How long does the law allow for a hospital to send me a new bill for past services?
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How long does the law allow for a hospital to send me a new bill for past services?
My son had a minor sigmoidoscopy at a local children’s hospital 2 years and 7 months ago.Today I received a new bill for services for $250. This is not a huge bill for us, except there are many problems. We paid several other bills for this service 2 years ago (some items appear to be same charges). Also, 2 1/2 years ago we had a better insurance plan type than we do now, but this claim is being processed through our current insurance plan type. We think the hospital is re-looking at their books, and we need to know what recourse we have, as even the hospital charges seem extreme for services.
Asked on October 8, 2011 under Bankruptcy Law, Pennsylvania
Answers:
FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney
Answered 12 years ago | Contributor
The length of time for a hospital to send an invoice for unpaid bills allegadly owed depends upon the hospital's business practices. The length of time for the hospital to file a lawsuit to collect upon the allegedly owed services depends upon your state's statute of limitations for theories of recovery.
In most states, the outer limits for a lawsuit to be filed is four (4) years depending upon the theory of recovery. In California, a cause of action for breach of a written contract is four (4) years.
The best way to resolve this dispute concerning the $250.00 claimed owed is to contact the hospital's accounts receivable office and discuss your concerns about the recent invoice and follow up with a written letter confirming your conversation with the hospital's representative.
Keep a copy of the latter for future reference.
Good luck.
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