- Report: #1491201
Complaint Review: Sanford Health - Bismarck North Dakota
-
Author Not Confirmed
Why?
Sanford Health
300 North 7th Street Bismarck, 58501 North Dakota, United States
Web:
https://www.sanfordhealth.org/
Categories:
Business Rating:
(0)
Tell us has your experience with this business or person been good?
Sanford Health refuses to work out reasonable payment plans for medical bills Bismarck North Dakota
In 2018 I was referred to Maternal Fetal Medicine at Sanford Health Bismarck. Unfortunately, as I did not have insurance at the time, I was planning to pay for my appointment out of pocket. After receiving my more than $4, 000 bill in the mail, I called the medical billing office in order to set up a payment plan figuring I would pay about $50 a month.
Instead, when I told the person I was speaking to that I could afford $50 a month at the very most, I was very rudely informed that the minimum monthly payment they could accept was $350. I told this person that there's absolutely no way I can afford $350 a month, I have other bills and I just had a baby. His response to that was that nobody else has a problem coming up with $350 a month and that I should try to find other areas to cut expenses or figure out something I can sell. Ummm...ok. I don't have a vehicle, I don't have a phone bill, I don't have cable or internet (I use the local library to get online), my kid isn't in daycare (his father and I work opposite shifts), I live in a one room efficiency, I cloth diaper and breastfeed- in what area of my life am I supposed to cut expenses?
I was sent an application for financial assistance in order to try to get my bill reduced, which I of course filled out completely and returned, along with all requested documents including paystubs, tax documents, etc. After doing all this, I heard nothing back so after a few weeks I called Sanford Health to find out what the status of my application was. I was informed that I never sent the requested documents so my application wasn't being processed.
I said that absolutely was not true, I faxed everything they had asked me to. I was then told they never received my fax, I must have got the fax number wrong. I told the person I was speaking to that this also wasn't true, I have a receipt that I got after I sent the fax saying the fax was received. I offered to provide a copy of the receipt and a notarized statement from the place I sent the fax from saying that they don't accept payment for sending a fax until they get the receipt saying the fax was received.
This lady told me she wasn't interested in that, but that she could give me a deadline extension in order to allow me to resend the documents. At this time I told her I don't have endless amounts of time and money to keep resending things and that I wanted it noted on my account that these documents had already been sent and received once. She refused. When I asked to speak with a supervisor, my call was transferred and I was told that they had in fact received my tax documents but that Sanford Health was refusing acceptance. I asked to have that refusal sent to me in writing and was told that Sanford doesn't communicate by mail, which I thought was strange since that's how they send me my bill, so I said that I thought they should know that since North Dakota is a one party recording state, I was recording the call. I was then told that if I resent the documents, Sanford Health would reconsider.
That same day, my son's father hand delivered all of the requested documents to the local billing office. After that, Sanford Health was never willing to communicate with me again regarding reducing my bill. I started sending the $25 a month I could afford, as at that point other medical facilities with more polite staff were my priorities, and never heard anything from them again until just a few days ago when I went online to pay a bill and discovered that despite my good faith efforts to pay Sanford Health, my account was sent into collections.
I called to find out why that was and was told that they hadn't been able to communicate with me. My phone number never changed, my email never changed, my ability to access my online bill pay account never changed, and the address change that did occur was something they were notified of multiple times via email, snail mail, and phone call. This lady claimed there were numerous attempts to contact me via phone, email, and snail mail. I've gone through my phone records and email account with a fine toothed comb- Sanford Health never did any such thing. The customer service provided Sanford Health is shameful.
They should be absolutely ashamed of themselves for going out of their way to refuse to work with people who are trying to pay their medical bills and for implying that people clearly need to cut expenses elsewhere if they can't afford to just drop an extra several hundred dollars a month out of nowhere. If they had been upfront with me about the amount of money I could expect to pay and the time frame they expected me to pay it in, I never would have consented to the medical care they wanted me to get. I would have gone without. To destroy the credit of a new family with their first baby just having been born is reprehensible. I absolutely hope everyone who deals with Sanford is aware of their unfair and shameful billing practices.
5 Updates & Rebuttals
Stacey
Texas,United States
Try again Maria/Shannon
#2Consumer Comment
Tue, February 04, 2020
You have filed multiple ROR reports about this as well as not receiving your W-2, being stalked by a homeless shelter newsletter etc etc. The common factor seems to be YOU and if you could not afford to pay bills then what is the reason you had a CHILD? You knew you did not have insurance but you went to a private facility and received care without insurance. Did you think they would just forgive the bill and move on?
Does your Husband not have a job?? Who is paying the hospital bills for your labor and delivery? How come you did not apply for Medicaid if you are low income? OH you have to pay that cable bill, internet bill, cell phone bill which of course are YOUR priorities. Get yourself a JOB and stop blaming others for your inability to pay your bills.
Robert
Irvine,United States
Not Good Faith
#3Consumer Comment
Mon, February 03, 2020
One standard is that when someone says a company isn't "working with them" what they are really saying is that the company won't do what YOU want them to do. Your "Good Faith" payments while I am sure you are thinking that they should be honored that they got something..are really not doing anything to help. In fact quite the opposite as what they are likely doing is just extending out the Statute of Limitations. You can't just decide what and when you are going to pay.
Your account was sent to collections because you were not paying what you owed, nor did you enter into a Payment Arrangement that BOTH parties agreed to. Oh and while $350/moth seems unreasonable, on a $4,000 bill it really isn't.
I started sending the $25 a month I could afford, as at that point other medical facilities with more polite staff were my priorities,
- I almost fell off my chair laughing so hard. So you are really going to come here and tell us that other medical facilities are letting you pay $25/month on a $4,000 bill? I somehow don't think that is the case. Nope..there is NO comparison.
The other is simply an amount you owe for a one time service you received
- Here is one of many faults in your argument. They are BOTH financial obligations you agreed to and the fact that this is a one-time service is irrelevant to reducing or changing your obligation of repayment.
Now, I am not going to call you a deadbeat. I do think you are very naive and quite frankly a bit selfish and self-entitled. As based on your comments throughout the report it seems as if you care more about your credit than you do about the health of your baby.
If your economic situation is this bad, why didn't or are not seeking assistance? There are MANY government programs it sounds like you and your baby could qualify for that would not only provide health care, but assistance with houseing and food as those would also appear to be a struggle based on your living situation.
Oh and don't say you don't qualify because then one has to wonder how come you are claming only the ability to pay $50/month. At which point the "deadbeat" tag may be a correct fit.
Then again there is one final option. If you are truly in this situation with thousands of dollars in medical bills and no assets. You may be a very good candiate for Bankruptcy. Oh and again don't say you refuse to do it because then one has to wonder if you are really more concerned about your credit than your family.
Jim
Anaheim,United States
Medical Bills Have Interest On Them Too Moron
#4Consumer Comment
Mon, February 03, 2020
Please try not to be an idiot when responding. The reason you were offered a $350 per month repayment plan is to make sure you aren't paying huge amounts of interest on your debt. And yes, your debt is in fact a type of loan. All debt represents a loan of one form or another. You went into debt $4,000 in exchange for giving birth. The only thing the hospital can't do is repossess a child for obvious reasons. Otherwise, this is a loan just like any other.
Now, the reason you're a deadbeat is (a) you were supposed to have medical insurance and didn't, (b) you can't pay your medical bill which is why you're in collections, and (c) your excuses are typical of anyone who thinks they should dictate terms for repayment, instead of the place holding your debt. Nobody cares whether you can only pay $25 or $50 per month when the terms are $350 per month. You went into debt and your collector wants their money. People like you are the reason why medical costs are so high.
Nobody has sympathy for you....
Shannan
Bismarck,North Dakota,
United States
Medical bills
#5Author of original report
Mon, February 03, 2020
You apparently don't understand the difference between medical bills and loans. One of these has interest automatically calculated as part of the monthly payment because someone borrowed money for something like a home, vehicle, or education. The other is simply an amount you owe for a one time service you received. My guess is that you have a poor payment history with medical bills and are referring late fees when you say interest, which is not a problem for everyone.
Secondly, I don't at all understand why you call me a deadbeat. There are tons of people who don't have insurance for whatever and not all of us are deadbeats. What's great is that this is coming from someone who probably doesn't have much worthwhile to contribute to society anyway.
Jim
Anaheim,California,
United States
No Sympathy
#6Consumer Comment
Mon, February 03, 2020
You have a $4,000 bill. $50 a month would barely cover the interest on your debt. Your newborn would likely be about 18 years old by the time you finished paying the debt. $25 a month would not even cover the interest; if all you were going to pay was $25 per month, then you shouldn't have bothered with that. The truth is...asking for $350 per month is a more than reasonable request and I do not find their billing practices unfair or shameful.
I find people who cannot pay their bills shameful, but then as someone who didn't have insurance before all of this - you're simply a deadbeat who knows no shame. You tossed your burden on the rest of us who have to pay higher insurance bills, hospitalization costs, etc....because of irresponsible people like you. I don't have a great deal of sympathy for you.
