hospital when he cut his knee with a circular saw. He was admitted to the urgent care unit and stitched up by a nurse practitioner.

In a story he submitted on VoicesForAffordableHealth.com, he said a “bill showed up a week later for $1941.95 saying that there was more to come. I got another bill 2 months later for $974.74 from a doctor for applying the stitches.”

Fereydoun says a doctor never treated him.

What can you do if you receive a surprise medical bill?

Follow Carolyn Miller Ketch’s lead. Here’s what she told us on Facebook: “I have had a surgeon try to bill twice by submitting two different dates on the bill sent to the insurance company. I go over every bill and called my insurance company and told them not to pay the second bill as I had only had one surgery. That saved the insurance company $5,000. I received a nice letter thanking me for going over my bill because they probably would have paid because of the way the doctor’s office had billed them. Always go over every charge on a hospital or doctor bill, there are many errors.”

If you’ve had a surprise medical bill, please share your story with us, and stay tuned for our in-depth report on this issue in the coming weeks. If you want to follow it closely, sign up for email alerts from Voices for Affordable Health.