Question
i have an unpaid doctor bill by public aid for around $270.00. i am on disability, very limited monthly income, i have medicare and medicaid. my doctor visits are covered 100% by the time medicare/medicare are paid to them. there were two bill unfortunately that have not been paid to one of my doctors, he is now giving me the bill to pay, i cannot afford this and it is public aids bill to pay, i called a hotline the other day, the man informed me i was active, and it should have been covered, had given me the address and we hung up. i went to the doctor yesterday 2/19/10 \, they handed me a bill, and i forgot to bring the paper with the address on it, i have sent to bill to my caseworker at the public aid office in villa park, il. nothing has happened, it is there responsibility, not mine. i can barely afford to live, much less eat, it took my case worker two years to get back to me regarding a dentist and i had to get two teeth pulled and a root canal. now,what in the hell do i do about this 2 year old bill...send it to obama? i can barely afford toilet paper much less this bill...any suggestions john pedit, i am about out of them? and pretty sick of public aid, and their b.s. and waiting for my caseworkers calls that never come. please, i am so anxiously awaiting your return mail to me.
Answer
Hi Susan
This is much too complicated to be done by e-mail, so, I am referring you to my counterpart in IL. Call 1-800-548-9034 and you will reach the nearest SHIP office in your area. They are the Medicare trained counseling service for your State. Call them and request to have a meeting with one of their counselors. At the meeting they will access your situation and walk you through the solutions.
With regard to the unpaid bills, contact your caseworker in writing and request a hearing, Get a signature on a receipt showing they received it. Most
states have a list of the Medicaid personnel on their State web site. Get the e-mail address for the
state Medicaid office, your case worker, and the case worker supervisor. Then e-mail them with your problem. This creates a paper trail that they can not ignore.
Go to Benefits.com and enter your information. They will check about 400 programs to see if you are eligible for any of them.
Check with the case worker and see if you qualify for QMB, a part of the Medicare savings program..Besides paying for your Medicare premium and other insurance cost, there is a law that prohibits a provider of billing you for co-pays.
Check with the local Area Agency on Aging and see if you are eligible for meals on wheels, or congregate meals at a Senior Center.
If you were married and he was in service, go to the VA site, click on Pensions and see if it applies to you.
Hope this helps.
John
