Client Services

 

 

Supplemental Medicare providers in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Senior

Helped Lowell Client Write Biller

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

            On March 14, 2024, I phoned Medicare with a client to get an important fact before I wrote a letter to a medical biller

With some editing to protect the client’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the medical billing firm.

 

            Our client and her husband sent to our office a bill from your firm for our review.  Your bill to our client is dated 1/31/2024 and seeks a balance of $330 on Guarantor Number XXXXXXX for services rendered on 11/06/23.

 

            I investigated this and found that your firm filed the claim INCORRECTLY with Medicare.  The Medicare EOB that you got from Medicare should have exactly the same information as the Medicare Summary Notice that the client got.  Check footnote “A” on the claim for the $330 original billing under Claim XX-XXXXX-XXX-XXX.  The footnote explains that the service was denied because your firm filed the claim as an “Annual Wellness Visit” when it should have been filed as a “Welcome to Medicare” visit.

 

            Please, refile the claim properly.

 

            The help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This agency helps clients with such billing problems without charge to demonstrate that we really do care for our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give such a high level of customer service, why not switch to one that does – like this one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on March 14, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Schererville Indiana Supplemental Insurance Agency

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

Helped Crown Point Client File Complaints

By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On March 11, 2024, I helped a client from Crown Point file complaints against a firm in Florida.

 

            The firm was working together with other firms to send the client and his wife test kits which they never ordered and then filed claims with Medicare to get money from Medicare and the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company.

 

            For over 20 years in my job, I have collected addresses to which complaints should be sent.  There are different addresses to which people should send complaints depending on the facts of the matter and whether it involves violations of federal or state laws.

 

            In this case, we sent complaints (with copies of evidence) to the Medicare Claims Office, the Medicare Inspector General, the Fraud Complaints office of Medicare, and the Consumer Protection Offices of both the Florida and the Indiana State Attorney General.

With some editing, here is part of the letter.

 

Dear Representatives,

 I received packages of test kits from (a lab company).

         I never requested the test kits and never used them.  But I got Medicare Summary Notices that (the lab company) BILLED MEDICARE.  This was a fraudulent billing of Medicare.  The date of service was 12/11/2023 for Claim # XXXXX and 01/10/2024 for Claim # XXXXX.  The Medicare Summary Notice states that these were ordered by PXXXXX D. AXXXXXX.  I do not know anyone with this name.  In addition to this, women named TXXXX and VXXXXXX phoned me twice a day for weeks offering to help me use the test kits.  They wanted me to send the test kit samples to a firm in Lake Worth, FL.

 

          Accompanying this letter are copies of papers that I received from the firm (a lab company) or related firms.

 

           

 

 

 

Written on March 11, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Michigan City Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 False Claims on Medical Bill

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

            On February 27, 2024, I sent a polite letter to a billing firm in another state that was trying to collect money from one of our clients who died soon after the medical treatment of the bill.  The letter upset the widow of our client because it claimed that her husband had no supplemental insurance after Medicare.

 

            I read the letter and understood her concerns.  This bill had a small bill balance.  But if he had no insurance, bigger bills would be coming.  That frightened her.

 

            Fortunately, I have collected the names and contact information of some people who work at billing firms and have asked me to contact them if I find any problems.  I had such a contact for the company that sent the bill that alarmed the widow.

 

            With some editing to protect people’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the contact at the firm and sent a copy of it to the widow.

 

            Accompanying this letter is a copy of the first page of a bill that you sent the deceased client and which his widow read.

 

            I don’t know who prepared this letter, but there are four FALSE STATEMENTS in this letter to which I want to draw your attention.  If the bill has false statements and it is sent through the U.S. Mail with the intent to induce someone to pay a bill that is not owed, then that is a statement that could harm your firm.  So, I am being a friend to you and your firm by showing this to you and alerting you to the potential harm it could do to your firm.

 

            The four false statements are these:

 

“You are receiving this statement because your insurance carrier denied our claim.”

            “At this time the balance due is your responsibility.”

            “Coverage not in effect at time of service (02-09-24).”

            “01/11/24 XXXXXXXXXX Life Ins. Company coverage not in effect at time of service.”

 

            I phoned the vice president of XXXX XXXX Life Ins. Co.  She reported to me that the policy has been in effect since 9/1/2017.  If you are not connecting with the correct insurance company, then send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information about this claim directly to the correct company at this address. (I stated the correct address here.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 27, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medicare Supplement broker in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 Over Three Hours in One Day

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On Tuesday, February 27, 2024, I worked over three hours to resolve one client’s multiple problems with claims to Medicare.  I spent a few hours on his earlier visits for the same problems, too.

 

            Medicare was not honoring any claims that it was getting for this client from doctors, hospitals, or labs.  According to Medicare, our client had another insurance that was responsible before Medicare was.  That problem was caused by a car accident in 2015 that the auto insurance company failed to report was settled.  Medicare needs to get a report from a car insurance company that the matter was settled before it will remove the car insurance company from the Medicare file of the senior citizen.  That must be done so that claims are processed correctly to the Medicare related insurance company.

 

            If a senior citizen needs to go to a doctor or other medical service provider while a car accident is being settled, the doctor or other person filing the new claim must check the part of the claim form that states the service is not related to a no fault insurance matter.

 

            The original responsibility for sending the report was not handled well by the original claims adjuster.  Nor was it handled properly by subsequent claims adjustors.  But on February 27, 2024, I got hold of the supervisor of claims adjustors and he was very quick to see the problem and work to resolve it.

 

            But there was another problem with a bill from a pathology lab service.  The claim was not filed with Medicare using the name that the pathology lab service used when sending the bill to our client.  This is a common problem with doctors, hospitals, labs, and other firms.  They file the claim with Medicare under one business name but send the bill to the client under another business name.  These business entities should keep their billing record keeping straight.  If they don’t, and Medicare learns of the false filing, the medical service provider should be stopped from collecting any balance from either Medicare or the patient.

 

            The Medicare system of billing has major faults.  It needs someone to have authority to force corrections and penalties for non-compliance.

 

            In this case, I helped a patient who is 89 years old and has some trouble hearing and understanding people in person or on the telephone.  He needed my help and I was glad to provide it.

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 27, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 A Wonderful Card From A Client

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 13, 2024, I got a wonderful card from a client and his family.  Over the years, I have received many cards from clients that I helped with Medicare related medical bill problems.  Some clients did not send me a card but took me to lunch.  I appreciated every kindness extended to me.

 

            But the card that I got on February 13, 2024 had a handwritten note that was very special to me.  I want to share part of that note here.

    

 

 

Dear Woody,

 

            My family and I are deeply grateful for your compassion, service, and expertise.  You have made a tremendous positive impact on so many people, and that does not go unnoticed.  I especially appreciate your written articles by which you educate all of us about cases that you solved and the issues that you mitigated.  You taking the time and effort to share your wisdom even after a long, exhausting day of battling enormous healthcare institutions is genuinely astounding and a rare, precious gift.

 

            May God grant you excellent health, a long life, and many more decades of winning battles and touching lives.  Thank you for all that you do and, most importantly, for being who you are.

 

            This note really encouraged me.  I really appreciated it and the family that sent it to me.  I recently returned to work after being in a hospital and rehab center. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 13, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 My Letter to the Indiana Attorney General

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 12, 2024, a client from Munster visited my office in Merrillville and brought a letter that he got from an unknown and undisclosed firm that wanted him to call them.  He asked me if our insurance agency had sent it to him.  We did not.

           I read the letter and considered it sneaky and unethical.  So, I wrote a letter to the Indiana Attorney General about it.  Here is that letter.

 

 

Dear Attorney General,

            A few weeks ago, a senior citizen client of this insurance agency got a letter that did not identify who sent it.  He was confused and thought the letter was from our insurance agency.  He is our client.  Our insurance agents met with him and counseled with him to find an insurance policy that he could afford and that would meet his needs.

 

            He phoned the firm that sent the letter.  The letter was from a firm in Texas that then marketed our client to another insurance company as a lead. 

 

            We do not object to marketing and competition.  We DO OBJECT to misleading marketing that does not clearly identify who is sending something to a person (especially a senior citizen). 

 

            I wrote an article about the problems caused by the first letter.  A copy of that article is enclosed.  Today, the same senior citizen brought another similar letter to our office to check if our firm sent it.  We did not.  A copy of the letter that the client just received is enclosed.

 

            To protect Indiana senior citizens and the insurance agencies in Indiana who market ethically, please work to stop such sneaky and unethical marketing from other firms.

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by correcting medical bills.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered through book stores or online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 12, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 My Letter to a Hospital CEO

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 9, 2024, I happened to read an article that clued me on the proper address to send a letter to the CEO of a hospital system in northwest Indiana.  So, I wrote to him to ask him to help improve his hospital to tackle some problems.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to him.

 

            I’m writing to you about three problems that reoccur.  You need to know about a problem to have a chance to fix it.  I suspect you are the kind of leader who wants to fix problems.

 

            First, I phoned your CBO to learn your address.  I dialed the number 219-XXX-XXXX.  I got a recorded message that the message box was full and then a report that the operator was not available and that I should call again.  That is NOT a professional response to anyone who has a question or problem about billing.

 

            Second, I had a good working relationship with your business representative TXXXXXXX CXXXXXXX, but have not spoken with her for some time.  I just want to give credit where credit is due.  I help the clients of our insurance agency when there is a billing question or problem.

 

            Third, there are reoccurring problems in the Medicare system.  I’d like your help to streamline responses to some of them.  One is that Medicare does not update its files in a timely manner.  Enclosed is a copy of an article by me about how that hurts patients and medical service providers.  The other major problem is that Medicare often fails to send claims information to the secondary insurer because the internet connection is lost for a moment and data is not delivered.  When I learn that happened to our client, I ask doctors and hospitals to send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that they have directly to the secondary insurer and I give the address to do so.  Please, make sure your billing people know how to do this.  It will get your firm paid faster.

 

            Thank you for your attention and assistance.

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill problem solver at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville.  He has helped clients of that firm save over three million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores and online.

 

Written on February 9, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northwest Indiana Supplemental Medicare Agency

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

Speaking Of Seniors

 Clients Got Big Refunds

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            Sometimes, clients get insurance policies mixed up.  The agent did not make the mistake.  The client did.  That is what happened to a couple from Crown Point.  Our agency counseled them to get Medicare supplements from Bankers Fidelity Life Insurance Company.  But then, they responded to a TV ad from Humana Insurance Company for a Medicare Advantage plan.  That kicked them off the Medicare supplement plan.  For two years, they paid the premiums for a supplement plan that they could not use.

 

            When we learned of this, we helped them ask Bankers Fidelity for a refund of premiums paid while they could not use that policy.  Bankers Fidelity did not argue against a refund.  It was a very unusual case.  I had to get the facts and present them to the insurance company.  Then more calls were made to remind and prod people to do their jobs.  Finally, the refunds came.  I want to commend Bankers Fidelity for its fair treatment of our clients.  The couple got a combined refund of $13,200 according to their son.

 

            The son wrote a note to me that said, “My parents wanted to let you know they appreciated what you did to get things started.”  All the help that I gave this couple was FREE OF CHARGE.  We help couples with similar problems to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.

 

           

 

 

 

Written on February 8, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 Gotta Follow Da Rules

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On January 29, 2024, I wrote a letter to a client about following the rules to help him with his problem.  With some editing to protect his privacy, here is the letter that I wrote.  Read and learn something about the Medicare system.

 

            Your agent asked me to check a claims statement for you for Date Of Service (DOS) 10/23/23.

 

            Your agent’s records show that you had a policy with one insurance company on that date (# XXXX).  But the claims report you sent showed what appears to be a policy number that goes with a different insurance company (XXXX).

 

            For this reason, I suspect that Medicare failed to update your file to show that you don’t have one insurance company any more.  Medicare is slow regarding updates.  Enclosed is an article that I wrote on this topic.

 

            In order to fix this problem, you, or your power of attorney representative, should phone Medicare at 800-633-4227 and ask what Medicare records show as your current Medicare related policy.  If it is wrong, ask if it can be corrected on that phone call or if you need to call the Medicare coordination of benefits phone number (855-798-2627) to get it fixed.

 

            I can’t help you unless you, or your power of attorney, are on the phone with me.  Let me know what you want to do.

 

            The help that I am giving this client is FREE OF CHARGE.  This firm helps clients with such matters to demonstrate our concern for them.

 

 

 

Written on January 29, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

The Biggest Problem With Medicare 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 What is the biggest problem with Medicare?  My over 20 years of experience helping senior citizens fight various problems with Medicare tells me that it is the lazy, sloppy, unprofessional work of the federal government, federal employees, federal contractors, and federal contractor employees on one matter – getting things done in a timely manner. 

 

Medicare fails to process paperwork in a timely manner.  Here are three cases of that.   

 

Today (December 21, 2023), I got a bill for a client that was rejected by Medicare because its record said that he did not have the insurance policy that our agency sold him.  He did have it, but Medicare never updated its records in over half a year.  Our agency sold him a policy over a month before it became effective on 02/01/2023.  A medical firm filed a claim for service on 08/15/2023 and Medicare reported that the client did not have the policy because Medicare failed to update its records.  Medicare was over six months tardy in updating its record on the client.  This lack of timely updating costs money, time, and patience of the hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and insurance agencies to work through the problem to process the claims properly. 

 

 Medicare should be able to update new information within three business days.  If it can’t do that, why should managers and employees of Medicare and its contractors keep their jobs?  The slow way they work causes problems for seniors on Medicare and the various parties that try to serve seniors under the Medicare system. 

 

This slow work ethic of Medicare hurt another client recently, too.  Medicare failed to update his record by over six months.  When the client and I got a Medicare representative on the phone, the person admitted his record was not updated and promised it would be by a certain date.  We wrote to the medical firms about the problem and asked them to file again after that stated date.  They got told the same thing as before.  We contacted Medicare again and they told us that the file was updated but not until three months after they promised it would be updated. 

 

 

            Medicare messed up my file with it slow service, too.  My new insurance started March 1, 2023.  But Medicare did not even start to update my file until I called them on September 13, 2023 to scold them for not updating it sooner and screwing up claims that were filed since March 1, 2023. 

 

            I have helped many seniors with various Medicare bill problems in over 20 years.  But the biggest problem is getting the Medicare system and the people in the Medicare system to work in a professional and timely manner. 

 

            Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that insurance agency over three million dollars by fighting bad billing.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered from book stores and online. 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 21, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped 92-year-old Client from Saint John 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

On December 13, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical firm in northwest Indiana about a bill that it sent to a client in Saint John, Indiana. 

  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client (and others), here is the letter that I sent. 

 

 

 Our client sent to us a bill from your firm to check for her.  The bill seeks a balance of $XXXXX on Guarantor ID XXXXXX for services rendered on 4/3/23 and 10/30/23. 

 

 I checked with the client’s secondary insurer to learn what it knew of the bill.  It reported that Medicare never sent these claims to it.  That is not the fault of the patient. 

 

            To fix this problem made by Medicare as fast as possible, please send both the original claim information and the Medicare EOB information on these claims directly to the claims department of the patient’s secondary insurer at the following address. 

 

            There is another matter that I did not mention in the letter but that I will mention here.  The medical billing firm included a false message on the bill to our client.  The false message stated, “Notice: This is a bill.  Based upon information from your health plan, you owe the amount shown.” 

 

            The client’s Medicare supplement insurance plan company never got the claims from Medicare.  So, the statement on the bill is absolutely false and it was sent through the U.S. Postal Service to pressure our senior citizen client to pay a balance on a bill that was wrongfully calculated and presented to our client.  Why isn’t that considered a form of MAIL FRAUD on a senior?  Why aren’t medical firms and their billing firms prosecuted for such things? 

 

            Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered through a book store or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking of Seniors 

A Nice Note 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On December 12, 2023, a client brought a nice note to the Merrillville office with a one-page document. 

 

  The note said, “Mr. Wilcox, Thank you for all the help you gave me.  They (the insurance company) finally paid the bill.  Thanks again.” 

 

 Our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company accidentally failed to pay one claim to a local hospital for services in March 2023.  It paid all the other bills it was obligated to pay.  But it missed one. 

 

            I phoned the insurance company with our client on August 23, 2023 and got the representative to see and admit that the insurance company made a mistake in failing to pay the final $875.10 that it owed.  The representative estimated it would take 30 days to correct.  It took a little more than 60 days to correct.  On November 10, 2023, the final check was cut and the hospital was paid. 

 

            The client got help from our agency to connect with his insurance company in a positive way to prod them to notice the mistake and correct it.  We helped the client AT NO CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps all clients with medical bill problems without charging anything.  The Medicare system does not work perfectly.  It is easier for us to spot problems and solutions than our clients.  We give this help to demonstrate to our clients that we really do care for them and want to treat them fairly. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by correcting medical bill problems.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered from book stores or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 12, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agencies in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 A Reason Why Indiana Residents  Should Avoid Illinois 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

 On December 11, 2023, I learned a reason for a balance on an ambulance bill for a resident of Schererville, Indiana.  It was a policy of Medicare. 

 

  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is what I wrote to the client. 

 

  I phoned the ambulance company and got a return call. 

             

The representative was quite clear about the balance of the ambulance bill.  You owe that balance because of a policy of Medicare. 

 

 You were taken from a hospital in Chicago to a rehabilitation facility in Indiana.  Medicare said that it would not cover that distance because you could have gone to a rehabilitation facility much closer to the hospital. 

 

 This is just one more reason that for years I have been telling Indiana residents not to go to Illinois for medical services if they can avoid it.  So many things can go wrong with the billing of services when the Indiana – Illinois state line is crossed.   

 

 Don’t believe me?  Now, you have a bill for almost $400 that proves I’m correct about that. 

 

I think that the Medicare policy of not paying to transport a patient close to where the patient lives is a bad policy.  I believe that a patient is going to have an easier time healing and heal more quickly if the patient is near friends and relatives who can visit the patient to love and encourage the patient during the healing process.  Apparently, the people running Medicare don’t think like I do. 

             

 

 

 

 

Written on December 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare brokers in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Lowell Client with Medical Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On December 11, 2023, a client visited my office to get my help.  The client was from Lowell, Indiana. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is the letter that I sent to his doctor and the laboratory that took his samples. 

 

 

Our client brought to our office some paperwork today and asked for our review.  I examined your bill and the secondary insurance Explanation of Benefits.  He had no Medicare Summary Notice that pertained to your bill. 

 

 We spoke with Medicare representatives about your bill to our client.  Medicare is sending the MSN that pertains to the (laboratory) bill to our client.  Over the phone, the Medicare representatives told us that the claims were denied because the information provided in the claim DID NOT SUPPORT THE NEED FOR THE MEDICAL SERVICE.  So, (the laboratory) failed to include necessary information in the claim that was filed with Medicare.   

 

  But we don’t know if this was caused by (the doctor) failing to provide the information to (the laboratory) or if (the laboratory) simply filed the claim incorrectly.  Please, check the information provided to (the laboratory) by (the doctor) and the information included in the filing of the claim by (the laboratory). 

 

  We do know that the same lab work was done on 9/29/20, 10/04/19, and 5/13/19 and that Medicare approved those claims for the exact same service.  So, we think the claim was simply filed incorrectly and should be refiled correctly.  Please, review this matter and help to correct it. 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

Written on 12/11/2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medicare supplement provider in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Client Complained to Congressman 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On November 29, 2023, I helped a client with a medical bill problem that was caused by Medicare.  After I helped, the client complained to his Member of Congress.  With some editing to protect the client’s privacy, here is his note to the congressman. 

 

I switched from an employer’s health insurance plan to Medicare and a Medicare supplement plan effective 10/01/22.  But Medicare failed to update my file in a timely manner. 

 

The administrator at the insurance agency that I use helped me learn what was wrong and helped me make phone calls and write letters to correct the problem. 

 

In the spring of 2023, we had a phone discussion with several Medicare representatives at both regular Medicare call centers and with the Coordination of Benefits office.  We were told that the problem would be corrected by March 4, 2023.  So, we asked the University of Chicago to refile the claims after that date.  They did and the claims were still denied because the problem was not corrected by March 4. 

 

According to Medicare representative CXXXXXXXX LXXXX, who works at a Medicare call center in Texas, my file was not updated and corrected until September 21, 2023.  So, I started on Medicare Part B and a Medicare supplement plan on 10/01/22, but my Medicare record was not updated until 09/21/23.  That is unprofessional conduct on the part of Medicare, its systems, its managers, and its employees. 

 

This kind of behavior by Medicare hurts senior citizens financially and emotionally.  Will you do anything to stop it?  You should work with Woodrow Wilcox to get more information on the many problems with Medicare that hurt seniors.  Let me know why I had to endure such bad service by Medicare. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 29, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Letter and Phone Call Mislead Immigrant 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On November 27, 2023, a client who is an immigrant from Italy brought papers to our Merrillville office to get my help with a problem. 

 

 He got a letter from an insurance agency in Texas asking him to phone them.  The letter did not clearly state who sent the letter.  He thought it was from our insurance agency.  So, he called. 

 

  The insurance agency in Texas bounced our client’s phone call around to different people and confused him further.  Then, the firm in Texas helped him apply for a Medicare Advantage policy with an insurance company that the Texas firm represented. 

 

The agent at our office spent over half an hour with this client to help him select a Medicare Advantage plan that fit his health needs and budget.  The application through the firm in Texas cancelled the work that we had done with the client. 

 

 To help this client, I copied every paper that he had that related to the problem.  Then, he and I phoned the insurance agency in Texas and the insurance company that got the application.  I explained the situation and described how the agent of the Texas agency had harmed the immigrant client financially through the deceptive tricks employed to mislead an immigrant senior citizen.  I got their attention and cooperation to correct the misleading things and cancel the application made through the insurance agency in Texas. 

 

This was a lot of work.  The client apologized to me for causing all the work that he saw me do for him.  I suggest that seniors NOT respond to letters or phone calls from insurance agents or agencies that do not have an office near their home.  Agents who live near you have a stake in serving you well.  They care about their reputation in the community and are more likely to serve you well when a problem arises.  If you do business with an insurance agent or agency in another state, how will they help you if a problem arises? 

  

 

 

 

 

Written on November 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Bad Math On Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

 On November 6, 2023, I wrote a letter to a hospital and its medical biller to complain about bad math on the bills to our client.  

 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

 Our client sent to our firm two bills from your firm for our review with dates 9/17/23 and 10/20/23.  I found some big problems with your bills.  You seek a balance of $39.02 from our client on ID # XXXXXXXX.  The bill is NOT clear about the date of service but it looks like 03/30/23. 

 

 

Your bills state that the original charge was $210, that you were paid $210 by insurance, that there is a $39.02 downward insurance adjustment, but that the patient still owes $39.02.  How does $210 minus $210 minus $39.02 equal a $39.02 balance?  Whether you are using a person or a computer to do your math, that math flunks third grade math.  How many other mistakes on other bills are you making?  Should we help our client complain about your bad math to Medicare or the consumer protection division of Indiana’s Attorney General? 

 

 I phoned the patient’s insurance company.  It reported that there is some kind of billing problem with your firm and some other rural medical firms.  That insurance company is trying to figure out the problem and solve it.  As you can see, the mathematical mistakes that your firm is doing is at least a significant cause of the problem.  Please, be patient and communicate with the secondary insurer which is Bankers Fidelity Life Insurance with the phone 866-458-7499. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 6, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Wrote Letter to Radiologists for Client 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On November 3, 2023, I wrote a letter to radiologists who were billing our client because I thought I found some errors in the bill.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

  Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $1,070 on Account # XXXXXXXX for services rendered 04/27/23.  I reviewed the bill and found what I believe are errors. 

 

  Your firm acknowledged payments from Medicare and the secondary insurer.  But you made no adjustments according to what Medicare discounted. 

 

  We have requested both the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) from Medicare and the Explanation of Benefits from the secondary insurer. 

 

 WE INSTRUCTED OUR CLIENT THAT WHEN SHE GETS THOSE ITEMS SHE MUST FORWARD OR BRING THEM TO OUR OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE THOSE ITEMS WITH YOUR BILL TO OUR CLIENT.  Getting those items will take about three weeks. 

 

  After we have compared the items, we will write to you again with details that are not available now.  So, be patient.  Our client is NOT ignoring your bill to her.  She is simply getting our help to determine the accuracy of the bill. 

 

         

 

 

 

 

Written on November 3, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agencies in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Seniors and Car Accidents 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On November 2, 2023, I wrote a letter to an insurance company to get help to fix erroneous information in a senior’s Medicare file. 

 When a senior is in a car accident and a claim for health is made, Medicare assumes that all the medical services given to that senior are related to the accident until the car insurance company notifies Medicare that the claim is settled.  I have been told that box on a Medicare claim form can be checked by a doctor or other medical service firm to clarify that the current claim is not related to an accident.  But that is usually overlooked. 

 

In this case, Medicare failed to update the senior’s record for almost ten years.  Fixing this matter is a lot of work.  It is a lot of detailed work. 

 

 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is the letter that I sent to an insurance company about a car accident and one of our clients. 

 

 Our client’s Medicare records and claims are being messed up.  Medicare claims that it never received notice from your firm that his injuries from the car accident case of October 17, 2013 were closed.  Medicare has relied on bad information in his file for almost TEN YEARS. 

 If your firm failed to file notice with Medicare that this case was closed, then I believe your firm failed its professional responsibility toward this client.  If Medicare failed to update the file of this client after receiving notice from your firm, then people at Medicare failed in their professional responsibility.   

 

 I want to know who caused the harm to this client.  Medicare still believes that your firm is primarily responsible for medical bills for him rather than Medicare.  Bills are not being paid in accordance to Medicare’s normal rules.  The widow is being hounded to pay bills that she never should have gotten. 

 

 

Did your firm file notice with Medicare in a timely manner?  If so, on what date?  What can you do and what evidence can you send to us to help us correct Medicare records in a timely manner? 

 

           

 

 

Written on November 2, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Medicare Ruled Against the Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

   On November 1, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical firm and its biller to tell them to stop billing our client.  I could insist on that because I had proof that Medicare ruled against the bill to our client. 

  With some editing to protect people’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm and its medical billing service. 

 

The family of our client finally got the correct Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) with the report about the claim that you billed to our client for services on 08/05/2023.  The MSN should have exactly the same information as what your firm got on the Medicare EOB form that was sent to you.  Look at the claim and the footnote.  Medicare ruled that your firm could not charge our client the $130 that you billed because “payment [for that service] is included in another service received on the same day.” 

 

 By billing our client $130, I believe you are violating your legal obligation to abide by Medicare’s ruling.  You could appeal the ruling.  But, as it stands now, you must not bill our client $130.  So, until you get a favorable ruling because of an appeal, stop billing our client $130. 

 

           

 

 

 Written on November 1.2023 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance providers in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Helped Son With His Mother’s Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On October 26, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical billing firm to help resolve a bill for a client who had passed away.  I was working with the son of our client to resolve a bill.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent. 

 

 The family of our late client asked me to check the bill that your firm sent to her on 09/04/23.  That bill sought a balance of $130 for services on 08/05/23.  The Invoice Number of the bill is XXXX-XXXXX. 

 

 On October 4, we contacted Medicare to request the Medicare EOB (MSN) regarding your bill.  Instead, Medicare sent claims filed during July of 2023.  We phoned Medicare again today to request the MSN.  Please, be patient to allow this. 

 

Your bill to our client shows no payments or adjustments by Medicare.  Did you file a claim with Medicare or not?  If you did, and you already have the Medicare EOB, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information for this claim directly to the secondary insurer.  Our records show that she had a policy with XXXX / X X.  Thank you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 26, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dental and Vision Insurance

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Doctors Got Paid Twice 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

The doctors of a medical firm in Porter County got paid twice for the same balance.  Their firm was paid by the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company and then the medical firm persuaded our client to pay the same balance. 

 

On October 18, 2023, I wrote a polite but firm letter that the medical firm should refund the money that our client paid.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client (and maybe others), here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm with information that he paid the bill.  He asked us to review your bill and other papers.  I did.  Your firm made a big mistake.  You owe our client some money.  Here is why. 

 You billed our client $182.24 and got him to pay you on 09/29/23 with check 2446.  But his Medicare supplement insurance company paid the same bill to your firm on August 18, 2023 and your firm cashed the payment on 08/25/23.  You had the payment from the insurance company over a month before you persuaded our client to pay the same balance after Medicare paid its portion. 

 

Here are some details.  The amount of the check was $212.78 because it was a bulk check to your firm.  It was paid by a virtual credit card with confirmation token XXXXXXXX.  It was paid through the banking system XXXXX which you can phone at 855-XXX-XXXX to get help to fix your bookkeeping. 

 

Since you were paid the balance by both the client and his insurance company, please refund our client the $182.24 that you wrongfully persuaded him to pay you. 

 

            

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 18, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

A Security Breach 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On October 13, 2023, I wrote a letter to a client to tell what I could and could not do to help him with a problem.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the client. 

 

 Today, someone brought to our office a copy of a letter that you got from XXXXXXX Health about a breach in security that could affect you. 

 

 I am not an attorney.  I cannot represent you in this matter.  The only thing that I could do is help you to file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection. 

 

  But any attorney could help you do that, too.  An attorney could help you do other things to protect your personal information that I cannot do. 

 

 I suspect that you will need to hire an information protection service like LifeLock or Legal Shield for the rest of your life.  I could help you join those, too.  But I would not be able to take any action for you beyond that. 

 

Let me know if you want my help in the matters where I can help you or if you just want to find an attorney.  I wish you well. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Michigan City Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

My Victim Letter 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 I am a victim of some faults in the Medicare system.  People who support big government want us to believe that the Medicare system is without faults.  How wrong they are. 

 For over 20 years, I have helped senior citizens who were harmed by faults in the Medicare system.  Some people who work for Medicare don’t work very hard or very professionally to avoid harm to seniors.  In my case, Medicare did not update my file at least six months.  The doctors and other medical services that helped me during that time did not have their claims processed properly.  Thus, I got bills that I should not have received.   

I have helped others with this same issue many times.  So, I knew what to do.  After I got Medicare to correct its records with an update, I wrote to the medical service providers.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to doctors and a hospital. 

 

On September 12, 2023, I learned that Medicare had not updated my file. 

I tried a Medicare Advantage plan from January 1 to February 28, 2023.  I switched back to Medicare plus a Medicare supplement plan starting March 1, 2023. 

My supplement insurance company notified Medicare about the switch on March 10, and Medicare sent a confirmation of receipt of the notification on March 15. 

BUT MEDICARE NEVER ACTUALLY UPDATED MY FILE. 

If you filed a claim for services rendered to me between March 1 and October 1, 2023, it was not processed correctly.  PLEASE, REFILE THE CLAIM. 

 

I contacted Medicare to correct the file.  Then, I contacted Medicare to make sure that the file has been corrected. 

 

I did not cause this problem.  You did not cause this problem.  The lazy, sloppy, unprofessional people at Medicare caused this problem.  Please, cooperate with me to fix this by refiling your claim.  Thank you. 

 

             

 

Written on October 12, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Complaint Worked 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On October 3, 2023, the husband of one of our elderly clients brought a letter to our Merrillville office to give me.  He thanked me for my work to save his wife (and him) from a big bill for a short ambulance ride. 

 

Previously, I had worked with the husband to file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s office of Consumer Protection.  We filed a complaint against both a hospital and an ambulance company. 

 The facts were that when the man’s wife was discharged from the hospital, he had come to get her in his van and take her the three blocks distance to go home.  But she could not move her legs to help her husband and a guard at the hospital lift her into the van.  So, someone at the hospital called for an ambulance instead of calling for a “medicar” which would have cost less. 

 The ambulance charged the elderly couple $1,689 to take her three blocks to get home.  It was NOT an emergency so Medicare would pay NOTHING.  I know the difference between an ambulance and a “medicare”.  So should every employee of a hospital that is responsible for calling for one of those two services.  If they phone the wrong service, the hospital should take responsibility for the error and pay whatever will make the patient financially whole from that error. 

 

  In this case, the ambulance company reduced the bill to $262.69 and the couple paid that.  That is about what a “medicare” service would have charged.  Really, the ambulance company did nothing wrong.  It was the hospital employee that called the wrong service to help the patient get home.  That’s why I hope the hospital will pay the ambulance company the balance of the bill that it reduced to our client. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on October 3, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agencies in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

A $4,233 Question 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 Our agent Sam Ulayyet brought me some papers to examine on September 27, 2023.  The papers were about billing charges to a client who lives at Lakes of the Four Seasons in Crown Point, Indiana. 

 

I reviewed the papers and wrote a letter to the medical firm’s billing office.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is my letter to the medical firm. 

Our client gave me some papers about a bill and charges by your firm to her.  She asked us to review the papers. 

 

I found something that seemed strange.  Your firm charged her credit card twice on 01/05/2022.  The first time was at 8:33 AM for $4,000.  The second time was at 8:41 AM for $233.  But in the Medicare Summary Notice forms from Medicare that she gave me, I could find no services from your firm that correlated with such charges.  It seemed like your firm charged $4233 on a date when no medical services were rendered. 

It might be that the patient did not deliver all the paperwork to me.  Please, help me to understand what medical services were rendered to connect with the charges on 01/05/2022 for $4,233. 

Send your response to our client.  She will then share it with me. 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare broker in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Doctors and Hospitals Hurting Seniors 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

             

 What if someone called for an ambulance for you but you did not need an ambulance?  In northwest Indiana, it could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Here are two cases that I am working to help two clients. 

 

When one of our clients left a hospital, someone at the hospital called for an ambulance.  No details about needing an ambulance were given in the claim filed with Medicare.  So, Medicare ruled that the ambulance ride was a non-emergency ride and refused to pay anything of the $1,749 one mile only ambulance ride. 

 If there was no emergency, then the hospital employee should have called for a Medicare service which would have cost only about $250.  If there was a medical reason that only an ambulance could be used to protect the life and health of our client, the hospital person should have given that information to the ambulance company to include in the filing of the claim with Medicare.  In either case, I see a hospital employee as making a big mistake.  Hospital employees who call for ambulances or Medicars for patients should know the difference and be professional enough to call the right party for transport of the patient.  If they don’t, the hospital should be sued for malfeasance. 

 

In another case, a clerk at a doctor’s office called for an ambulance for a patient.  But the patient, our client, did not feel bad and refused to go to a hospital.  The ambulance company billed our client $900 for a RESPONSE CHARGE.  She never called for an ambulance.  Why wasn’t the clerk who called for the ambulance or her employer charged for the RESPONSE CHARGE? 

 

The system now in place is a threat to everyone in Indiana if anyone can call for an ambulance and cause a RESPONSE CHARGE to be billed to someone else. 

 

 

 

Written on September 22, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance broker in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Complaint to IL Attorney General 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 15, 2023, I typed a letter for our client to sign so that we could add details to our complaint with the Illinois Attorney General against a doctor, medical firm, and medical billing firm. 

 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and other parties, here is the letter that I typed for the client. 

 

You wrote to me asking for an Explanation of Benefits from either Medicare or the secondary insurance company or both.  None is available because the medical firm never filed the claim properly. 

 

 My insurance agent’s office phoned Medicare for me to request a Medicare Summary Notice about this claim and was told there is no record of such a claim being filed.  I believe that a medical firm has 15 months from the date of service to file a claim.  After that, the claim is dead and cannot be filed or collected. 

 

 Enclosed is a copy of the bill dated 01/02/23.  Note the entries.  The total original charge is $457.  They claim to have sent the claim to various parties, but none responded.  So, it is likely that none got the claim because it was not properly filed.  The medical firm just needed to send the claim to Medicare properly and then Medicare should have crossed over the claim report to the secondary insurer.  That would be my Medicare supplement insurance company. 

 To verify that NO SUCH CLAIM WAS EVER FILED by the provider, you will need to phone Medicare and/or my secondary insurer as we did.  The release that I signed and am sending to you with the copy of an info sheet that we used to ask about this will give you what you need to check this – my Medicare ID and my insurance policy ID.  Look on the bill to get the name of the doctor, the firm that is billing, the date of service, and other info.  The phone number to Medicare is 800-XXX-XXXX and the phone number to my insurance company is 866-XXX-XXXX. 

 

 The medical billing firm did not follow the rules of Medicare originally and the medical firm is not following the rules of Medicare to file timely or kill the bill.  When I and my insurance agent’s office have tried to bring this to their attention, the medical firm and its biller have “given us the run around routine”. 

 

The bad business practice of this medical firm and its biller hurts consumers.  Please, put a stop to their bad business practices. 

 

All the help that I am giving this client is FREE OF CHARGE.  Our firm helps all clients with medical billing problems to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

 

Written on September 15, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Bad Hospital Bookkeeping 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On September 13, 2023, the husband of one of our clients brought a bill and other paperwork to me at our office in Merrillville, Indiana.  The client lives in Valparaiso, Indiana. 

 A hospital in Chicago was still billing her for a balance of $89.65 despite the fact that she already paid it.  She had copies of the bills to show the hospital ignored the payment and a copy of the cancelled check to show it had been paid.  It looked to me as thought the billing service that the hospital used (in the state of Maine) had cashed the check but not credited our client’s account.  This has happened with other medical billing firms, too.  It is why I urge Congress to regulate medical billing firms more tightly. 

 

 Lucky for my client that in 20 years of working such cases, I have built a contact list of many people who work at medical firms.  I had a contact at the hospital that sent our client the bill.  I phoned the contact and asked for a fax number to which I should send proof that the bill was already paid.  The next day, that contact phoned our office to give me the fax number. 

 

I believe that my work will get the hospital in Chicago to stop its wrongful, repeating billing of our client. 

 All the work I did to help this client was FREE OF CHARGE.   This agency helps our clients with medical bill problems without charging a cent to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our agency? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare providers in Munster Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Government Goof-ups 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On September 12, 2023, I was denied medical services at a clinic in Lake County, Indiana.  But I understood why.  I’ve been working with the Medicare system for over 20 years helping other people to fix Medicare federal foul-ups.  So, I understood the cause and knew the remedy.  Most senior citizens on Medicare would not be as mellow about it as I was. 

 

Many politicians want us to believe that the Medicare system works all the time.  It doesn’t.  Believing that a human designed and operated system will work flawlessly is unrealistic thinking.  When flaws are found, they need to be fixed right away.  If the flaws in the Medicare system are not fixed, they will continue to hurt seniors financially. 

 

During my first few years of helping our senior citizen clients with Medicare billing problems, I wrote an article in which I explained my calculations for the belief that just one reoccurring Medicare problem was costing seniors on Medicare over one billion dollars per year in false medical bills.  The problem continues to exist.  I have not been able to find any politician who wants to take the lead in fixing Medicare problems to protect senior citizens financially. 

 

In my case, Medicare was over six months late in updating my file.  All the medical claims for services during that time period will need to be refiled once Medicare records are fully updated.  I’ll need to wait ten more days before I can get medical services without another foul-up by Medicare.   

 

A few months ago, I helped a client with the same problem.  Because I helped him “kick” Medicare into updating his file, I was able to save him $34,699.79 in wrongfully calculated medical bills. 

 

 Forgive me if I don’t seem impressed by the Medicare billing system. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare providers in Munster Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Wrote and Typed the Letter 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 5, 2023, an 86-year-old client from Crown Point brought me the claim reports that I helped her order from Medicare.  After reviewing the forms, I decided that it would be better if I wrote a letter for our client to sign for sending to her doctor.  I thought that would make a stronger impression on the doctor. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I typed for her to sign.  I made copies for her and the file before I mailed the letter. 

 

Why do you employ people to file Medicare claims when they don’t know how to file claims with Medicare? 

 I just got my Medicare Summary Notice forms for the dates of service that you billed a balance to me.  Each of the items that your firm billed to me were denied by Medicare because your firm filed the claim without information to justify the medical need for that service.  The Medicare EOB that your firm got for each service should have exactly the same information that is on my Medicare Summary Notice reports. 

 

For date of service May 19, 2022, Medicare ruled that you filed two items incorrectly and that “The information provided does not support the need for this service or item.” 

 For date of service August 18, 2022, one item was rejected by Medicare for the same reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 For date of service November 17, 2022, two items were rejected by Medicare for that reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 For date of service February 1, 2023, one item was rejected by Medicare for the same reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 Your firm failed to file the claims correctly and you want me to pay the balances caused by your staff or claims contractor who failed to do the job correctly.  If your firm knew or suspected that Medicare would not cover the service, then you should have explained that to me and had me sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice form.  I don’t remember signing any such form.  You should cancel the bill because your firm’s mistakes caused the balances. 

 

All the help I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps all clients with such medical billing problems at no charge to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If the insurance agent or agency that you use does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 5, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Protected Lowell Resident From Bill Mistake 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 29, 2023, I checked a bill sent by an 87-year-old client from Lowell and wrote a letter to protect her from someone else’s mistake.  I believe my work will save her $1,057.54. 

 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to a hospital in Lake County, Indiana. 

 Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $1,057.54 on Guarantor Number XXXXXX for services rendered on January 18 and 19 of 2023. 

 

 I phoned the secondary insurance company of the client to learn what it knew.  As soon as I directed the representative’s attention to what I suspected was an incorrect handling of the claim, she understood and sent the claim to be reviewed again.  I believe that this will result in the claim being paid. 

 

 Our client did not cause the delay.  Someone at her secondary insurer made a mistake and that is being reviewed for correction.  Please, be patient. 

 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with such medical bill problems without charge to demonstrate that the owners, managers, and staff really care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an agency that does – like this one? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on August 29, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Florida Widow Fight A Mess! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 Some retired clients moved from Indiana to Florida.  After a while, the husband died and the widow had a mess on her hands.  She sent her agent papers regarding a bill for $1,600.  Her agent gave the papers to me. 

 The husband died in April 2023.  The bill was from March 2023.  The medical firm gave the bill to a collection firm only two months after the husband’s death.  I guess medical bill collection moves fast in Florida. 

 

I checked the claim with the late husband’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare never sent the claim information about the bill so that the insurance company could pay it.  That happens a lot. 

             

To help the widow, I sent a letter to the collection firm.  With some editing to protect the privacy of the widow and her late husband, here is the letter that I sent. 

  The widow (of our client) sent documents to me to review and help her with this bill for her late husband.  I checked the bill with the patient’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION TO IT.  That is a common failure of the Medicare system.  It is not the fault of the patient or the widow.  It is the fault of MEDICARE. 

 

 To fix this problem as fast as possible, either your firm or the medical firm that you represent must send to the claims department of the secondary insurer BOTH THE ORIGINAL BILLING INFORMATION AND THE MEDICARE EOB INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CLAIM.  That address follows. 

 

Medicare fails to send claim information often.  Accompanying this letter is a copy of an article that I wrote recently.  I have written over 2,000 articles about Medicare problems.  Also, I authored the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$.  Trust me.  What I am telling you to do MUST BE DONE. 

 

 Please, deal fairly with the patient and his widow.  I am working to protect them from sloppy work by Medicare. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on August 25, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Polish Woman From Highland 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On August 16, 2023, a Polish immigrant client brought a bill to our office to ask if she should pay the bill.  The client is from Highland, Indiana.  I checked it for her and wrote a letter to the biller.  With some editing to protect her privacy, here is the letter that I wrote and sent to the medical biller. 

 

 Our client brought a bill from your firm to our firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $250.18 on Account Number XXXXXXXX for services rendered on 12/27/22, 01/03/23, and 01/19/23. 

 

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of these claims.  It reported that MEDICARE NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION about these claims to it.  That is not the fault of the patient, nor her insurance company, nor your firm.  IT IS THE FAULT OF MEDICARE. 

 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that you have for these claims directly to the secondary insurer.  Here is the contact information for you. 

 

All the help I gave to this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  The Medicare system is NOT perfect.  Problems occur.  Since we know the system better than our clients, we help with billing problems without charge to demonstrate to our clients that we care about them.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to a firm that does – like this one? 

 

 

 

Written on August 16, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Want to Teach 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 I am almost 69 years old.  For over 20 years, I have helped senior citizens who are on Medicare and clients of the insurance agency where I work to fight mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  I have saved clients of this firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare medical billing systems.  I have written way over 2,000 articles about billing problems in the Medicare system. 

 

I believe that I can help more seniors by teaching what I know how to do.  I want to teach that so that when I die, the knowledge and skills that I have will not die with me. 

 

I am exploring forming some new company or non-profit through which I can teach these things. I am open to ideas about how to do this.  I want to spotlight the billing problems in the Medicare system to a national audience to build pressure for changes that will make life easier for millions of senior citizens on Medicare. 

 

If you have ideas for helping me to achieve this, or know someone who can help me to accomplish this, please contact me.  I work at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  Since Wilcox started working there in 2003, it has grown from 2,000 senior citizen clients to over 20,000 clients.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

 

Written on August 8, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental health insurance provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Problem With Foreign Call Centers 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 26, 2023, I made phone calls to various numbers of a medical billing firm with a client from Saint John, Indiana.  It was a frustrating and grueling hour plus session. 

 

Our client lives in Indiana but crossed the state line to use a medical firm in Illinois.  The firm does not want to talk to us about how it made some mistakes that caused the client’s Medicare supplement insurance firm to never get the claim to pay it.  They don’t want to follow Medicare rules.  They just want our client to pay the bill. 

 

When we phoned, we got a medical billing call center in El Salvador, Central America.  We got bounced around to three people.  The last one was Gabriella.  We talked until she wanted the Medicare number of our client.  He was on the phone and could have given me permission to state it or he could have stated it.  But I stopped that to protect our client and the privacy of his personal information. 

 

If a person in a foreign call center gets your Social Security number or your Medicare number, and passes it to someone else, how could an American prosecutor investigate the matter to find the guilty parties and prosecute them? 

 

 Every company doing business in the U.S. that uses an offshore call center is risking protected information of its customers in the U. S.  The company doing business in the U.S. is using the foreign based call center to increase its profits without regard for the safety of the protected information of people in the U.S. 

 

If the foreign based call centers were forced to relocate in the U.S., and someone did a criminal act with protected information, it would be much easier for investigators and prosecutors in the U.S. to find the criminals and bring them to justice.   

 

Many communications companies in the U.S. are related and aligned together with companies that own satellite services or other firms that promote doing business internationally.  I don’t believe that these firms or their leaders care about or even think about protecting senior citizens on Medicare or Social Security.   

 

In my view, a President or a Member of Congress that does not want to stop the use of foreign call centers (especially in medical services) is no friend to any senior citizen or anyone else who lives in the U.S.A.  The politicians that promote or protect the use of foreign call centers are enemies of everyone living in the U.S. because they support risking the privacy of people’s protected information.  That could lead to identity theft that could harm residents of the U.S. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on July 26, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Such A Deal! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 19, 2023, a client from brought a medical bill for me to check.  The client is from Porter County, Indiana. 

He bought a policy with which I was not familiar.  When he met with our agent Moe Qader, Moe asked him about what kind of health problems he was likely to have and how much he could afford.  Moe DID NOT just recommend any policy.  He learned about the client and his needs before recommending a policy. 

 

I had helped this client with medical bill problems in the past.  He told me that he brought the bill for $1,850 to have me check it before he paid any of it. With the client present, I phoned the agent Moe Qader because he was more familiar with the policy and how it worked than I was.  I wanted accurate information to help the client. 

 

The bill was correct.  The client got a policy that has deductibles, co-pays, and out of network charges.  But the bill for $1,850 was just a co-pay of $370 per day for five days in the hospital.  That was the amount he owed with the policy that he bought.   

 

If you ask me, the client made out like a bandit.  The total bill was for $135,670.80.  The credit adjustments reduced the bill by $126,749.50.  His insurance company paid $7,071.30.  He owed only $1,850.  He was in the hospital for five days. 

 

 I’m proud of Moe Qader for listening to the client and helping the client select a policy that really helped the client.  Oh, I forgot to tell you something.  The monthly premium for the health insurance policy that Moe recommended to the client was only $24 per month. 

 

We can’t always guess the best policy for the client.  But our agents are good and they do their best to make an educated guess about which choices seem to be the best for the client. 

 

 

 

  

Written on July 19, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 A Wonderful Card From A Client

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 13, 2024, I got a wonderful card from a client and his family.  Over the years, I have received many cards from clients that I helped with Medicare related medical bill problems.  Some clients did not send me a card but took me to lunch.  I appreciated every kindness extended to me.

 

            But the card that I got on February 13, 2024 had a handwritten note that was very special to me.  I want to share part of that note here.

    

 

 

Dear Woody,

 

            My family and I are deeply grateful for your compassion, service, and expertise.  You have made a tremendous positive impact on so many people, and that does not go unnoticed.  I especially appreciate your written articles by which you educate all of us about cases that you solved and the issues that you mitigated.  You taking the time and effort to share your wisdom even after a long, exhausting day of battling enormous healthcare institutions is genuinely astounding and a rare, precious gift.

 

            May God grant you excellent health, a long life, and many more decades of winning battles and touching lives.  Thank you for all that you do and, most importantly, for being who you are.

 

            This note really encouraged me.  I really appreciated it and the family that sent it to me.  I recently returned to work after being in a hospital and rehab center. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 13, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 My Letter to the Indiana Attorney General

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 12, 2024, a client from Munster visited my office in Merrillville and brought a letter that he got from an unknown and undisclosed firm that wanted him to call them.  He asked me if our insurance agency had sent it to him.  We did not.

           I read the letter and considered it sneaky and unethical.  So, I wrote a letter to the Indiana Attorney General about it.  Here is that letter.

 

 

Dear Attorney General,

            A few weeks ago, a senior citizen client of this insurance agency got a letter that did not identify who sent it.  He was confused and thought the letter was from our insurance agency.  He is our client.  Our insurance agents met with him and counseled with him to find an insurance policy that he could afford and that would meet his needs.

 

            He phoned the firm that sent the letter.  The letter was from a firm in Texas that then marketed our client to another insurance company as a lead. 

 

            We do not object to marketing and competition.  We DO OBJECT to misleading marketing that does not clearly identify who is sending something to a person (especially a senior citizen). 

 

            I wrote an article about the problems caused by the first letter.  A copy of that article is enclosed.  Today, the same senior citizen brought another similar letter to our office to check if our firm sent it.  We did not.  A copy of the letter that the client just received is enclosed.

 

            To protect Indiana senior citizens and the insurance agencies in Indiana who market ethically, please work to stop such sneaky and unethical marketing from other firms.

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by correcting medical bills.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered through book stores or online.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on February 12, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 My Letter to a Hospital CEO

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On February 9, 2024, I happened to read an article that clued me on the proper address to send a letter to the CEO of a hospital system in northwest Indiana.  So, I wrote to him to ask him to help improve his hospital to tackle some problems.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to him.

 

            I’m writing to you about three problems that reoccur.  You need to know about a problem to have a chance to fix it.  I suspect you are the kind of leader who wants to fix problems.

 

            First, I phoned your CBO to learn your address.  I dialed the number 219-XXX-XXXX.  I got a recorded message that the message box was full and then a report that the operator was not available and that I should call again.  That is NOT a professional response to anyone who has a question or problem about billing.

 

            Second, I had a good working relationship with your business representative TXXXXXXX CXXXXXXX, but have not spoken with her for some time.  I just want to give credit where credit is due.  I help the clients of our insurance agency when there is a billing question or problem.

 

            Third, there are reoccurring problems in the Medicare system.  I’d like your help to streamline responses to some of them.  One is that Medicare does not update its files in a timely manner.  Enclosed is a copy of an article by me about how that hurts patients and medical service providers.  The other major problem is that Medicare often fails to send claims information to the secondary insurer because the internet connection is lost for a moment and data is not delivered.  When I learn that happened to our client, I ask doctors and hospitals to send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that they have directly to the secondary insurer and I give the address to do so.  Please, make sure your billing people know how to do this.  It will get your firm paid faster.

 

            Thank you for your attention and assistance.

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill problem solver at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville.  He has helped clients of that firm save over three million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores and online.

 

Written on February 9, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Northwest Indiana Supplemental Medicare Agency

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

Speaking Of Seniors

 Clients Got Big Refunds

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            Sometimes, clients get insurance policies mixed up.  The agent did not make the mistake.  The client did.  That is what happened to a couple from Crown Point.  Our agency counseled them to get Medicare supplements from Bankers Fidelity Life Insurance Company.  But then, they responded to a TV ad from Humana Insurance Company for a Medicare Advantage plan.  That kicked them off the Medicare supplement plan.  For two years, they paid the premiums for a supplement plan that they could not use.

 

            When we learned of this, we helped them ask Bankers Fidelity for a refund of premiums paid while they could not use that policy.  Bankers Fidelity did not argue against a refund.  It was a very unusual case.  I had to get the facts and present them to the insurance company.  Then more calls were made to remind and prod people to do their jobs.  Finally, the refunds came.  I want to commend Bankers Fidelity for its fair treatment of our clients.  The couple got a combined refund of $13,200 according to their son.

 

            The son wrote a note to me that said, “My parents wanted to let you know they appreciated what you did to get things started.”  All the help that I gave this couple was FREE OF CHARGE.  We help couples with similar problems to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.

 

           

 

 

 

Written on February 8, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

 Gotta Follow Da Rules

 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

            On January 29, 2024, I wrote a letter to a client about following the rules to help him with his problem.  With some editing to protect his privacy, here is the letter that I wrote.  Read and learn something about the Medicare system.

 

            Your agent asked me to check a claims statement for you for Date Of Service (DOS) 10/23/23.

 

            Your agent’s records show that you had a policy with one insurance company on that date (# XXXX).  But the claims report you sent showed what appears to be a policy number that goes with a different insurance company (XXXX).

 

            For this reason, I suspect that Medicare failed to update your file to show that you don’t have one insurance company any more.  Medicare is slow regarding updates.  Enclosed is an article that I wrote on this topic.

 

            In order to fix this problem, you, or your power of attorney representative, should phone Medicare at 800-633-4227 and ask what Medicare records show as your current Medicare related policy.  If it is wrong, ask if it can be corrected on that phone call or if you need to call the Medicare coordination of benefits phone number (855-798-2627) to get it fixed.

 

            I can’t help you unless you, or your power of attorney, are on the phone with me.  Let me know what you want to do.

 

            The help that I am giving this client is FREE OF CHARGE.  This firm helps clients with such matters to demonstrate our concern for them.

 

 

 

Written on January 29, 2024 by Woodrow Wilcox.

 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

The Biggest Problem With Medicare 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 What is the biggest problem with Medicare?  My over 20 years of experience helping senior citizens fight various problems with Medicare tells me that it is the lazy, sloppy, unprofessional work of the federal government, federal employees, federal contractors, and federal contractor employees on one matter – getting things done in a timely manner. 

 

Medicare fails to process paperwork in a timely manner.  Here are three cases of that.   

 

Today (December 21, 2023), I got a bill for a client that was rejected by Medicare because its record said that he did not have the insurance policy that our agency sold him.  He did have it, but Medicare never updated its records in over half a year.  Our agency sold him a policy over a month before it became effective on 02/01/2023.  A medical firm filed a claim for service on 08/15/2023 and Medicare reported that the client did not have the policy because Medicare failed to update its records.  Medicare was over six months tardy in updating its record on the client.  This lack of timely updating costs money, time, and patience of the hospitals, doctors, insurance companies and insurance agencies to work through the problem to process the claims properly. 

 

 Medicare should be able to update new information within three business days.  If it can’t do that, why should managers and employees of Medicare and its contractors keep their jobs?  The slow way they work causes problems for seniors on Medicare and the various parties that try to serve seniors under the Medicare system. 

 

This slow work ethic of Medicare hurt another client recently, too.  Medicare failed to update his record by over six months.  When the client and I got a Medicare representative on the phone, the person admitted his record was not updated and promised it would be by a certain date.  We wrote to the medical firms about the problem and asked them to file again after that stated date.  They got told the same thing as before.  We contacted Medicare again and they told us that the file was updated but not until three months after they promised it would be updated. 

 

 

            Medicare messed up my file with it slow service, too.  My new insurance started March 1, 2023.  But Medicare did not even start to update my file until I called them on September 13, 2023 to scold them for not updating it sooner and screwing up claims that were filed since March 1, 2023. 

 

            I have helped many seniors with various Medicare bill problems in over 20 years.  But the biggest problem is getting the Medicare system and the people in the Medicare system to work in a professional and timely manner. 

 

            Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that insurance agency over three million dollars by fighting bad billing.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered from book stores and online. 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 21, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped 92-year-old Client from Saint John 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

On December 13, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical firm in northwest Indiana about a bill that it sent to a client in Saint John, Indiana. 

  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client (and others), here is the letter that I sent. 

 

 

 Our client sent to us a bill from your firm to check for her.  The bill seeks a balance of $XXXXX on Guarantor ID XXXXXX for services rendered on 4/3/23 and 10/30/23. 

 

 I checked with the client’s secondary insurer to learn what it knew of the bill.  It reported that Medicare never sent these claims to it.  That is not the fault of the patient. 

 

            To fix this problem made by Medicare as fast as possible, please send both the original claim information and the Medicare EOB information on these claims directly to the claims department of the patient’s secondary insurer at the following address. 

 

            There is another matter that I did not mention in the letter but that I will mention here.  The medical billing firm included a false message on the bill to our client.  The false message stated, “Notice: This is a bill.  Based upon information from your health plan, you owe the amount shown.” 

 

            The client’s Medicare supplement insurance plan company never got the claims from Medicare.  So, the statement on the bill is absolutely false and it was sent through the U.S. Postal Service to pressure our senior citizen client to pay a balance on a bill that was wrongfully calculated and presented to our client.  Why isn’t that considered a form of MAIL FRAUD on a senior?  Why aren’t medical firms and their billing firms prosecuted for such things? 

 

            Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered through a book store or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking of Seniors 

A Nice Note 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On December 12, 2023, a client brought a nice note to the Merrillville office with a one-page document. 

 

  The note said, “Mr. Wilcox, Thank you for all the help you gave me.  They (the insurance company) finally paid the bill.  Thanks again.” 

 

 Our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company accidentally failed to pay one claim to a local hospital for services in March 2023.  It paid all the other bills it was obligated to pay.  But it missed one. 

 

            I phoned the insurance company with our client on August 23, 2023 and got the representative to see and admit that the insurance company made a mistake in failing to pay the final $875.10 that it owed.  The representative estimated it would take 30 days to correct.  It took a little more than 60 days to correct.  On November 10, 2023, the final check was cut and the hospital was paid. 

 

            The client got help from our agency to connect with his insurance company in a positive way to prod them to notice the mistake and correct it.  We helped the client AT NO CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps all clients with medical bill problems without charging anything.  The Medicare system does not work perfectly.  It is easier for us to spot problems and solutions than our clients.  We give this help to demonstrate to our clients that we really do care for them and want to treat them fairly. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by correcting medical bill problems.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered from book stores or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 12, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agencies in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 A Reason Why Indiana Residents  Should Avoid Illinois 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

 On December 11, 2023, I learned a reason for a balance on an ambulance bill for a resident of Schererville, Indiana.  It was a policy of Medicare. 

 

  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is what I wrote to the client. 

 

  I phoned the ambulance company and got a return call. 

             

The representative was quite clear about the balance of the ambulance bill.  You owe that balance because of a policy of Medicare. 

 

 You were taken from a hospital in Chicago to a rehabilitation facility in Indiana.  Medicare said that it would not cover that distance because you could have gone to a rehabilitation facility much closer to the hospital. 

 

 This is just one more reason that for years I have been telling Indiana residents not to go to Illinois for medical services if they can avoid it.  So many things can go wrong with the billing of services when the Indiana – Illinois state line is crossed.   

 

 Don’t believe me?  Now, you have a bill for almost $400 that proves I’m correct about that. 

 

I think that the Medicare policy of not paying to transport a patient close to where the patient lives is a bad policy.  I believe that a patient is going to have an easier time healing and heal more quickly if the patient is near friends and relatives who can visit the patient to love and encourage the patient during the healing process.  Apparently, the people running Medicare don’t think like I do. 

             

 

 

 

 

Written on December 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare brokers in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Lowell Client with Medical Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On December 11, 2023, a client visited my office to get my help.  The client was from Lowell, Indiana. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is the letter that I sent to his doctor and the laboratory that took his samples. 

 

 

Our client brought to our office some paperwork today and asked for our review.  I examined your bill and the secondary insurance Explanation of Benefits.  He had no Medicare Summary Notice that pertained to your bill. 

 

 We spoke with Medicare representatives about your bill to our client.  Medicare is sending the MSN that pertains to the (laboratory) bill to our client.  Over the phone, the Medicare representatives told us that the claims were denied because the information provided in the claim DID NOT SUPPORT THE NEED FOR THE MEDICAL SERVICE.  So, (the laboratory) failed to include necessary information in the claim that was filed with Medicare.   

 

  But we don’t know if this was caused by (the doctor) failing to provide the information to (the laboratory) or if (the laboratory) simply filed the claim incorrectly.  Please, check the information provided to (the laboratory) by (the doctor) and the information included in the filing of the claim by (the laboratory). 

 

  We do know that the same lab work was done on 9/29/20, 10/04/19, and 5/13/19 and that Medicare approved those claims for the exact same service.  So, we think the claim was simply filed incorrectly and should be refiled correctly.  Please, review this matter and help to correct it. 

 

         

 

 

 

 

 

Written on 12/11/2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Medicare supplement provider in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Client Complained to Congressman 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On November 29, 2023, I helped a client with a medical bill problem that was caused by Medicare.  After I helped, the client complained to his Member of Congress.  With some editing to protect the client’s privacy, here is his note to the congressman. 

 

I switched from an employer’s health insurance plan to Medicare and a Medicare supplement plan effective 10/01/22.  But Medicare failed to update my file in a timely manner. 

 

The administrator at the insurance agency that I use helped me learn what was wrong and helped me make phone calls and write letters to correct the problem. 

 

In the spring of 2023, we had a phone discussion with several Medicare representatives at both regular Medicare call centers and with the Coordination of Benefits office.  We were told that the problem would be corrected by March 4, 2023.  So, we asked the University of Chicago to refile the claims after that date.  They did and the claims were still denied because the problem was not corrected by March 4. 

 

According to Medicare representative CXXXXXXXX LXXXX, who works at a Medicare call center in Texas, my file was not updated and corrected until September 21, 2023.  So, I started on Medicare Part B and a Medicare supplement plan on 10/01/22, but my Medicare record was not updated until 09/21/23.  That is unprofessional conduct on the part of Medicare, its systems, its managers, and its employees. 

 

This kind of behavior by Medicare hurts senior citizens financially and emotionally.  Will you do anything to stop it?  You should work with Woodrow Wilcox to get more information on the many problems with Medicare that hurt seniors.  Let me know why I had to endure such bad service by Medicare. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 29, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Letter and Phone Call Mislead Immigrant 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On November 27, 2023, a client who is an immigrant from Italy brought papers to our Merrillville office to get my help with a problem. 

 

 He got a letter from an insurance agency in Texas asking him to phone them.  The letter did not clearly state who sent the letter.  He thought it was from our insurance agency.  So, he called. 

 

  The insurance agency in Texas bounced our client’s phone call around to different people and confused him further.  Then, the firm in Texas helped him apply for a Medicare Advantage policy with an insurance company that the Texas firm represented. 

 

The agent at our office spent over half an hour with this client to help him select a Medicare Advantage plan that fit his health needs and budget.  The application through the firm in Texas cancelled the work that we had done with the client. 

 

 To help this client, I copied every paper that he had that related to the problem.  Then, he and I phoned the insurance agency in Texas and the insurance company that got the application.  I explained the situation and described how the agent of the Texas agency had harmed the immigrant client financially through the deceptive tricks employed to mislead an immigrant senior citizen.  I got their attention and cooperation to correct the misleading things and cancel the application made through the insurance agency in Texas. 

 

This was a lot of work.  The client apologized to me for causing all the work that he saw me do for him.  I suggest that seniors NOT respond to letters or phone calls from insurance agents or agencies that do not have an office near their home.  Agents who live near you have a stake in serving you well.  They care about their reputation in the community and are more likely to serve you well when a problem arises.  If you do business with an insurance agent or agency in another state, how will they help you if a problem arises? 

  

 

 

 

 

Written on November 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Bad Math On Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

 On November 6, 2023, I wrote a letter to a hospital and its medical biller to complain about bad math on the bills to our client.  

 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

 Our client sent to our firm two bills from your firm for our review with dates 9/17/23 and 10/20/23.  I found some big problems with your bills.  You seek a balance of $39.02 from our client on ID # XXXXXXXX.  The bill is NOT clear about the date of service but it looks like 03/30/23. 

 

 

Your bills state that the original charge was $210, that you were paid $210 by insurance, that there is a $39.02 downward insurance adjustment, but that the patient still owes $39.02.  How does $210 minus $210 minus $39.02 equal a $39.02 balance?  Whether you are using a person or a computer to do your math, that math flunks third grade math.  How many other mistakes on other bills are you making?  Should we help our client complain about your bad math to Medicare or the consumer protection division of Indiana’s Attorney General? 

 

 I phoned the patient’s insurance company.  It reported that there is some kind of billing problem with your firm and some other rural medical firms.  That insurance company is trying to figure out the problem and solve it.  As you can see, the mathematical mistakes that your firm is doing is at least a significant cause of the problem.  Please, be patient and communicate with the secondary insurer which is Bankers Fidelity Life Insurance with the phone 866-458-7499. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 6, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Wrote Letter to Radiologists for Client 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On November 3, 2023, I wrote a letter to radiologists who were billing our client because I thought I found some errors in the bill.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

  Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $1,070 on Account # XXXXXXXX for services rendered 04/27/23.  I reviewed the bill and found what I believe are errors. 

 

  Your firm acknowledged payments from Medicare and the secondary insurer.  But you made no adjustments according to what Medicare discounted. 

 

  We have requested both the Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) from Medicare and the Explanation of Benefits from the secondary insurer. 

 

 WE INSTRUCTED OUR CLIENT THAT WHEN SHE GETS THOSE ITEMS SHE MUST FORWARD OR BRING THEM TO OUR OFFICE SO THAT WE CAN COMPARE THOSE ITEMS WITH YOUR BILL TO OUR CLIENT.  Getting those items will take about three weeks. 

 

  After we have compared the items, we will write to you again with details that are not available now.  So, be patient.  Our client is NOT ignoring your bill to her.  She is simply getting our help to determine the accuracy of the bill. 

 

         

 

 

 

 

Written on November 3, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agencies in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Seniors and Car Accidents 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On November 2, 2023, I wrote a letter to an insurance company to get help to fix erroneous information in a senior’s Medicare file. 

 When a senior is in a car accident and a claim for health is made, Medicare assumes that all the medical services given to that senior are related to the accident until the car insurance company notifies Medicare that the claim is settled.  I have been told that box on a Medicare claim form can be checked by a doctor or other medical service firm to clarify that the current claim is not related to an accident.  But that is usually overlooked. 

 

In this case, Medicare failed to update the senior’s record for almost ten years.  Fixing this matter is a lot of work.  It is a lot of detailed work. 

 

 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is the letter that I sent to an insurance company about a car accident and one of our clients. 

 

 Our client’s Medicare records and claims are being messed up.  Medicare claims that it never received notice from your firm that his injuries from the car accident case of October 17, 2013 were closed.  Medicare has relied on bad information in his file for almost TEN YEARS. 

 If your firm failed to file notice with Medicare that this case was closed, then I believe your firm failed its professional responsibility toward this client.  If Medicare failed to update the file of this client after receiving notice from your firm, then people at Medicare failed in their professional responsibility.   

 

 I want to know who caused the harm to this client.  Medicare still believes that your firm is primarily responsible for medical bills for him rather than Medicare.  Bills are not being paid in accordance to Medicare’s normal rules.  The widow is being hounded to pay bills that she never should have gotten. 

 

 

Did your firm file notice with Medicare in a timely manner?  If so, on what date?  What can you do and what evidence can you send to us to help us correct Medicare records in a timely manner? 

 

           

 

 

Written on November 2, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Medicare Ruled Against the Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

   On November 1, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical firm and its biller to tell them to stop billing our client.  I could insist on that because I had proof that Medicare ruled against the bill to our client. 

  With some editing to protect people’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm and its medical billing service. 

 

The family of our client finally got the correct Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) with the report about the claim that you billed to our client for services on 08/05/2023.  The MSN should have exactly the same information as what your firm got on the Medicare EOB form that was sent to you.  Look at the claim and the footnote.  Medicare ruled that your firm could not charge our client the $130 that you billed because “payment [for that service] is included in another service received on the same day.” 

 

 By billing our client $130, I believe you are violating your legal obligation to abide by Medicare’s ruling.  You could appeal the ruling.  But, as it stands now, you must not bill our client $130.  So, until you get a favorable ruling because of an appeal, stop billing our client $130. 

 

           

 

 

 Written on November 1.2023 By Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance providers in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

 S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

 Helped Son With His Mother’s Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On October 26, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical billing firm to help resolve a bill for a client who had passed away.  I was working with the son of our client to resolve a bill.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent. 

 

 The family of our late client asked me to check the bill that your firm sent to her on 09/04/23.  That bill sought a balance of $130 for services on 08/05/23.  The Invoice Number of the bill is XXXX-XXXXX. 

 

 On October 4, we contacted Medicare to request the Medicare EOB (MSN) regarding your bill.  Instead, Medicare sent claims filed during July of 2023.  We phoned Medicare again today to request the MSN.  Please, be patient to allow this. 

 

Your bill to our client shows no payments or adjustments by Medicare.  Did you file a claim with Medicare or not?  If you did, and you already have the Medicare EOB, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information for this claim directly to the secondary insurer.  Our records show that she had a policy with XXXX / X X.  Thank you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 26, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dental and Vision Insurance

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Doctors Got Paid Twice 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

The doctors of a medical firm in Porter County got paid twice for the same balance.  Their firm was paid by the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company and then the medical firm persuaded our client to pay the same balance. 

 

On October 18, 2023, I wrote a polite but firm letter that the medical firm should refund the money that our client paid.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client (and maybe others), here is the letter that I wrote. 

 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm with information that he paid the bill.  He asked us to review your bill and other papers.  I did.  Your firm made a big mistake.  You owe our client some money.  Here is why. 

 You billed our client $182.24 and got him to pay you on 09/29/23 with check 2446.  But his Medicare supplement insurance company paid the same bill to your firm on August 18, 2023 and your firm cashed the payment on 08/25/23.  You had the payment from the insurance company over a month before you persuaded our client to pay the same balance after Medicare paid its portion. 

 

Here are some details.  The amount of the check was $212.78 because it was a bulk check to your firm.  It was paid by a virtual credit card with confirmation token XXXXXXXX.  It was paid through the banking system XXXXX which you can phone at 855-XXX-XXXX to get help to fix your bookkeeping. 

 

Since you were paid the balance by both the client and his insurance company, please refund our client the $182.24 that you wrongfully persuaded him to pay you. 

 

            

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 18, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

A Security Breach 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On October 13, 2023, I wrote a letter to a client to tell what I could and could not do to help him with a problem.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the client. 

 

 Today, someone brought to our office a copy of a letter that you got from XXXXXXX Health about a breach in security that could affect you. 

 

 I am not an attorney.  I cannot represent you in this matter.  The only thing that I could do is help you to file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection. 

 

  But any attorney could help you do that, too.  An attorney could help you do other things to protect your personal information that I cannot do. 

 

 I suspect that you will need to hire an information protection service like LifeLock or Legal Shield for the rest of your life.  I could help you join those, too.  But I would not be able to take any action for you beyond that. 

 

Let me know if you want my help in the matters where I can help you or if you just want to find an attorney.  I wish you well. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Michigan City Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

My Victim Letter 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 I am a victim of some faults in the Medicare system.  People who support big government want us to believe that the Medicare system is without faults.  How wrong they are. 

 For over 20 years, I have helped senior citizens who were harmed by faults in the Medicare system.  Some people who work for Medicare don’t work very hard or very professionally to avoid harm to seniors.  In my case, Medicare did not update my file at least six months.  The doctors and other medical services that helped me during that time did not have their claims processed properly.  Thus, I got bills that I should not have received.   

I have helped others with this same issue many times.  So, I knew what to do.  After I got Medicare to correct its records with an update, I wrote to the medical service providers.  With some editing to protect privacy, here is the letter that I sent to doctors and a hospital. 

 

On September 12, 2023, I learned that Medicare had not updated my file. 

I tried a Medicare Advantage plan from January 1 to February 28, 2023.  I switched back to Medicare plus a Medicare supplement plan starting March 1, 2023. 

My supplement insurance company notified Medicare about the switch on March 10, and Medicare sent a confirmation of receipt of the notification on March 15. 

BUT MEDICARE NEVER ACTUALLY UPDATED MY FILE. 

If you filed a claim for services rendered to me between March 1 and October 1, 2023, it was not processed correctly.  PLEASE, REFILE THE CLAIM. 

 

I contacted Medicare to correct the file.  Then, I contacted Medicare to make sure that the file has been corrected. 

 

I did not cause this problem.  You did not cause this problem.  The lazy, sloppy, unprofessional people at Medicare caused this problem.  Please, cooperate with me to fix this by refiling your claim.  Thank you. 

 

             

 

Written on October 12, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Complaint Worked 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On October 3, 2023, the husband of one of our elderly clients brought a letter to our Merrillville office to give me.  He thanked me for my work to save his wife (and him) from a big bill for a short ambulance ride. 

 

Previously, I had worked with the husband to file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s office of Consumer Protection.  We filed a complaint against both a hospital and an ambulance company. 

 The facts were that when the man’s wife was discharged from the hospital, he had come to get her in his van and take her the three blocks distance to go home.  But she could not move her legs to help her husband and a guard at the hospital lift her into the van.  So, someone at the hospital called for an ambulance instead of calling for a “medicar” which would have cost less. 

 The ambulance charged the elderly couple $1,689 to take her three blocks to get home.  It was NOT an emergency so Medicare would pay NOTHING.  I know the difference between an ambulance and a “medicare”.  So should every employee of a hospital that is responsible for calling for one of those two services.  If they phone the wrong service, the hospital should take responsibility for the error and pay whatever will make the patient financially whole from that error. 

 

  In this case, the ambulance company reduced the bill to $262.69 and the couple paid that.  That is about what a “medicare” service would have charged.  Really, the ambulance company did nothing wrong.  It was the hospital employee that called the wrong service to help the patient get home.  That’s why I hope the hospital will pay the ambulance company the balance of the bill that it reduced to our client. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on October 3, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agencies in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

A $4,233 Question 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 Our agent Sam Ulayyet brought me some papers to examine on September 27, 2023.  The papers were about billing charges to a client who lives at Lakes of the Four Seasons in Crown Point, Indiana. 

 

I reviewed the papers and wrote a letter to the medical firm’s billing office.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and others, here is my letter to the medical firm. 

Our client gave me some papers about a bill and charges by your firm to her.  She asked us to review the papers. 

 

I found something that seemed strange.  Your firm charged her credit card twice on 01/05/2022.  The first time was at 8:33 AM for $4,000.  The second time was at 8:41 AM for $233.  But in the Medicare Summary Notice forms from Medicare that she gave me, I could find no services from your firm that correlated with such charges.  It seemed like your firm charged $4233 on a date when no medical services were rendered. 

It might be that the patient did not deliver all the paperwork to me.  Please, help me to understand what medical services were rendered to connect with the charges on 01/05/2022 for $4,233. 

Send your response to our client.  She will then share it with me. 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare broker in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Doctors and Hospitals Hurting Seniors 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

             

 What if someone called for an ambulance for you but you did not need an ambulance?  In northwest Indiana, it could cost you hundreds or thousands of dollars.  Here are two cases that I am working to help two clients. 

 

When one of our clients left a hospital, someone at the hospital called for an ambulance.  No details about needing an ambulance were given in the claim filed with Medicare.  So, Medicare ruled that the ambulance ride was a non-emergency ride and refused to pay anything of the $1,749 one mile only ambulance ride. 

 If there was no emergency, then the hospital employee should have called for a Medicare service which would have cost only about $250.  If there was a medical reason that only an ambulance could be used to protect the life and health of our client, the hospital person should have given that information to the ambulance company to include in the filing of the claim with Medicare.  In either case, I see a hospital employee as making a big mistake.  Hospital employees who call for ambulances or Medicars for patients should know the difference and be professional enough to call the right party for transport of the patient.  If they don’t, the hospital should be sued for malfeasance. 

 

In another case, a clerk at a doctor’s office called for an ambulance for a patient.  But the patient, our client, did not feel bad and refused to go to a hospital.  The ambulance company billed our client $900 for a RESPONSE CHARGE.  She never called for an ambulance.  Why wasn’t the clerk who called for the ambulance or her employer charged for the RESPONSE CHARGE? 

 

The system now in place is a threat to everyone in Indiana if anyone can call for an ambulance and cause a RESPONSE CHARGE to be billed to someone else. 

 

 

 

Written on September 22, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance broker in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Complaint to IL Attorney General 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 15, 2023, I typed a letter for our client to sign so that we could add details to our complaint with the Illinois Attorney General against a doctor, medical firm, and medical billing firm. 

 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and other parties, here is the letter that I typed for the client. 

 

You wrote to me asking for an Explanation of Benefits from either Medicare or the secondary insurance company or both.  None is available because the medical firm never filed the claim properly. 

 

 My insurance agent’s office phoned Medicare for me to request a Medicare Summary Notice about this claim and was told there is no record of such a claim being filed.  I believe that a medical firm has 15 months from the date of service to file a claim.  After that, the claim is dead and cannot be filed or collected. 

 

 Enclosed is a copy of the bill dated 01/02/23.  Note the entries.  The total original charge is $457.  They claim to have sent the claim to various parties, but none responded.  So, it is likely that none got the claim because it was not properly filed.  The medical firm just needed to send the claim to Medicare properly and then Medicare should have crossed over the claim report to the secondary insurer.  That would be my Medicare supplement insurance company. 

 To verify that NO SUCH CLAIM WAS EVER FILED by the provider, you will need to phone Medicare and/or my secondary insurer as we did.  The release that I signed and am sending to you with the copy of an info sheet that we used to ask about this will give you what you need to check this – my Medicare ID and my insurance policy ID.  Look on the bill to get the name of the doctor, the firm that is billing, the date of service, and other info.  The phone number to Medicare is 800-XXX-XXXX and the phone number to my insurance company is 866-XXX-XXXX. 

 

 The medical billing firm did not follow the rules of Medicare originally and the medical firm is not following the rules of Medicare to file timely or kill the bill.  When I and my insurance agent’s office have tried to bring this to their attention, the medical firm and its biller have “given us the run around routine”. 

 

The bad business practice of this medical firm and its biller hurts consumers.  Please, put a stop to their bad business practices. 

 

All the help that I am giving this client is FREE OF CHARGE.  Our firm helps all clients with medical billing problems to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

 

Written on September 15, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Bad Hospital Bookkeeping 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On September 13, 2023, the husband of one of our clients brought a bill and other paperwork to me at our office in Merrillville, Indiana.  The client lives in Valparaiso, Indiana. 

 A hospital in Chicago was still billing her for a balance of $89.65 despite the fact that she already paid it.  She had copies of the bills to show the hospital ignored the payment and a copy of the cancelled check to show it had been paid.  It looked to me as thought the billing service that the hospital used (in the state of Maine) had cashed the check but not credited our client’s account.  This has happened with other medical billing firms, too.  It is why I urge Congress to regulate medical billing firms more tightly. 

 

 Lucky for my client that in 20 years of working such cases, I have built a contact list of many people who work at medical firms.  I had a contact at the hospital that sent our client the bill.  I phoned the contact and asked for a fax number to which I should send proof that the bill was already paid.  The next day, that contact phoned our office to give me the fax number. 

 

I believe that my work will get the hospital in Chicago to stop its wrongful, repeating billing of our client. 

 All the work I did to help this client was FREE OF CHARGE.   This agency helps our clients with medical bill problems without charging a cent to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our agency? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare providers in Munster Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Government Goof-ups 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On September 12, 2023, I was denied medical services at a clinic in Lake County, Indiana.  But I understood why.  I’ve been working with the Medicare system for over 20 years helping other people to fix Medicare federal foul-ups.  So, I understood the cause and knew the remedy.  Most senior citizens on Medicare would not be as mellow about it as I was. 

 

Many politicians want us to believe that the Medicare system works all the time.  It doesn’t.  Believing that a human designed and operated system will work flawlessly is unrealistic thinking.  When flaws are found, they need to be fixed right away.  If the flaws in the Medicare system are not fixed, they will continue to hurt seniors financially. 

 

During my first few years of helping our senior citizen clients with Medicare billing problems, I wrote an article in which I explained my calculations for the belief that just one reoccurring Medicare problem was costing seniors on Medicare over one billion dollars per year in false medical bills.  The problem continues to exist.  I have not been able to find any politician who wants to take the lead in fixing Medicare problems to protect senior citizens financially. 

 

In my case, Medicare was over six months late in updating my file.  All the medical claims for services during that time period will need to be refiled once Medicare records are fully updated.  I’ll need to wait ten more days before I can get medical services without another foul-up by Medicare.   

 

A few months ago, I helped a client with the same problem.  Because I helped him “kick” Medicare into updating his file, I was able to save him $34,699.79 in wrongfully calculated medical bills. 

 

 Forgive me if I don’t seem impressed by the Medicare billing system. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 13, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare providers in Munster Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Wrote and Typed the Letter 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 5, 2023, an 86-year-old client from Crown Point brought me the claim reports that I helped her order from Medicare.  After reviewing the forms, I decided that it would be better if I wrote a letter for our client to sign for sending to her doctor.  I thought that would make a stronger impression on the doctor. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I typed for her to sign.  I made copies for her and the file before I mailed the letter. 

 

Why do you employ people to file Medicare claims when they don’t know how to file claims with Medicare? 

 I just got my Medicare Summary Notice forms for the dates of service that you billed a balance to me.  Each of the items that your firm billed to me were denied by Medicare because your firm filed the claim without information to justify the medical need for that service.  The Medicare EOB that your firm got for each service should have exactly the same information that is on my Medicare Summary Notice reports. 

 

For date of service May 19, 2022, Medicare ruled that you filed two items incorrectly and that “The information provided does not support the need for this service or item.” 

 For date of service August 18, 2022, one item was rejected by Medicare for the same reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 For date of service November 17, 2022, two items were rejected by Medicare for that reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 For date of service February 1, 2023, one item was rejected by Medicare for the same reason – your firm failed to state a medical need for the service. 

 Your firm failed to file the claims correctly and you want me to pay the balances caused by your staff or claims contractor who failed to do the job correctly.  If your firm knew or suspected that Medicare would not cover the service, then you should have explained that to me and had me sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice form.  I don’t remember signing any such form.  You should cancel the bill because your firm’s mistakes caused the balances. 

 

All the help I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps all clients with such medical billing problems at no charge to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If the insurance agent or agency that you use does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on September 5, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Protected Lowell Resident From Bill Mistake 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 29, 2023, I checked a bill sent by an 87-year-old client from Lowell and wrote a letter to protect her from someone else’s mistake.  I believe my work will save her $1,057.54. 

 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to a hospital in Lake County, Indiana. 

 Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $1,057.54 on Guarantor Number XXXXXX for services rendered on January 18 and 19 of 2023. 

 

 I phoned the secondary insurance company of the client to learn what it knew.  As soon as I directed the representative’s attention to what I suspected was an incorrect handling of the claim, she understood and sent the claim to be reviewed again.  I believe that this will result in the claim being paid. 

 

 Our client did not cause the delay.  Someone at her secondary insurer made a mistake and that is being reviewed for correction.  Please, be patient. 

 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with such medical bill problems without charge to demonstrate that the owners, managers, and staff really care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an agency that does – like this one? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on August 29, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Florida Widow Fight A Mess! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 Some retired clients moved from Indiana to Florida.  After a while, the husband died and the widow had a mess on her hands.  She sent her agent papers regarding a bill for $1,600.  Her agent gave the papers to me. 

 The husband died in April 2023.  The bill was from March 2023.  The medical firm gave the bill to a collection firm only two months after the husband’s death.  I guess medical bill collection moves fast in Florida. 

 

I checked the claim with the late husband’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare never sent the claim information about the bill so that the insurance company could pay it.  That happens a lot. 

             

To help the widow, I sent a letter to the collection firm.  With some editing to protect the privacy of the widow and her late husband, here is the letter that I sent. 

  The widow (of our client) sent documents to me to review and help her with this bill for her late husband.  I checked the bill with the patient’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION TO IT.  That is a common failure of the Medicare system.  It is not the fault of the patient or the widow.  It is the fault of MEDICARE. 

 

 To fix this problem as fast as possible, either your firm or the medical firm that you represent must send to the claims department of the secondary insurer BOTH THE ORIGINAL BILLING INFORMATION AND THE MEDICARE EOB INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CLAIM.  That address follows. 

 

Medicare fails to send claim information often.  Accompanying this letter is a copy of an article that I wrote recently.  I have written over 2,000 articles about Medicare problems.  Also, I authored the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$.  Trust me.  What I am telling you to do MUST BE DONE. 

 

 Please, deal fairly with the patient and his widow.  I am working to protect them from sloppy work by Medicare. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on August 25, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Polish Woman From Highland 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On August 16, 2023, a Polish immigrant client brought a bill to our office to ask if she should pay the bill.  The client is from Highland, Indiana.  I checked it for her and wrote a letter to the biller.  With some editing to protect her privacy, here is the letter that I wrote and sent to the medical biller. 

 

 Our client brought a bill from your firm to our firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $250.18 on Account Number XXXXXXXX for services rendered on 12/27/22, 01/03/23, and 01/19/23. 

 

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of these claims.  It reported that MEDICARE NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION about these claims to it.  That is not the fault of the patient, nor her insurance company, nor your firm.  IT IS THE FAULT OF MEDICARE. 

 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that you have for these claims directly to the secondary insurer.  Here is the contact information for you. 

 

All the help I gave to this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  The Medicare system is NOT perfect.  Problems occur.  Since we know the system better than our clients, we help with billing problems without charge to demonstrate to our clients that we care about them.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to a firm that does – like this one? 

 

 

 

Written on August 16, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Want to Teach 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 I am almost 69 years old.  For over 20 years, I have helped senior citizens who are on Medicare and clients of the insurance agency where I work to fight mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  I have saved clients of this firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare medical billing systems.  I have written way over 2,000 articles about billing problems in the Medicare system. 

 

I believe that I can help more seniors by teaching what I know how to do.  I want to teach that so that when I die, the knowledge and skills that I have will not die with me. 

 

I am exploring forming some new company or non-profit through which I can teach these things. I am open to ideas about how to do this.  I want to spotlight the billing problems in the Medicare system to a national audience to build pressure for changes that will make life easier for millions of senior citizens on Medicare. 

 

If you have ideas for helping me to achieve this, or know someone who can help me to accomplish this, please contact me.  I work at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  Since Wilcox started working there in 2003, it has grown from 2,000 senior citizen clients to over 20,000 clients.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

 

Written on August 8, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental health insurance provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Problem With Foreign Call Centers 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 26, 2023, I made phone calls to various numbers of a medical billing firm with a client from Saint John, Indiana.  It was a frustrating and grueling hour plus session. 

 

Our client lives in Indiana but crossed the state line to use a medical firm in Illinois.  The firm does not want to talk to us about how it made some mistakes that caused the client’s Medicare supplement insurance firm to never get the claim to pay it.  They don’t want to follow Medicare rules.  They just want our client to pay the bill. 

 

When we phoned, we got a medical billing call center in El Salvador, Central America.  We got bounced around to three people.  The last one was Gabriella.  We talked until she wanted the Medicare number of our client.  He was on the phone and could have given me permission to state it or he could have stated it.  But I stopped that to protect our client and the privacy of his personal information. 

 

If a person in a foreign call center gets your Social Security number or your Medicare number, and passes it to someone else, how could an American prosecutor investigate the matter to find the guilty parties and prosecute them? 

 

 Every company doing business in the U.S. that uses an offshore call center is risking protected information of its customers in the U. S.  The company doing business in the U.S. is using the foreign based call center to increase its profits without regard for the safety of the protected information of people in the U.S. 

 

If the foreign based call centers were forced to relocate in the U.S., and someone did a criminal act with protected information, it would be much easier for investigators and prosecutors in the U.S. to find the criminals and bring them to justice.   

 

Many communications companies in the U.S. are related and aligned together with companies that own satellite services or other firms that promote doing business internationally.  I don’t believe that these firms or their leaders care about or even think about protecting senior citizens on Medicare or Social Security.   

 

In my view, a President or a Member of Congress that does not want to stop the use of foreign call centers (especially in medical services) is no friend to any senior citizen or anyone else who lives in the U.S.A.  The politicians that promote or protect the use of foreign call centers are enemies of everyone living in the U.S. because they support risking the privacy of people’s protected information.  That could lead to identity theft that could harm residents of the U.S. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on July 26, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Such A Deal! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 19, 2023, a client from brought a medical bill for me to check.  The client is from Porter County, Indiana. 

He bought a policy with which I was not familiar.  When he met with our agent Moe Qader, Moe asked him about what kind of health problems he was likely to have and how much he could afford.  Moe DID NOT just recommend any policy.  He learned about the client and his needs before recommending a policy. 

 

I had helped this client with medical bill problems in the past.  He told me that he brought the bill for $1,850 to have me check it before he paid any of it. With the client present, I phoned the agent Moe Qader because he was more familiar with the policy and how it worked than I was.  I wanted accurate information to help the client. 

 

The bill was correct.  The client got a policy that has deductibles, co-pays, and out of network charges.  But the bill for $1,850 was just a co-pay of $370 per day for five days in the hospital.  That was the amount he owed with the policy that he bought.   

 

If you ask me, the client made out like a bandit.  The total bill was for $135,670.80.  The credit adjustments reduced the bill by $126,749.50.  His insurance company paid $7,071.30.  He owed only $1,850.  He was in the hospital for five days. 

 

 I’m proud of Moe Qader for listening to the client and helping the client select a policy that really helped the client.  Oh, I forgot to tell you something.  The monthly premium for the health insurance policy that Moe recommended to the client was only $24 per month. 

 

We can’t always guess the best policy for the client.  But our agents are good and they do their best to make an educated guess about which choices seem to be the best for the client. 

 

 

 

  

Written on July 19, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Florida Widow Fight A Mess! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 Some retired clients moved from Indiana to Florida.  After a while, the husband died and the widow had a mess on her hands.  She sent her agent papers regarding a bill for $1,600.  Her agent gave the papers to me. 

 The husband died in April 2023.  The bill was from March 2023.  The medical firm gave the bill to a collection firm only two months after the husband’s death.  I guess medical bill collection moves fast in Florida. 

 

I checked the claim with the late husband’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare never sent the claim information about the bill so that the insurance company could pay it.  That happens a lot. 

             

To help the widow, I sent a letter to the collection firm.  With some editing to protect the privacy of the widow and her late husband, here is the letter that I sent. 

  The widow (of our client) sent documents to me to review and help her with this bill for her late husband.  I checked the bill with the patient’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that Medicare NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION TO IT.  That is a common failure of the Medicare system.  It is not the fault of the patient or the widow.  It is the fault of MEDICARE. 

 

 To fix this problem as fast as possible, either your firm or the medical firm that you represent must send to the claims department of the secondary insurer BOTH THE ORIGINAL BILLING INFORMATION AND THE MEDICARE EOB INFORMATION ABOUT THIS CLAIM.  That address follows. 

 

Medicare fails to send claim information often.  Accompanying this letter is a copy of an article that I wrote recently.  I have written over 2,000 articles about Medicare problems.  Also, I authored the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$.  Trust me.  What I am telling you to do MUST BE DONE. 

 

 Please, deal fairly with the patient and his widow.  I am working to protect them from sloppy work by Medicare. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on August 25, 2023 by Woodrow Wilco

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Polish Woman From Highland 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On August 16, 2023, a Polish immigrant client brought a bill to our office to ask if she should pay the bill.  The client is from Highland, Indiana.  I checked it for her and wrote a letter to the biller.  With some editing to protect her privacy, here is the letter that I wrote and sent to the medical biller. 

 

 Our client brought a bill from your firm to our firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $250.18 on Account Number XXXXXXXX for services rendered on 12/27/22, 01/03/23, and 01/19/23. 

 

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of these claims.  It reported that MEDICARE NEVER SENT THE CLAIM INFORMATION about these claims to it.  That is not the fault of the patient, nor her insurance company, nor your firm.  IT IS THE FAULT OF MEDICARE. 

 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that you have for these claims directly to the secondary insurer.  Here is the contact information for you. 

 

All the help I gave to this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  The Medicare system is NOT perfect.  Problems occur.  Since we know the system better than our clients, we help with billing problems without charge to demonstrate to our clients that we care about them.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to a firm that does – like this one? 

 

 

 

Written on August 16, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Want to Teach 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 I am almost 69 years old.  For over 20 years, I have helped senior citizens who are on Medicare and clients of the insurance agency where I work to fight mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  I have saved clients of this firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare medical billing systems.  I have written way over 2,000 articles about billing problems in the Medicare system. 

 

I believe that I can help more seniors by teaching what I know how to do.  I want to teach that so that when I die, the knowledge and skills that I have will not die with me. 

 

I am exploring forming some new company or non-profit through which I can teach these things. I am open to ideas about how to do this.  I want to spotlight the billing problems in the Medicare system to a national audience to build pressure for changes that will make life easier for millions of senior citizens on Medicare. 

 

If you have ideas for helping me to achieve this, or know someone who can help me to accomplish this, please contact me.  I work at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  Since Wilcox started working there in 2003, it has grown from 2,000 senior citizen clients to over 20,000 clients.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

 

Written on August 8, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental health insurance provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Problem With Foreign Call Centers 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 26, 2023, I made phone calls to various numbers of a medical billing firm with a client from Saint John, Indiana.  It was a frustrating and grueling hour plus session. 

 

Our client lives in Indiana but crossed the state line to use a medical firm in Illinois.  The firm does not want to talk to us about how it made some mistakes that caused the client’s Medicare supplement insurance firm to never get the claim to pay it.  They don’t want to follow Medicare rules.  They just want our client to pay the bill. 

 

When we phoned, we got a medical billing call center in El Salvador, Central America.  We got bounced around to three people.  The last one was Gabriella.  We talked until she wanted the Medicare number of our client.  He was on the phone and could have given me permission to state it or he could have stated it.  But I stopped that to protect our client and the privacy of his personal information. 

 

If a person in a foreign call center gets your Social Security number or your Medicare number, and passes it to someone else, how could an American prosecutor investigate the matter to find the guilty parties and prosecute them? 

 

 Every company doing business in the U.S. that uses an offshore call center is risking protected information of its customers in the U. S.  The company doing business in the U.S. is using the foreign based call center to increase its profits without regard for the safety of the protected information of people in the U.S. 

 

If the foreign based call centers were forced to relocate in the U.S., and someone did a criminal act with protected information, it would be much easier for investigators and prosecutors in the U.S. to find the criminals and bring them to justice.   

 

Many communications companies in the U.S. are related and aligned together with companies that own satellite services or other firms that promote doing business internationally.  I don’t believe that these firms or their leaders care about or even think about protecting senior citizens on Medicare or Social Security.   

 

In my view, a President or a Member of Congress that does not want to stop the use of foreign call centers (especially in medical services) is no friend to any senior citizen or anyone else who lives in the U.S.A.  The politicians that promote or protect the use of foreign call centers are enemies of everyone living in the U.S. because they support risking the privacy of people’s protected information.  That could lead to identity theft that could harm residents of the U.S. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on July 26, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Northwest Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Such A Deal! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 19, 2023, a client from brought a medical bill for me to check.  The client is from Porter County, Indiana. 

He bought a policy with which I was not familiar.  When he met with our agent Moe Qader, Moe asked him about what kind of health problems he was likely to have and how much he could afford.  Moe DID NOT just recommend any policy.  He learned about the client and his needs before recommending a policy. 

 

I had helped this client with medical bill problems in the past.  He told me that he brought the bill for $1,850 to have me check it before he paid any of it. With the client present, I phoned the agent Moe Qader because he was more familiar with the policy and how it worked than I was.  I wanted accurate information to help the client. 

 

The bill was correct.  The client got a policy that has deductibles, co-pays, and out of network charges.  But the bill for $1,850 was just a co-pay of $370 per day for five days in the hospital.  That was the amount he owed with the policy that he bought.   

 

If you ask me, the client made out like a bandit.  The total bill was for $135,670.80.  The credit adjustments reduced the bill by $126,749.50.  His insurance company paid $7,071.30.  He owed only $1,850.  He was in the hospital for five days. 

 

 I’m proud of Moe Qader for listening to the client and helping the client select a policy that really helped the client.  Oh, I forgot to tell you something.  The monthly premium for the health insurance policy that Moe recommended to the client was only $24 per month. 

 

We can’t always guess the best policy for the client.  But our agents are good and they do their best to make an educated guess about which choices seem to be the best for the client. 

 

 

 

  

Written on July 19, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

I Did It! 

 I Lost 40 lbs. in 2 Months! 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

            Many seniors struggle with keeping a healthy weight.  I was and am one of them.  If we can keep our weight down, we would be healthier and spend less money on medicines. 

 

            I had a special problem with my digestion.  My gall bladder was removed when I was 19 because I had gall stones.  Since then, I learned that many other doctors around the world simply advise their patients with gall stones to drink Epsom salt with warm water because that usually dissolves the gall stones.  I was treated the expensive and dangerous American way rather than the cheaper and safer international way.  The expensive American way leads to digestive problems and a tendency to gain weight. 

 

            I searched and searched the internet for ideas to help me lose weight.  On June 11, I weighed 253.6 lbs.  On August 11, I weighed 213.2 lbs.  I lost 40 lbs. in two months.  How did I do it?   

 

I combined keto diet, intermittent fasting, and mild exercise with 2 lb. dumbbells.  That was it.  Once I got advice on fixing my digestive problem by doing things many people don’t need to do, I started losing weight.  I plan to continue until I get back to my active duty “Army Reserve” weight of between 180 and 190 lbs. 

 

            Here are the people with videos on the internet that really helped me: (1) T. C. Hale (a health coach), (2) Dr. Mindy Pelz, (3) Dr. “Boz” (Annette Bosworth).  The videos of these three people helped me the most.  But I got good information from others, too.  Here are some honorable mentions: Dr. Jason Fung, Dr. Steven Grundy, Dr. Eric Berg, Dr. Mandell, health coach Thomas DeLauer, Dr. Frank O’Neill, Ken D. Berry MD, The Nerve Doctors, and the Buchinger Wilhelmi Clinic (Germany and Spain) studies on fasting. 

 

            The only thing that I suggest here is that any senior or younger person who wants to lose weight should start searching for a solution by checking the videos of the people who helped me.  I wish you good health. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in medical billing.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores and online. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on August 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Doctor Tried To Help 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 Recently, a nice doctor tried to help one of our clients by writing a letter to Medicare.  One of our staff helped the client file an appeal with Medicare over a denied medical service.  The staffer did not consult me first.  It was a nice gesture but a waste of time. 

 

Our client was charged $900 by an ambulance company because her sister called for help.  The ambulance responded but did not take anyone to a hospital.  The $900 RESPONSE CHARGE is new.  It started mid-year in 2022. 

 

It used to be that an ambulance company would agree to respond to calls for help that did not result in taking someone to a hospital without charging anyone in order to win an ambulance service contract with a town or city.  But ambulance companies lobbied for a change in law to allow them to charge. 

 

In the case of one client, the doctor sent a brief letter to Medicare to ask that the ambulance service not charge the patient the $900 fee.  I can’t tell you the name of the client or the doctor.  But I can tell you what was in the doctor’s letter.  So, with some editing to protect the privacy of the patient and the doctor, here is the letter from the doctor to Medicare. 

 

 The patient is under my care for advanced cancer.  She suffered a fall at home due to weakness and malaise associated with her cancer and overall general health.  She was unable to lift herself from the ground.  Her sister who was present and of advanced age was unable to get her from the floor as well.  In light of the situation, with no other alternatives, the patient’s sister called 911 for assistance.   (Ambulance company) came, assessed the patient, and were able to assist her from the floor.  She fortunately did not sustain any injury.  She received a bill in the amount of $900 for ambulance services which included treatment but no transport.  Medicare no longer pays for ambulance service and treatment when no transport is involved.  Please, reconsider the circumstances of this patient’s weakness due to her advanced cancer. 

 

Since the law was changed, a lot of senior or disabled people who needed help have been billed $900 by ambulance firms.  I want to know how the law changed and who voted for that change. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on July 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

The Bill Was Paid Months Ago 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 14, 2023, I wrote a letter to a local hospital for an 82 yea old client from Crown Point, Indiana.  The hospital was sending her a bill despite the fact that her insurance company had paid the bill months ago. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent the hospital. 

 Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $1,590.62 on Account Number XXXXXXXX for services rendered from 01/17/2023 through 01/25/2023. 

 

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  The representative reported that the insurance company paid this bill months ago using the XXXXXXXX banking system.  You can phone XXXXXXXX at 877-XXX-XXXX to get help if you are unfamiliar with getting your money this way.  If you need additional help, phone United American Ins. Co. at 800-XXX-XXXX. 

 

 Please, do this so that you can mark this file as paid.  Thank you. 

 

            

Written on July 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agencies in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Caught Bad Billing Company 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On July 11, 2023, I investigated a medical bill sent to a client who lives in Valparaiso.  I caught a bad billing company.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm, its billing service, and to a collection firm for our client. 

 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from XX XXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXXXXXX Associates and a bill from XXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX Center and asked us to check these letters for whether or not they are legitimate.  I did check them.  They are not legitimate bills. 

 

 Our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company paid the balance of $XXXXX by sending the payment on 12/31/2022 and the payment was cashed on 01/05/2023.  All the billing statements forwarded by the client were made well after the date that the insurance company paid the bill.  The payment was by EFT with the transaction number XXXXXXXXXX.  The Claim Number was XXXXXXXXXX.  It was done through the XXXX banking system.  The phone number of XXXX is 855-XXX-XXXX. 

 

 You got paid on 01/5/2023 but billed our client on both 02/16/2023 and 04/03/2023.  Then, you sent the bill to a collection firm that sent a bill.  In addition to that incompetence, the billing firm with the phone number 866-XXX-XXXX made me wait so long when I phoned that I ended the call to stop wasting time.  I was calling to confirm an address for sending this letter and learn if there was a person to whom I should send it to the attention to handle. 

 

You got the money but never credited it to our client.  You have a problem.  You should find that money and credit it to our client’s account immediately.  If you have sent bad info to a credit reporting service, recall and remove the false information immediately.  Send a letter to our client to apologize for your ineptitude.  If you don’t fix this problem, we will help our client file complaint(s) against your firm with appropriate state and/or federal offices. 

 

           

 

 

 

Written on July 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance providers in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Complained to Plastic Surgeon 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

  On July 7, 2023, I wrote a letter for a client to his plastic surgeon.  The client is from Valparaiso, Indiana. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the plastic surgeon. 

 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $605.18 on Account Number XXXXX for services rendered on 05/18/22. 

 I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  It reported that it never got such a claim.  I phoned Medicare and spoke to Medicare representative Ophelia S. at a Medicare phone center in Florida.  She reported that there were NO CLAIMS filed for our client in the month of May 2022. 

 

 Did you forget to file this claim with Medicare?  If you did file it, send a copy of the Medicare EOB to our client so that we can help him get a Medicare Summary Notice to check this claim.  If you did not file the claim with Medicare, check the rules.  I believe you will find that you had just one year to file the claim with Medicare.  I believe that if you did not file the claim with Medicare within one year of the date of service, YOU MUST NOT BILL THE PATIENT FOR THE BALANCE. 

 

 If you can be paid under this claim lawfully, we want to help with that.  If you cannot be paid lawfully under Medicare rules, we want you to cooperate and cancel this bill to our client. 

 

 

 

Written on July 7, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Beware of Sales Phone Calls 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On Thursday, June 29, 2023, I spent almost two hours with a client who had been misled by a sales phone call by an insurance company licensed in Indiana.  The client was an immigrant who was intelligent and spoke English pretty well.  But he did not know who the salesman was or what questions to ask to avoid being tricked and harmed financially. 

 

He was our client at the beginning of 2023.  Last fall, he met with one of our agents at our main office.  Our agent listened to his explanation of his medical needs and recommended a policy that fit those needs.  He was happy with the policy.  He got the medical services that he needed with that policy. 

 

When the client got a phone call from an unknown insurance agent, the client told him that he was happy with his policy because he was able to use it for the medical services that he needed.  The salesman on the phone promised that what he was offering to our client did all that and cost less.  So, the client agreed to try it. 

 

But the new policy could not be used at the medical firms where he needed medical treatments.  He tried several ways to get the new policy to work.  But it simply would not cover his needs as did the policy that our agent recommended. 

 

 We were disappointed.  We asked him why he did not consult us before making any switch.  We would have advised him that he could not legally switch to a different policy until the fall open enrollment period unless there was a special exception to that rule. 

 

We helped the man file a complaint with both Medicare and the Indiana Department of Insurance.  The Medicare representative with whom we worked told us that he believed our client would have his old policy that we recommended back in about ten days. 

 

Here is my word of caution.  Always deal with a local insurance agent for your health insurance needs.  This is especially true with Medicare related insurance.  If there ever is a problem, you can call or visit the local insurance agent for help to fix a problem.   

 

Some insurance companies are trying to save money by hiring inexperienced agents who just got their license to work a “boiler room” insurance sales department.  If you ever have a problem with their insurance, how will you contact someone who knows you and cares about you and your problem?  Don’t do business with a “boiler room” agent.  Do business with a local agent who cares about you and his reputation in your community. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on June 30, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare brokers in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Now She Understands 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

A woman who was not our client phoned me.  Her friend was one of our clients.  That friend told the woman how I had helped the friend a few years ago with a medical bill problem. 

The woman had signed up for a Medicare Advantage plan at a public library where some insurance agent held a seminar.  Apparently, Medicare Advantage was not explained well by the other agent.  The woman was surprised to get a bill for $2,205.  She wanted to meet with me. 

I can help people who are our clients.  I arranged for her to meet one of our agents.  The agent and the manager approved my helping the woman. 

Since our agency did not sell the policy to her, all I could do was help her phone her insurance company to learn why she got a big bill. 

 

Medicare Advantage policies work differently than Medicare supplement policies.  This should be emphasized by any insurance agent.  Without a clear explanation, that is repeated a few times, I find that most seniors get confused by the differences. 

Medicare supplement claims are filed with the federal Medicare system. 

Medicare Advantage claims are filed with the company that sold the policy.  There are many more co-pays, deductibles, and non-network charges in Medicare Advantage, too. 

 The client learned that her policy had a clause that made her pay $315 each day for the first seven days that she was in a hospital.  That is how she got the bill for $2,205.  Now, she understands. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on June 28, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

We Try To Help 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On June 27, 2023, I wrote a letter to a 75-year-old client in Crown Point, Indiana.  In the letter, I explained that our firm is not responsible for filing claims.  I am not trained to even check on claims under Medicare Advantage.  But we care about our clients and I am willing to try to help him. 

With some editing to protect our client’s privacy, following is the letter that I sent him.  Notice that the problem is with a Medicare Advantage plan and NOT a Medicare supplement plan. 

 

Your agent Sam gave me some paperwork about your problem. 

You have a Medicare Advantage plan.  You bought eye glasses at a store and paid for them.  You want reimbursement from the Medicare Advantage insurance company. 

 

On June 2, your agent did what you asked him to do.  He emailed a copy of the receipt for the glasses with a request for reimbursement to you.  He got no response from your Medicare Advantage insurance company. 

 I have no training or experience is such a problem as yours.  If you want to make an appointment with me at my office, I would call your insurance company with you to explore how you can be helped.  If that does not accomplish something, I know I could help you to file a complaint against your insurance company with a government office of the State of Indiana. 

 Let me know if you want my help or prefer to work on the problem without me. 

 

 

 

Written on June 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

When You Need To Speak For Someone 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

This past week, I helped a client in a nursing home and her family.  It is difficult to reach the woman at the nursing home by phone with a clear phone line to connect for a three-way call with Medicare to discuss a medical bill problem. 

 So, with her husband present in my office, I phoned Medicare and asked what form I needed to get permission for her husband to legally speak for her.  The Medicare representative coached me to the internet site where I could find and print the AUTHORIZATION TO DISCLOSE PERSONAL HEALTH INFORMATION FORM. 

 I printed that and helped prepare it for the signature of the client in the nursing home.  She is giving both her husband and one of her sons permission to speak for her and resolve medical bill problems.  The form needs to be sent to a Medicare office in Kansas to be processed and entered into the Medicare system.  All this takes weeks of time to get the permission in place before I can help the husband or son to resolve medical bill problems for the woman. 

 I would suggest that someone on Medicare give written permission for a trusted relative or friend to discuss medical bill issues with Medicare before an emergency problem arises.  Without such permission on file with Medicare, Medicare can speak only with the patient under federal health information privacy laws.  Of course, if the patient talks with a Medicare representative in a phone call and gives permission to someone else in that phone call, then another person can help.   

 Whenever a client is in my office and we call Medicare, I introduce the client, identify who I am and that I seek only temporary permission to speak and question on behalf of the patient, and then let the Medicare representative ask the questions that the patient needs to answer before I can help the patient in the phone call. 

 

           

 

 

Written on June 22, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

Chesterton Client Forgot What He Bought 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On June 8, 2023, I checked a medical bill sent by a client from Chesterton, Indiana.  With some editing to protect his privacy, here is the letter that I sent to him. 

 I checked on this bill for you.  Did you have a Plan F Medicare supplement insurance policy and then switch to a Plan G Medicare supplement policy?  If you did, that would be the reason that you were surprised by this bill.  A Plan G Medicare supplement insurance policy DOES NOT PAY the Medicare Part B annual deductible. 

 Medicare reviewed this bill and ruled that $209.36 was part of the $226 that you must pay as part of your Medicare Part B annual deductible.  This year, $226 is the amount of your Medicare Part B annual deductible.  This means that after the first $226 in this year of Medicare approved Part B claims, then Medicare and your insurance policy will pay 100% of Medicare approved Part B claims for the rest of the year. 

 Your insurance company did not refuse to pay something that it owed.  Under a Plan G policy, you agreed to be responsible for the first $226 of Medicare approved Part B claims for this year.  So, this bill is your bill and you should pay it. 

 If you have any other questions, ask the agent that helped you select this policy.  I am not an agent. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on June 8, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental insurance company in Valparaiso, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S.O.S. Speaking Of Seniors 

 Hospital Sent Letter To St. John Client 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On June 7, 2023, one of our clients from St. John delivered to me a letter from a local hospital.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the important information from the hospital letter. 

 We are writing to advise you that we received correspondence from Mr. Woodrow Wilcox on your behalf.  In his correspondence, he advised that your secondary insurance New Era did not receive a claim for services rendered on 02/5/2023 – 02/06/2023.  We sent to our billing team for review, and it was confirmed that a claim was not sent to New Era.  We want to advise that we sent a claim to New Era on 05/30/2023 and is in processing.  Please allow 30-45 days for your insurance to process the claim. 

 

If I had not stepped into the matter with a letter to the hospital, the hospital would have continued to badger our client for payment despite the fact that her Medicare supplement insurance company NEVER GOT THE CLAIM INFORMATION FROM MEDICARER SO THAT IT COULD PROCESS AND PAY THE CLAIM.   

 

The problem was not caused by our client, nor by the hospital, nor by the insurance company.  IT WAS CAUSED BY MEDICARE AND ITS PEOPLE AND SYSTEMS NOT WORKING PROPERLY.  This problem happens all over the country, hundreds or thousands of times each day.  That is why I encourage insurance agents, elder law attorneys, and worship leaders who want to help seniors to get my book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$. 

 

I’ve been helping seniors who use this insurance agency for over 20 years.  I have saved our clients over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  If you really care about helping seniors, get my book. 

 

                                                

 

 

Written on June 7, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental insurance providers in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

Checked Bill for Dyer Client 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On May 23, 2023, I checked a medical bill that a client forwarded to me. 

The client is a senior citizen from Dyer, Indiana. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the client after checking the medical bill for her. 

 You sent a medical bill to our firm to be checked.  It was given to me. 

 I phoned your Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill. 

 It reported that it paid this bill.  It sent a check to the medical firm on April 30, 2023.  That check was cashed on May 9, 2023.  The check number is XXXXXXXX.  The date on the bill that was sent to you is April 27, 2023.  So, it appears that this bill was paid by your insurance company only a few days after this bill was mailed to you.  

 Thank you for allowing us to help you with your insurance needs. 

 

          

 

 

Written on May 23, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental insurance company in Valparaiso, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Doctors’ Billing Firm Sent False Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On May 15 and 16 I investigated a bill that a client got from the billing firm of some doctors.  The client is from Munster, Indiana.  On May 15, I read the first papers that the client gave me.  I asked her for more papers if she had any.  I made phone calls to her insurance company to get some information about the bill. 

 On May 16, the client dropped some more papers at our Munster office.  The staff there forwarded the papers to me.  I phoned the billing company with our client on the phone to confirm that I had her permission to speak and question for her. 

 I learned that the bill was false.  The client’s insurance company sent a check with the payment in full over seven weeks earlier.  I had a few choice words for the billing company.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the doctors’ billing company. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $XXX on Account Number XXXXXXXXX for services rendered on 02/22/2023. 

 I checked with the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of this matter.  It reported that your bill is false – bogus.  It reported that it sent you full payment of this bill on 03/21/2023.  The check number of the payment is XXX XXX XX.  You should have received the payment by 03/28/2023.  So, you should have received the payment more than six weeks ago.  Are you six weeks late in entering payments in your accounting system?  Please, phone the check clearing firm XXXXX at 877-XXX-XXXX and ask them to help you find the money.  But stop billing our client to pay a bill that her insurance company already paid. 

 

 

 

                                                                       

 

 

 

Written on May 16, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

One Client, Two Letters, Ten addresses 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On May 15, 2023, I started working at my desk with a small pile of cases.  The first one took most of my time.  One client got three bills and a letter from a collection law firm.  If the Medicare system worked well, the client would not have received any of these letters. Two of the bills were from a local hospital.  One letter was from a local law firm to warn of a possible collection action for these hospital bills.  One letter was from another medical firm seeking payment for overdue bills. The total number of claims reported on these bills was seven.  Medicare sent only one of these seven claims to our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  Medicare lost or forgot the other six claims which totaled $5,007.71.  That is a lot of money to most seniors on retirement income. Seniors all over our country get hurt financially like this when Medicare fails to do what it is supposed to do and no one helps the senior fix the mess that Medicare made. 

 I wrote a letter to the hospital and another letter to the other medical firm.  But I sent each letter to two people and two addresses at each medical firm (in case one person left the medical firm).  Also, I sent a copy to the law firm, our client, and the agent at our firm who is connected with our client.  In each letter, I gave specific facts about what went wrong and what must be done to fix the problem and help the medical firms get paid.  It is a lot of work that I would not need to do if the Medicare system worked flawlessly.  But it does not.  Helping seniors fight mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system has kept me employed for over 20 years. 

 

 

Written on May 15, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

Supplemental Medicare agency in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Saved La Porte Client $138 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On May 11, 2023, I got a phone call from the wife of a client in La Porte that I had been helping.  She called to tell me some good news.  The medical firm that had been billing our client $138 phoned her to tell her that the bill would be dropped. I had been helping the client because he got that bill for $138.  The client’s wife told me that the medical firm discovered that they had a computer problem.  Maybe the medical firm “discovered” the computer problem after I helped the client to question the accuracy of the bill. 

 There were other problems with the bill, too.  When I checked things, I believed that either the medical firm or Medicare or both had made errors in processing the claim.  But since the medical firm admitted their computer problem and agreed to drop the bill, my work of helping this client this time is ended.   This insurance agency helps all our clients with such medical bill problems at no charge.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

Written on May 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Warned Biller to Fix Its Bad Math  

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On May 11, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical biller to fix its bad math on a bill to a client from Griffith, Indiana.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical biller. 

 Dear Representative, 

 Someone at your firm made a big mistake on a bill sent to our client.  Please, cooperate to fix your mistake.  Here is the mistake. 

Your bill to our client is dated 05/12/23 and seeks a balance of $596.08 on Account Number XXXXXXXXX for services rendered 01/30/2023.  The original amount of the claim was $664.  Medicare approved only $67.92.  The secondary insurance company paid your firm $67.92.  Our client owed you NOTHING. But your firm billed her for $596.08.  All you did was subtract the $67.92 payment from the original billed amount of $664 instead of subtracting the $67.92 payment from the maximum that Medicare ruled you could charge — $67.92.  Your math is all wrong. 

 The client received a Medicare Summary Notice with these figures.  The Medicare Explanation of Benefits that your firm got has exactly the same information.  I am referring to Claim # 18-XXXXX-XXX-XXX.  Please, fix your mistake promptly so that we do not need to file a complaint against your firm with a government agency for failing to follow Medicare rules. 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

Written on May 11, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Steger Client Messed His Medical Bills 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On March 27, 2023, I learned how a client from Steger messed his own medical bills because he acted without consulting his insurance agent.  The client might have to pay more money because he goofed up Medicare records. The client bought a very good Medicare supplement policy through our agency.  In fact, he bought the best kind of Medicare supplement policy – a Plan F which pays for any medical service that Medicare approves but does not pay entirely. Then, he went online and bought a Medicare Advantage plan.  That automatically killed his wonderful Medicare supplement policy because Medicare stopped paying for medical services.  Instead, the Medicare Advantage plan took the claims and started paying only a portion of medical bills.  Under the Medicare Advantage plan, the client was required to pay co-pays, deductibles, and other fees when he got medical services.  

In the Medicare system, Medicare Advantage plans cancel the flow of medical claims information to Medicare supplement plans.  He wanted extra help with medical bills.  Instead, he got less help because he did not know what he was doing and he did not consult his insurance agent who works at our firm.  If he had, our agent would have cautioned him not to buy a Medicare Advantage plan. Because he bought a Medicare Advantage plan, his Medicare supplement plan will not be required to pay on any medical bills since he started the Medicare Advantage plan. 

  Here is a word of caution.  Before you sign for any Medicare related medical insurance plan, consult an insurance agent near you.  Medicare related insurance plans are complicated.  They don’t all work the same way.  The medications that you use or your health history can make different insurance plans treat you differently or cost more money.  In this case, our client hurt himself financially.  Don’t do the same to yourself. 

 

 

                                                 

 

Written on March 27, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Medicare Prescription Drug Plans - Medicare Part D

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

My Letter to the Griffith Town Council 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

   On March 24, 2023, I wrote a letter to the Town Council of Griffith, Indiana.  The same problem could have happened many other places.  Here is the letter. A few months ago, ambulance services started charging a response fee of $900 per ambulance call that did not require immediate transport to a hospital. 

  Ambulance firms lobbied for a change in the law to compensate them when they did not have to transport someone to a hospital.  These firms claimed that they were losing money on such calls.  They joined together to lobby for the $900 response charge. 

 Yesterday, I got a call from one of our clients who lives in Griffith.  She called for an ambulance when she fell and could not get back on her feet.  She has Parkinson’s Disease.  She got a bill for $900 from a local ambulance company.  Some companies will negotiate the fee down.  Some will not. 

If you gave a contract to an ambulance company, its leaders knew about such calls when they asked for the contract.  They did not complain about such calls then.  They thought that responding to all calls would be profitable enough to ask you to let them serve your town.  You gave them permission and then they joined with other ambulance firms to lobby for the $900 response charge. 

 if you can make an ordinance or rule that ambulance companies cannot charge $900 for a no run to the hospital call, it would be a great service to your residents who are already handicapped or elderly.  Perhaps a rule limiting the $900 response charge to only $200 or so to keep the contract to serve your community could be accomplished.  I don’t know the details of the lobby efforts of the ambulance companies.  I just know that the $900 amount is hurting senior citizens that our agency serves.  If you care about your town’s senior citizens, please explore how to help solve this problem.  Thank you. 

 My letter was sent to help our client and any other senior citizens in Griffith even if they were not clients of the insurance agency where I work. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

                                                        

 

 

Written on March 24, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental insurance agency in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Too Complicated for Most Seniors 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 A client brought medical bill papers to our Schererville office in the shopping center at the northeast corner of U.S. 30 and U.S. 41.  That office copied the papers and sent them to me.  I reviewed the papers and immediately knew it would be a complicated case.  I phoned the client to come to my office to work with me.  I needed the client with me to give permission for me to speak and question for the client on every phone call to comply with federal privacy protection law.  The bill and Medicare Summary Notice about the bill showed me that the client’s Medicare file was fouled with false information.  The bill was for $975 because Medicare refused to pay anything on it.  Until the Medicare file got fixed, our client would continue to get bills like this that Medicare should but wouldn’t cover. 

 We phoned two offices of Medicare to try to fix the problem.  But we had to phone an insurance company and a chiropractor’s office to pursue fixing the Medicare record.  The problem was that the insurance company never told Medicare that our client had finished treatment for a car accident in 2021.  When our client got treatment in 2023, Medicare refused to pay anything because it thought that the car accident matter never had been settled.  The insurance company never got a final report from the doctor so that it could close its file and notify Medicare to end the car insurance matter.  I know what happened.  The insurance company sent money to our client instead of directly to the chiropractor.  The chiropractor’s office did not know that it was supposed to notify the insurance company of the ending of treatment of our client. This system is too complicated for most seniors to work to fix.  In addition to this, our client was a little “hard of hearing”.  How is a senior on Medicare supposed to know how to fix a “bad info in Medicare file” matter?  Fortunately for her, she got her Medicare supplement policy through our agency and I am helping her. 

 

 

Written on March 22, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Hospital Already Got Paid 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On March 14, 2023, I checked a medical bill that a client got from a hospital in Chicago.  Our client is from Dyer, Indiana.  The hospital already got paid by our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company over a month ago.  But the hospital in Chicago was still billing our client for the same amount that our client’s insurance company had paid. 

 So, I sent a letter to the hospital and its medical billing firm.  I recited the facts that we could prove to show that they were billing a senior citizen for the same amount that her insurance company already paid.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the hospital and its billing firm. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The account number with (the billing firm) is with the address for (the billing firm).  I phoned the client’s secondary insurer.  That firm reported that it paid (the hospital) the balance of $1,556 on January 31, 2023.  The check number is XXXXXXX.  The claim number is XXXXXXXX.  It was sent through the (banking firm) which can be phoned at 877-XXX-XXXX to verify payment. Please, correct your billing records and stop billing our client for an amount that her insurance company already paid to you. 

 

            

 

 

Written on March 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Merrillville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Lowell Client Forgot 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On February 21, 2023, I got a bill from a client in Lowell, Indiana.  It was on my desk when I arrived at the office. The client was getting a bill for $147.19 from a medical firm.  The client did not know why she was getting the bill.  I checked it for her.With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to her after I checked the bill to make sure it was legitimate and accurate. You sent us a bill from (the medical firm) and asked us to check it. The bill seeks $147.19.  It is your bill.  You should pay it.  Here is why. You bought a Plan G Medicare supplement policy.  Plan G policies DO NOT pay the Medicare Part B annual deductible.  This year, that figure is $226. The bill for $147.19 was for date of service 1/13/23.  Another bill for date of service 01/04/23 was $78.81.  Those two bills add to exactly $226.  You are responsible for paying these bills because Medicare counted them to add to your Medicare Part B annual deductible. 

Thank you for allowing us to help you with your insurance needs.  If you have any questions, please contact your insurance agent. 

Checking on medical bills that our clients question is one of the things that I do for our clients.  The Medicare system is not perfect and it is not run by people who are perfect.  When a medical bill needs to be checked for a client, we do that without charge.  It is one way that we demonstrate that we really care for our clients.  If your insurance agent does not give the same high standard of help to clients, why not switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

 

                                                            

 

Written on February 21, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Saved Client $9,626  

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On February 17, 2023, a client came to our office in Merrillville, Indiana.  He brought a bill from a hospital in Chicago for $9,626.  I made copies of the papers and went to my office to start checking it.  Then, I asked the client to join me in my office so that we could make phone calls together. 

 First, we phoned his Medicare supplement insurance company.  I told them about the bill and asked if they got the bill or not.  They had not received any claim for the client this year yet.  Then, we phoned the hospital in Chicago together.  In that call, I learned what the problem was.  The hospital filed the claim with Medicare and the client’s old insurance company.  I corrected them and worked with them to change their files so that the claim could be filed correctly. It was a simple error that was probably caused by someone at the hospital being rushed or not paying attention.  Getting the client’s file with the hospital will allow the hospital to file the claim correctly.  Once the claim gets to Medicare and the correct insurance company, our client should have little or nothing to pay on the bill. 

 

           

 

 

Written on February 17, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

STOPPED FALSE BILL TO PORTAGE SENIOR 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On February 16, 2023, I investigated a bill that was sent to a client in Portage, Indiana.  The bill was false. The medical billing firm tried to get the senior citizen to pay the balance AFTER the insurance company of the senior had already paid the balance to the medical firm.  This happens more often than you might think.  If no one helps the senior who get such a false bill, the senior ends up paying the balance, too.  In such a case, the medical firm gets a bonus and the senior is hurt financially. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm. 

The husband of our client brought a bill from your firm to our firm for our review.  The bill is dated 02/03/2023 and seeks a balance of $65.16 on Account Number XXXXXXX for services rendered 10/03/22.  The bill is false.  Here is why. 

 I checked with our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company about this bill.  That firm paid your firm the entire balance on 11/18/22 and your firm cashed the payment on 11/22/22.  You got the money.  Why didn’t you credit the payment correctly?  Who goofed?  Was it accidental or deliberate? 

It was paid with an EFT service called Zelis.  The check or transaction number is XXXXXXXXX.  Since you did not credit the payment correctly, it is obvious that your firm has a problem with your bookkeeping and communication with the firm that you use to do the billing and collecting of payments.  You should investigate what went wrong and correct it. 

 Please, send another bill to our client that shows the bill has a balance of zero. 

 

           

 

 Written on February 16, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Griffith Client Got a Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On February 14, 2023, I got a bill from a client in Griffith, Indiana.  The client got the bill from a local hospital. The client bought a Plan F Medicare supplement insurance policy through our insurance agency.  That is the best policy that can be bought. It pays on any bill that Medicare approves. The client wanted to know why he was getting a bill since he bought the best policy possible. 

I investigated.  With some editing to protect our client’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the hospital that billed him. 

Dear Diane Burnell and staff, 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $72 on Account Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 08/26/2022. 

 I phoned the secondary insurer to learn what it knew of this bill.  It said that the Medicare EOB that they received said that Medicare denied this claim because it was filed as a routine preventative exam at the same time that another routine preventative exam was filed.  That sounds like your firm may have accidentally filed the same claim twice.  On your bill to our client, there is a credit of some payment.  Why would Medicare pay anything on a claim that it denied because it was filed twice? 

 I requested that Medicare send an MSN to our client.  When he gets that, he will bring it to me so that we can compare it with your bill to him. 

Our client is not ignoring the bill.  Please, check the work of your employees.  If a mistake was made, please correct it and tell the patient what you did. 

Thank you. 

 

 

 

Written on February 14, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare broker in St John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Bad Medical Billing 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On February 6, 2023, a client delivered a medical bill to our Merrillville office for my review.  I checked the bill and knew it was false.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to a medical firm in Merrillville, Indiana. 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks $118.03 on Account Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 08/02/22 and 08/10/22.  YOUR BILL TO OUR CLIENT IS FALSE!  Here is why. On the charge of $2,600 on 08/02/22, Medicare allowed only $470.05 and Medicare paid $368.52.  On the charge of $1,000 on 08/10/22, Medicare allowed only $120.08 and Medicare paid $94.14.  Our client’s insurance company paid your firm the entire balance of $118.03 ($94.01 plus $24.02) by check sent on 09/15/22.  Your firm cashed that check on 10/04/22.  The check number is XXXXXXXX. You got the money.  Why didn’t you apply it correctly toward the account?  You goofed.  Fix your bookkeeping and send a new bill to our client with a balance of zero on this matter. 

 

           

Written on February 6, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare broker in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Dyer Senior File Complaint 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On January 20, 2023, I helped a client file a complaint against a medical firm in Indiana and its billing firm in Texas and against a collection firm in Tennessee.  The client is from Dyer, Indiana. Last September, I wrote the medical firm and told them that our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company never got a claim report from Medicare.  I asked them to send the important claim information to the insurance company so that it could pay the bill for $458.  They ignored the letter and sent the bill to a collection firm.  That is clearly unethical conduct.  But it happens all the time. 

 In this case, I suspect that the Indiana medical firm used a sloppy, ignorant, and really bad billing firm in Houston, Texas.  But the Indiana medical firm should have checked and tested any billing firm that it decided to use.   If the medical firm does not protect its name from being harmed for unethical conduct when dealing with clients, then who should care about its reputation? With some editing, here is the complaint I helped our client file against the Indiana medical firm. I received a bill from the (medical firm). I asked the insurance agency that I use to check it for me.  They did. 

On September 1, 2022, the insurance agency sent a letter to the (medical firm) to correct the bill problem. The (medical firm) ignored that letter and sent my account to a collection firm. Please, get the (medical firm) to pay attention to letters to correct a medical bill problem.  If their billing service does not cooperate and coordinate meaningful responses to such letters, then the billing service of the (medical firm) should be dismissed. Copies of documents accompany this attachment to my complaint. Please, help and protect me and other people who use (the medical firm) from unfair practices that hurt consumers in Indiana

Written on January 20, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental insurance agencies in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S.  Speaking Of Seniors 

 My Letter to My Congressman 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On January 19, 2023, I wrote a letter to my congressman about one big problem with the Medicare system.  Following is the body of my letter.  

Your staff knows of my work to help senior citizens correct Medicare related medical bill problems for the clients of the insurance agency where I work.  When I have asked for specific help in specific cases, they have helped. 

 In this letter, I want to tell you about one specific problem that keeps coming when I help seniors.  Please, ask Medicare if there is already a solution now.  If there is not, let me work with your staff to suggest changes in Medicare law to fix this problem. When there is a problem with a medical firm in Indiana that uses a billing firm in Indiana, if the firms do not respond to my letters or phone calls to correct a billing error, I help the client file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General’s Department of Consumer Affairs. 

That office has been quick to respond and “put fire under” the firm that did not want to cooperate with me. But when Indiana people go to Illinois for treatment, or when a firm uses an out of state biller, connecting with someone at the firm who will cooperate to correct a bill problem is very difficult and nearly impossible. I suggest that on every bill from any medical firm or biller, the correct contact information of the person or department responsible for taking complaints of medical bill problems that need to be corrected be clearly shown on the bill in at least 12-point type. The biggest problem in the Medicare system that costs senior citizens the most money is the breakdown of Medicare electronic communication system.  Very often, Medicare never sends the claim information to a senior’s secondary insurer because of the breakdown. 

If the secondary insurer does not get the claim information, it doesn’t pay the bill.  The senior then starts to get hounded to pay a bill that the secondary insurer would have paid if it had received the claim.  To help our client fix this, I contact the medical firm or biller and tell them that the secondary insurer never got the claim from Medicare.  I tell them that to fix that problem as fast as possible, the billing firm should send the critical claim information to the secondary insurer and I give the address.  This works to get the claim paid when I can find a competent and responsible person at the firm sending the bill. 

That is why the contact information of a responsible department or person on a bill is so critical.  Please, help.  This is a continuing problem with the Medicare system that is costing lots of money and time to seniors on Medicare and those who help such seniors.  In some of my published articles and in my book, I showed the calculations for how I estimated that the problem of Medicare failing to send claim information alone costs seniors on Medicare over ONE BILLION DOLLARS per year in wrongful bills to senior citizens. 

 

 

                                                                    

 

Written on January 19, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Helped Client Understand Ruling 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 A client from Schererville got a letter from the federal government and didn’t understand it.  He brought it to his insurance agent at our Schererville office near the Strack & Van Til store in a shopping center at U.S. 30 and U.S. 41. 

 The agent read the letter and forwarded it to me.  The letter was a copy of a letter to the client’s doctor to tell the doctor that Medicare ruled against him.  The doctor had not filed the claim with Medicare in a timely manner.  Medicare told him that his chances of winning an appeal of this ruling was pretty slim.  If the doctor did not file the claim on time, the patient doesn’t pay anything. 

 I phoned the client to talk with him.  He did not understand the letter at all until I explained it to him.  To make sure that the client would not get a bill, I decided to make a three way call with the client and the doctor’s office.  I wanted to make sure that the doctor was aware of the letter from Medicare that explained to him that he can’t bill our client.

The office manager understood the point that the letter made and asked for a copy of it.  We arranged for that. 

 

           

Written on January 18, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental insurance provider in Dyer Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

Insurance Already Paid The Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On January 10, 2023, I wrote a letter to a medical billing firm to tell them that their bill to our client was false because his insurance company already paid the bill.  The client was from Hobart. 

Here is the letter with some editing to protect our client’s privacy. 

 Dear Representative, 

 

 The family of our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  Your bill to our client sought a balance of $3.37 on Account Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 07/27/22. 

 We checked this bill.  It is false.  Here is why. The client’s secondary insurance company sent your firm the balance of $3.37 by check on 12/13/22 and your firm cashed the check on 12/21/22.  The check number is XXXXXXX. 

 The statement date of your bill to our client was 01/03/23.  You had the payment in your bank account over a week before you sent the bill to our client.  Why did you do that?  Isn’t that dishonest? Please, correct your bookkeeping and do not send another bill to our client or his family. 

Written on January 10, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox.  

Supplemental Medicare broker in St John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Was There A Medicare Rules Change? 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On January 10, 2023, I helped a client from Lowell with phone calls to Medicare, her Medicare supplement insurance company, and a dialysis firm. 

 Our agency sold her a Medicare supplement insurance policy which Medicare paid for all charges for dialysis treatment for her from 2017 until October 2021.  For some reason, she never owed any amount until October 2021.  I started to wonder why.  Then, I helped her to send a letter to her congressman to ask if there had been any change in Medicare rules that took effect in October 2021. 

 I suspected a possible rule change because of past experiences with rule changes in Medicare.  The change seemed too sudden.  When Eric Holder became the Attorney General under Barrack Obama, he made a rule change about Self-Administered Drugs in a hospital for a Medicare patient that made paying for those drugs more complicated for senior citizens.  And, the Obamacare law cut $716 billion from the Medicare budget despite the fact that more “baby boomer” seniors were joining Medicare. Without revealing the personal information of our client, here is the letter that she sent to her congressman. 

 

Please, check to learn if there was a change in Medicare policy that occurred around October 2021.

From 2017 until October 2021, Medicare and my Medicare supplement insurance paid all the costs of dialysis for me.  Starting in October 2021, there has been a monthly balance for my dialysis treatment. 

 I have had the same Medicare supplement policy the entire time.  So, there was no change in coverage that would account for the difference. 

 Please, check on this for me.  Has a change in Medicare regulations or other rules would account for this change? 

 

Written on January 10, 2023, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental insurance company in Valparaiso, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

When They Hide From Questions 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 I have been helping a client from Saint John, Indiana who got medical services in Illinois for months. The latest bill is for $457 from a collection firm.  The problem is that our client never got the original bill.  In this case, the medical firm billing him is hiding from being contacted for questions about the bill.  In my experience, that is a very common problem with medical bills from firms in Illinois. 

 New state and federal laws should be enacted and enforced to prevent medical firms from badgering patients to pay while refusing to provide meaningful contact information to responsible parties to answer questions about medical bills. 

If you agree with me, contact your government officials and tell them you agree with this.  It would really help if Medicare officials took and interest in protecting seniors from such unethical practices.  Unfortunately, in my experience, they don’t. 

 

 

 

Written on January 5, 2023 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

How It Really Works 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On December 21, 2022, I got a letter with copies of four bills from a client in Cedar Lake, Indiana.  Here is part of the letter that I sent to the client. I was impressed with your letter.  You do an extremely good job of keeping track of your bills – much more than most people. 

Unfortunately, the system does not work the way you think it does.  Your insurance company will NOT pay the bills you sent me because Medicare ruled that the balances are part of your Medicare Part B deductible for the year.  The company has no obligation to pay a bill when Medicare rules that.

When a claim is filed with Medicare, Medicare rules on it and calculates what is applied to the deductible.  A doctor who serves you earlier in the year but files the claim after other medical services file will have the claim pushed back in order of consideration.

You are supposed to get a Medicare Summary Notice every three months which shows what has been filed and the rulings.  Those rulings control everything.  It may be that you paid on a claim that your insurance would or should have paid.  But without the Medicare Summary notice and the date of service, I have no way of helping you.   

You gave me four bills to check.  But one had an incomplete date (?/26/22), so I could not check it.  On the other three, Medicare ruled the balances were Part B deductibles. 

 You can call Medicare at 800-633-4227 to give specific dates of service and ask what the ruling was on each claim.  It is time-consuming.  You can call your insurance company to review claims date by date for how Medicare ruled and how your company paid.  If you paid a bill that the insurance should have paid, get and send a copy of the page of the Medicare Summary Notice that shows the ruling and proof that you paid it and ask your insurance company to reimburse you.   

 

           

                                                          

Written on December 21, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental insurance agency in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

New Law – New Fee 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 A client from Highland, Indiana sent a bill for $900 to me to check.  The bill is from an ambulance company for services given on June 9, 2022.   I called the ambulance company and asked about it.  The ambulance company told me that it was for a RESPONSE FEE.  In this case, no one was taken to a hospital.  Our client could not rise from his chair because of a problem with his knees.  His wife let the ambulance people into the home and they helped the man to arise and go to his bed.  That was it.  No one was taken by ambulance to a hospital. 

 But the client was billed a RESPONSE FEE of $900.  I started phoning people to ask about the RESPONSE FEE.  One person told me that ambulance companies lobbied for a new law that was passed since Joe Biden took office.  The ambulance companies complained that Covid added costs to every response.  If no ambulance run was made, an ambulance company lost money by responding to help with a non-trip call.  They wanted to be able to charge something for responding.  Thus, the RESPONSE FEE was born. 

 So, remember that if you call for an ambulance with no intention of a run to the hospital, the assistance that you get probably will not be free. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 20, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental medicare insurance in La Porte Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

In Person Better Than On Phone 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

Whether you buy Medicare-related insurance through our agency or not, I recommend that you do business in person and not over the phone. If you buy a Medicare-related policy over the phone and you have a problem with a bill, are you going to call the salesman at a call center and get help?  Doing business with a local agent allows you to go to someone to get help with a problem. 

Our agents are trained in the differences in different policies.  They listen to the client and try to match what the customer wants with what is available.  This firm does not charge customers for advice.  Insurance companies pay our firm to let customers know what the insurance company offers. 

There are so many different types of Medicare Advantage plans that it is difficult to keep things straight – especially over the phone.  I believe it is better to meet with someone face to face and get your questions answered so that you understand what you are getting. 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on December 16, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental health insurance provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors

My Letter to Hillsdale College President Larry Arnn 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On December 7, 2022, I wrote a letter to Larry P. Arnn, President of Hillsdale College.  I asked him to work with me to make an online course on how to help senior citizens save money by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  If you can help me to connect with him or someone else to work with me to do that, please do.  Here is my letter to Mr. Arnn. Could I teach a class through Hillsdale College?  You know how to present online courses. My course would teach people how to help senior citizens save money by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  I have done that for almost 20 years.  I have saved clients of this insurance agency over three million dollars. 

I wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is published by E-Book Time Publishing in Montgomery, Alabama. 

  I am 68 and do not want what I know about this to die when I do.  I want to work with Hillsdale to help educate the people who serve seniors like insurance agents, ministers, and social service people.  Enclosed are a few of my articles to help you understand the need.  Thank you. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana. 

 

                   

Written on December 7, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

           

 

 

Supplemental health insurance provider in Chesterton Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A Medicare Advantage Appeal 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On December 6, 2022, I helped the husband of one of our clients from Lowell.  He drove her to a hospital for treatment.  After a few days, the hospital wanted to move her to a rehab facility.

She has a Medicare Advantage plan.  That is a different animal from a Medicare supplement plan and it works differently, too.  I am more experienced helping people to resolve problems with Medicare supplement plans.  But I tried to help the husband get answers.We called the hospital case worker.  She explained that when she asked to move the patient to an acute rehab center, the Medicare Advantage company denied the request.  The hospital worker appealed.  It was an expedited appeal that will take 72 hours.  Non-expedited appeals normally take 30 days.

The issue in the appeal was what level of treatment was necessary for the patient?  She could not move her right arm or leg.  How intense should her treatment be? 

 I wanted to help the husband more.  So, we phoned the insurance company to check on the appeal.  It was a 30 minute wait to talk to someone.  Then, the person who spoke to us told us that no appeal was on file.  So, we phoned the hospital case worker and reported that.  We gave her a name and phone number to call about this. I did not resolve anything that day.  But I did help the husband get more information so that he could talk directly with the case worker in the future.  

 

          

                                                                   

Written on December 6, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

           

 

 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Valparaiso Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Helped South Holland Client 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

On December 6, 2022, I wrote a letter to help a client from South Holland, Illinois.  She got a medical bill and sent it to me to check for her. With some editing to protect our client’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the medical company to fix the billing problem for our client. Our client sent our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $121.90 on Account Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 9/28/22. I phoned the client’s secondary insurer to ask about this bill.  It said it did not receive any information about this bill from Medicare.  That is not the fault of the patient or her insurance company.  It is Medicare’s fault. The fastest way to fix this problem that Medicare caused is for you to send both the original claim information and the Medicare EOB information directly to the secondary insurer with the following contact information. 

 

           

 

 

Written on December 6, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental insurance company in Valparaiso, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Medical Biller Never Filed With Medicare 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

    On November 21, 2022, a client brought a medical bill to me to check it.  The client is from Portage, Indiana.   I copied and reviewed the bill.  Then, I told the client that she could go home.  I would write a letter to the billing firm and send her a copy of that letter.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the firm that sent her the bill. Our client brought to our office a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $225.90 on Account Number XXXXXXX.  There is no date of service on the bill.  The client brought your letter in the envelope in which it came.  I noticed that there were only pages 1 and 2 of a 4-page bill. It is obvious from the bill that your firm failed to file the claim with Medicare.  The original billing amount and the balance are the same amount.  There are no credits or adjustments on the bill. You know (or you should know) that you cannot bill a client on Medicare directly without first filing the claim with Medicare. Please, correct your error to comply with the law.  File the claim with Medicare so that Medicare can send the Medicare EOB to the secondary insurer.  Do not bother our client about this bill until you have filed the claim with Medicare and received a ruling. 

 

 

 

Written on November 21, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental insurance agency in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Medicare Made The Mess 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On November 21, 2022, I wrote a letter to a medical biller for a client from Griffith, Indiana.  The letter let the medical firm know that Medicare caused the problem with the bill. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent. Our client brought the revised, adjusted Medicare Summary Notices that we requested to our office today. The claims for your services were revised.  We sent the modified copies to his secondary insurer to process.  Please, allow time to fix the problem. Neither your firm nor the patient caused the billing problem.  Medicare caused it by adjusting the claim(s) and never sending to the secondary insurer a copy of the adjusted Medicare EOB.  The patient and I are working to fix the mess that Medicare caused so that your firm can get paid the proper amount. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 21, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental insurance provider in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

A Big Bad Medicare Policy 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On November 11, 2022, I met with a client from Griffith, Indiana.  We phoned Medicare together to try to resolve a medical bill problem. We spoke to four Medicare representatives including a senior Medicare claims representative.  After the phone call, I helped the client to file a complaint against Medicare for a really bad policy that could cost many seniors substantial amounts of money.  Here is the problem.  When a claim is filed with Medicare, Medicare is supposed to rule on that claim and send a Medicare Explanation of Benefits to the doctor or hospital and to the Medicare supplement insurance company.  The same information is supposed to be sent to the senior citizen patient in a Medicare Summary Notice. If Medicare makes a ruling on a claim and then changes that ruling, it will not send an Adjusted Medicare Explanation of Benefits to the insurance company.  It will send an Adjusted Medicare Summary Notice to the senior citizen after 30 to 90 days. Medicare representatives told me that Medicare does not send a revised ruling to the Medicare supplement insurance company of the senior because THE LAW DOES NOT REQUIRE MEDICARE TO DO THAT.  Instead, Medicare imagines that the senior citizen will somehow know to send a copy of the revised claim report to the senior’s insurance company.  How many seniors do you know that know and understand that?  Not many if any! 

This means that Medicare supplement insurance companies don’t get the information so that they can work on fixing the problems caused by Medicare’s revised rulings.  That would be easier for seniors.  Instead, the insurance companies never get notified and the senior citizens get hounded to pay medical bills that their insurance companies would pay if only Medicare had notified them about the revised rulings.  So, seniors get hounded to pay bills that they really don’t owe as a direct and proximate result of this BIG BAD MEDICARE POLICY.   

 I hope you’ll join me in urging Congress to fix this problem that costs innocent seniors millions of dollars annually. 

 

 

 

Written on November 11, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare insurance agency in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Good News on a Monday Morning! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

  On Monday morning, November 7, 2022, I got a “good news” message delivered to me.  The $3,855 ambulance bill of our client in Cedar Lake went away.  Yes, my efforts resulted in saving the client $3,855.  In the previous week, the client met with me.  He had a mixed message when he met with me.  He had received another bill for $3,855 from the ambulance company.  But then, he got a phone call from someone at the ambulance company reporting to him that the ambulance bill was not owed. So, I phoned and wrote a letter to someone at that ambulance company with whom I had previously worked.  I asked whether the phone call that the bill no longer existed was actual.  The response was that it was true.   

 In August, I reviewed the bill with the client and spotted a problem with the ambulance bill for $3,855.  I helped the client file an appeal with Medicare.  In that appeal, I attached documents that alerted Medicare to what I believed were errors in how the claim was filed with Medicare by the ambulance company. Apparently, Medicare agreed with the appeal.  The $3,855 ambulance bill went away. Probably, the claim was refiled with Medicare with the corrections that would cancel the bill to our client.  The client thanked me for the work that I did in helping him file the appeal.  Why wouldn’t he?  I saved him $3,855. 

 

          

 

 

Written on November 7, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

Supplemental insurance agencies in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

Please, Confirm or Correct 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On November 4, 2022, I sent a letter to a person at an ambulance company with whom I regularly work to check ambulance bills for our clients.   

 I was helping a 78-year-old client from Cedar Lake, Indiana who got a bill for $3,855.  With some editing to protect our client’s privacy, here is the letter that I sent to the ambulance company representative.   I have phoned you and left you messages for you over the past three days.  If you are ill or on vacation, excuse me for my attempts to reach you.  I don’t want to be a pest to you and I don’t want to be negligent in helping our client. 

 A few days ago, the client got a letter telling him that he still owed your firm $3,855 for ambulance services.  Recall that I told you that I would help the client appeal Medicare’s decision on this ambulance ride because I thought it was filed improperly.  A few days after the client got the latest bill from your firm, he got a phone call from someone who said that he was with your firm.  He told our client that he did not owe your firm anything.  I believe that is a signal that our appeal to correct the error on the bill worked.  The client cannot remember the name of the person who phoned him to give good news about the bill.  Please, check this and confirm or correct the information that the bill is settled and that my client owes your firm nothing.  Thank you. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written on November 4, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance agency in Crown Point Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors  

The “Big Lab” Failed to File the Claim 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On November 1, 2022, I worked on a case for a client in Highland, Indiana. I checked the bill and found that the big lab company failed to file the claim with Medicare.  But they wanted our client to pay the bill. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the “big lab” company. 

 

 Our client sent our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks $534.31 on Account Number XXXXXX-XXXX for services rendered on 7/20/21. 

  I phoned Medicare to request a copy of the Medicare Summary Notice about this claim to be sent to our client.  But Medicare representative XXXXXXXXX XXXXX told me that no claim was ever filed for this Medicare enrollee during July 2021.  So, your firm NEVER FILED A CLAIM for services on 07/20/2021.  You know that sending a bill directly to a patient on Medicare without filing a claim with Medicare is against Medicare rules and regulations. 

 You caused this problem.  Fix it by filing the claim with Medicare.  Do not report this bill as being tardy to “ding” our client’s credit report or we will help her to file appropriate complaints against your firm. 

 

 

Written on November 1, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

Life and Final Burial Expense Plans

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A ONE-TWO PUNCH! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

  

  Recently, I helped a 95-Year-Old man and his family reduce two medical bills.  He is from Gary.  Her daughter told me that her mother, the man’s wife, was very worried about the two bills.    One bill was for $4,860.50.  I reviewed that bill and found a mistake problem in the bill.  I contacted the medical biller, explained their mistake, and asked them to refile the claim with Medicare to correct their mistake and not hurt our client and his family.  The firm listened and cooperated with me.  That made the bill for $4,862.50 go away.    The second bill was for $1,725.00.  That bill was caused by a bad policy of Medicare.  Our client needed to be transported from a hospital in Chicago to a rehabilitation firm.  Someone at the hospital in Chicago did not accurately describe the choices to the family.  They asked the man to be transported to the rehabilitation firm in Crown Point.  All the other choices were in Illinois.  They wanted the man to be close to family to visit him.  Medicare approved only the first 20 miles of transporting the man.  The rest of the trip would be charged to the family.  The bill came to $1,725.  I think that the Medicare policy of a 20-mile limit is ridiculous.  But I don’t write Medicare rules.  We should let a patient recover near home and the family ambulance/medical car company did nothing wrong.  The bill was caused by Medicare’s 20 miles-only coverage policy.  I negotiated a compromise bill of $400.  I appealed to the transport firm’s sense of wanting to treat the patient and his family with compassion and kindness. 

 

Altogether, I saved our client and his family $6,187.50.  All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with Medicare  related medical bill problems without charge to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our agency? 

 

 

 

 

Written on October 13, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare provider in Munster Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

The Ambulance Contact Tried to Help 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On September 27, 2022, I got an unusual letter from a contact at an ambulance company.  The ambulance company representative was being pleasant and helpful. I wrote to our client about this.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to her. 

Today, I received a letter from the ambulance company that billed you $7,243.  It was a helpful letter. 

 On September 7, 2022, I wrote to the ambulance company telling them that there was a problem with the bill that it sent to you.  I told them what we were doing to find the problem and get it corrected.  I asked them to be patient because you were not ignoring the bill. 

 A person that I know at the ambulance company did a little research to help you.  In her letter to me, she said that she believed there was a problem that needed us to contact the Medicare coordination of benefits office. 

 When you get the Medicare Summary Notice forms about the ambulance bill, call me to make an appointment to bring those to me and make phone calls with me.  That will be the fastest way for me to research the problem and help you with it. 

 

All the help that I am giving the client is FREE OF CHARGE.  We know that the Medicare system is far from perfect.  We care about our senior citizen clients.  We help them when they have Medicare related medical bill problems.  It shows that we really care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch and use our agency? 

 Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores and online. 

 

                                                           

 

 

 

Written on September 27, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Medicare Caused the Extra Work! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On September 27, 2022, one of our clients phoned her agent to ask about a medical bill problem that I researched and worked on last month.  Her agent asked me about it.  He told me that she got another bill for the same problem.  I reviewed the file to remember what I had done to help the client.  On August 31, 2022, I sent a letter to the chief of the billing department at a local hospital to request that the hospital send certain critical claim information to our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company so that the claim could be paid to the hospital.  The insurance company told me that it never received the claim information from Medicare. 

 

It takes some time and works to get this done.  I suspect that the second bill to our client was sent automatically before the hospital could send the claim information to our client’s insurance company. 

 In the almost 20 years that I have helped our senior citizen clients, Medicare’s failure to send claims information to Medicare supplement insurance companies is the biggest problem with the Medicare system.By biggest problem, I mean the one that happens most often. 

 

I don’t know who is claiming that the Medicare communications system is working wonderfully, but that’s just not so.  When Medicare fails to send claims information to insurance companies, claims don’t get paid and seniors get hounded to pay bills that their insurance companies would pay if the companies got the claims information from Medicare.  When I wrote my book on Medicare problems, I calculated an estimate of the losses throughout our country based on my experience in this area.  I estimated that Medicare’s failure to send claim information to insurance companies and causing seniors to be hounded to pay wrongful bills cost seniors over one billion dollars per year. 

 

I have tried to get political leaders of both major parties interested in fixing this problem.   But I have not found any politician who really cares enough about seniors to push to fix this or any of the other problems with Medicare that I have cited many times in the more than 1,000 published articles that I have written. 

 

The fact that my employer pays me to help our senior citizen clients with medical bill problems is clear evidence that the owners, managers, and staff of this insurance agency really care about our senior citizen clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service to you, why not switch to our insurance agency? 

 

 

Written on September 27, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Saved 95-year-old Gary Resident $4,862.50 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 23, 2022, I got word from the daughter of a Gary resident that her father got a letter that told him that a bill for $4,862.50 had been corrected and that the balance was zero. 

On July 8, 2022, I had written a letter for our client to the medical biller.  I explained what I had discovered about the bill when I researched it.  I told the firm what it needed to do to correct the mess and get paid a proper amount under Medicare rules.  The firm followed my advice.  Then, it sent a letter to our client stating that the corrections had been made and that our client owed nothing. 

There are problems in and with the Medicare system.  Whether caused by mistake or fraud, if the problems are not corrected, senior citizens get wrongful bills for amounts that they do not owe.  I know.  I’ve been helping senior citizens fight mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system for almost 20 years. 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with Medicare-related medical bill problems for free just because we care about our clients and don’t want them to be harmed by such problems.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to Senior Care Insurance Services? 

 

 

  

Written on September 23, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Client Complain Against Medical Firm 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 19, 2022, I met with a client from Crown Point, Indiana.  A medical billing firm was harassing him with a “bad” bill.  So, I helped the client file a complaint with the Consumer Protection Office of the Indiana Attorney General. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the overview page of the complaint against the medical firm. I received a bill from (the medical firm).  I took the bill to my insurance agency for advice and help.  The agency administrator helped me.  We contacted my insurance company and learned that (the medical firm) sent a bill to the insurance company on 04/29/21 and 08/30/21.  But, each time, the biller omitted the “ICN” number.  The “ICN” number distinguishes a claim bill from others that are similar.  The “ICN” number is vital to getting payment.  The “ICN” number prevents a biller from intentionally or accidentally getting paid more than once for a claim. 

 The agency administrator wrote a letter to the billing parties to get them to send a claim to the insurance company with the “ICN” number so that the bill could be paid.  The billing parties did nothing. On September 19, 2022, I got another bill from the billers and took it to the insurance agency I use.  The administrator phoned the insurance company about it.  The billers never sent any bill with the “ICN” number.  Now, that the filing deadline of fifteen months has passed, the insurance company will not pay the bill even if the billers sent a bill now with the “ICN” number. 

 The bill was caused by the bad and unethical business practices of one or both billing parties.  People at those firms made the mistake and now they want me to pay for their mistakes.  Those are bad and unethical business practices that harm consumers.  Please, help me and prevent these firms from doing the same to others. Accompanying this cover letter are copies of items verifying items in this letter. When I help a client file a complaint like this, I always include an overview page to help the people at the Indiana Attorney General’s office clearly understand the wrong being done to our client by the firm wronging our client. 

 

 

Written on September 19, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Is The Bill Legal? 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On September 16, 2022, I wrote a letter to a client to tell her that I could not help her anymore with a bill regarding services to her late husband. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client and her family, here is the letter that I sent.  Today, you delivered to my office a copy of the letter from the nursing home which is dated September 12, 2022.  That letter was sent in response to the letter that I sent to the nursing home to ask why a member of their staff signed the Advance Beneficiary Notice which is the basis for the bill that was sent to you. 

 

 The firm claims that one of their representatives (the staff member) spoke on the phone with you and one of your daughters and that in that conversation, you granted her permission to sign an Advance Beneficiary Notice on your behalf for the treatment of your late husband.  If you did not give that person permission to sign the Advance Beneficiary Notice, then the nursing home is lying to get money. I am not a lawyer.  But I seriously doubt that one person can legally give such permission to another person over the phone regarding the medical services given to a third person who is the patient.   

 

 If that is legal, then you should pay the bill of $811.28 plus interest.  If that is not legal, then you should consider getting a lawyer to fight it.  Or, you might file a small claims lawsuit to fight it since many lawyers would not take such a case with a small amount in dispute.  Any lawyer you consult should appreciate the paper trail I helped create to clarify the issues in this matter. I care about our clients and I help them all that I am able.  I do well.  But this is a matter where the medical facility claims that what they did is legal and I am not sure that it is.  I have my doubts.  But I cannot and do not give you any advice on whether it is or is not legal. 

 

I have helped you all that I can.  I can’t help you further because of the legal question.  It is up to you whether to just pay that bill or fight it.  I wish you well whatever your decision is.  I worked to help this client for over a month.  All the help that I gave her was FREE OF CHARGE.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to Senior Care Insurance Services? 

 

 

           

 

 

Written on September 16, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental insurance broker in Cedar Lake Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Another Bad Medicare System Design 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On September 15, 2022, I phoned Medicare with an 82-year-old client from Crown Point, Indiana.  She got a bill for $204.16 from a medical equipment firm in Florida.  She wanted to know if she should pay the bill or not. Here is the problem in the Medicare system.  Our client got the service on July 6, 2022.  The company sent the bill within a month.  But now, Medicare sends claims reports to senior citizens on Medicare every three months.  So, doctors, clinics, labs, hospitals, and others send a bill monthly.  The senior gets a bill and has nothing from Medicare to compare with the bill for three months.  The senior doesn’t know whether the claim is correct or not. 

 While Medicare has not yet sent the claim report with its ruling, some medical firms start to hound a senior to pay the bill balance.  This is not fair to seniors.  Sometimes – make that often – a senior pays a bill that has a mistake or other problem.  Seniors pay to avoid credit problems that an unpaid bill can cause.  This is a big flaw in the Medicare system that often hurts senior citizens on Medicare.  This and the other flaws in the Medicare system that I have noted in past articles are evidence of bad design and bad systems in the Medicare system. 

 I wish that more people would care enough about senior citizens’ Medicare claims problems to start learning how to help seniors with These problems.  A good first step to learning how to help seniors would be to get my book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through bookstores and online.  Do you or someone you know care enough to help the senior citizens in your circle of friends? 

 

 

Written on September 15, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Our Complaint Worked 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

In June of this year, a Serbian-American client from Crown Point brought a medical bill to my office and asked me to help him with a medical bill for $695.75.  He wanted to know if he should pay for it. 

 I researched the bill.  I told him NOT to pay it.  On June 20, 2022, I sent a polite but firm letter to the medical firm which said to them that the bill was wrong, why it was wrong, that they should fix their billing system, and that the firm should make the balance zero because that was what our client owed. 

 The medical firm ignored my letter and sent another bill to our client for $695.75.  That was not a smart move for the medical firm.  On July 18, 2022, I helped our client file a complaint against the medical firm with the Indiana Attorney General’s office of Consumer Protection.  Often, I help clients file such a complaint one or two times per month. On September 12, 2022, the wife of our client phoned me to tell of the results.  She was kind enough to bring the response information to me so that I could copy it and keep the copies in the file regarding her husband.  I copied a letter from the Attorney General’s office and a copy of the notes that our client’s wife took of the conversation she had when a representative of the medical firm that wrongly billed our client phoned them.  The representative apologized profusely for the medical firm’s error of sending a false and wrongful bill to our client.  Before I helped the client, he was being “pushed” to pay a wrongful bill of $695.75.  After I helped our client, he owed nothing. 

 

 

 Written on September 12, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

She Did It! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 A client from Munster sent me a bill from a local hospital to check for her.   Also, she sent me a payment demand letter from a collection law firm regarding that bill from the hospital.  I wrote a letter to the hospital and the law firm to tell them that our client was not ignoring the bill.  She was getting our help to check the bill for accuracy and compliance with Medicare rules. I wrote to the client and told her that when she got the claim report from Medicare, get it to me to compare with the bill.  She forgot to do that.  I phoned her to remind her of that.  She brought the report to our Munster office.  Danielle MacDonald at our Munster office copied the Medicare report and found the problem with the bill. The hospital sent the claim to Medicare with erroneous coding with a “GY”.  If a hospital codes a service with a “GY”, it means that the hospital believes that it is a service for which Medicare will pay nothing.  When the hospital realized that it made that error, it refiled the claim without the “GY” in the coding.  But Medicare caught that and refused to pay for the service because Medicare thought that the hospital dishonestly or mistakenly changed the coding and refiled just to get some more money from Medicare. Because Medicare refused to pay for the service, the hospital and its law firm were trying to force the patient to pay the bill of $388 that was caused solely by the hospital’s error.  Danielle caught the problem and phoned the hospital to chastise it.  It was totally unfair to our client to bill her for the $388 difference when it was the hospital billing department that made the mistake and caused the problem.  Danielle caught it.  I started the information collection process but Danielle caught the problem and resolved it for our client.  She did it! 

 

             

 

 

Written on August 18, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox

 

Supplemental insurance provider in St. John Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

I Got A Bad Feeling About It 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 18, 2022, I wrote a letter to a pharmaceutical company for the widow of one of our clients.  It was a special letter because I had a bad feeling about the bill.  It was missing some information that normally came on a legitimate bill.  So, I wrote a letter that did not disclose everything that I knew.  I wrote a letter to test the firm.  I just suspected that the bill might not be legitimate.  I wanted to protect the widow from a false bill.  If the bill is legitimate, the company will have no problems with answering my questions. 

 With some editing to protect our client and his widow, here is the letter that I sent.  Your firm sent a bill to [ our client] who is deceased.  His family sent the bill to our firm for review.  Your bill shows no date of service.  It shows invoice # XXXXXXXX. It seems that the date for preparing this bill to send was August 11, 2022.  The Invoice Date given on the account is 05/31/2022.  But it is not clear if that means the date of delivery or something else. Was this medicine given at a hospital or by mail or some other delivery service? 

 What documents do you have to show that [ our client] requested your services?  Whatever you have, send copies to his family at the address you have. We need this information to help the family connect your firm with the correct Medicare-related insurance company to process a payment correctly. 

 

  

 

Written on August 18, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A Letter About an Ambulance Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On August 17, 2022, I wrote a letter to a doctor and a hospital about a very high ambulance bill that a client from Cedar Lake got.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent. Our client sent an ambulance bill to me and asked me to help appeal it.  The bill for ambulance service from [northwest Indiana to a hospital in Chicago] on 06/24/2022 claimed that it was a NON – EMERGENCY drive.  The bill totaled $3,855. It seems strange to me that an ambulance ride from your location to the location in Chicago would be for a non-emergency purpose.  If the treatment could be done at your facility, why would you send the patient to Chicago? 

 I believe that someone at your firm misinformed the ambulance people and they marked the ride as non-emergency.  If such a ride is for non-emergency purposes, then a MEDICARE FIRM should be called and NOT an ambulance.  I believe that your personnel and your firm have a legal duty to act competently and professionally in serving patients.  Someone who works at a medical firm and who calls for patient transportation should know the difference between the need for MEDICARE and AMBULANCE.  Someone at your firm made a big mistake regarding transporting our client that day.  That mistake is a direct and proximate cause of his high ambulance bill. I am requesting that the doctor send a letter to our client that states the circumstances that would demonstrate that the ambulance ride was needed for emergency purposes.  Or, in the alternative, that the patient advocate sends a letter that the hospital personnel who called for the ambulance mistakenly failed to explain the emergency nature of the ride to the ambulance personnel. If it was an emergency ride, Medicare will accept it as within Medicare coverage. The bill to our client for $3,855 will be reprocessed and lowered. 

 

           

 

Written on August 17, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

           

 

 

 

 

 

Supplemental insurance company in Valparaiso, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

She Just Forgot 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 15, 2022, I wrote a letter to a client to remind her of what she forgot from the time she met with one of our agents and selected the policy that she wanted. With some editing to protect the privacy of this client, here is the letter that I sent to her. You sent to our office a bill from (your doctor’s office) for services you received on 04/11/22 and the Explanation of Benefits from your insurance company. You have a balance due on this bill of $39.53.  This bill is accurate and correct.  You should pay it.  Here is why. 

The federal government standardized all Medicare supplement policies to avoid confusion for senior citizens on Medicare.  You bought a Standard Plan G Medicare supplement policy.  All Standard Plan G policies pay the same no matter which insurance company you use.  Plan G policies DO NOT PAY the Medicare Part B annual deductible.  This year, that is $233.  Medicare ruled that $39.53 of this bill was part of the $233 Part B annual deductible.  Medicare ruled that.  Your insurance company had nothing to do with that ruling.  That is why you should pay the bill for $39.53. 

After Medicare rules that you have met the Part B annual deductible, then Medicare and your insurance company will pay 100% of all Medicare-approved Medicare Part B claims for the rest of the year.  That is how it works. 

 if you have any questions about this, please get in touch with your insurance agent. 

Thank you for allowing us to help you with your insurance needs. 

 

           

 

 

 

Written on August 15, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Plan F Versus Plan G Explained – Again 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On August 10, 2022, I wrote a letter to a client in Valparaiso to explain how her insurance policy worked.  The problem she had was not remembering the major difference between the two most common Medicare supplement policies. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to her. You sent a medical bill to our Valparaiso office.  They forwarded it to me to check for you. I phoned your insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill. You should pay the bill of $96.22 from (the medical firm).  Here is why. You bought a Plan G Medicare supplement policy.  Plan G policies DO NOT pay the Medicare Part B annual deductible.  This year, that is $233. After you pay the first $233 of Medicare-approved Medicare Part B claims in 2022, then Medicare and your Medicare supplement insurance policy will pay 100% of all Medicare-approved Part B claims for the rest of the year. 

 If you have questions about this, please contact your insurance agent.  Thank you for allowing us to help you with your insurance needs. 

 

           

 

  

Written on August 10, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A Day Was Missing 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 After 5 pm on August 8, 2022, I got some claims documents from our Schererville office.  The next day, August 9, 2022, I worked on the clients’ claim problems. 

 The first one was caused by an omission of claim information in the Explanation of Benefits that the Medicare supplement insurance company got from Medicare.  A whole day of medical services and charges was missing.  The insurance company never got the claim information for that day.  So, it never knew that our client got medical services on that day.  To help our client, I wrote a letter to the patient billing department of a local hospital.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the hospital. 

 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $XXXX on Guarantor Number XXXXXXXXX for services rendered on 11/26/21 through 12/02/21. The original billed amount for that DOS was $42,427.45. I phoned the client’s secondary insurer to learn what it knew about this claim.  It reported that Medicare sent it an EOB for DOS 11/27/21 through 12/02/21 with an original billed amount of only $33,331.50.  There was no claim for services on 11/26/21.  Obviously, an error occurred somewhere.  That is not the fault of our client – your patient. 

 

Please, contact the secondary insurer to review this matter and share whatever information is needed to correct this matter.  It may be that you will need to share the claims information from 11/26/21 that is missing.  Please, do whatever is needed to get this corrected.  Our client bought a Plan F policy which will cover everything that Medicare approves.  So, there should be no balance for our client to pay.  Thank you for your cooperation.  Here is how to contact the secondary insurer: 

 

 

 

 

Written on August 9, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

They Ticked Me! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 4, 2022, an agent in the office asked me to research a bill for a client.  The client was upset that her insurance company did not pay a medical bill.  I researched the matter.  The medical firm that sent the bill sent me in circles when I contacted it to get a good address for sending a letter to correct the bill.  That is a bad business practice that many medical firms use.  They “ticked” me. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical billing firm. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill is dated 07/15/2022 and seeks a balance of $XXXX on Account Number XXXXXXXX for services rendered 12/25/2021.   

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  It reported that it did not get claim information about this bill until June 14, 2022.  It processed and paid the balance of $XXXX THE SAME DAY THAT IT GOT THE CLAIM.  Your firm got its check (# XXXXXX) on 07/22/2022. There are some problems with this bill and your business practices.  You spelled the client’s name two different ways on the bill (i.e., XXXX XXXXX and XXXXX XXXXX).  When I phoned the number on the bill (i.e., 888-XXX-XXXX) to ask for an address to the correct person or department to address a letter about an incorrect bill, I was told that I could phone 629-XXX-XXXX.  I called that number and got a recording telling me that I should phone the first number 888-XXX-XXXX.  When someone wants to help you correct your bad billing, you send them in circles to frustrate them.  That is clearly a bad business practice.  We are considering filing a complaint against your firm for your bad business practices.  The complaint would be filed with the Consumer Protection Division of the Indiana Attorney General.  If your bad business practices are not corrected, I am confident that those practices will get you into expensive trouble. Please, correct your records to show that our client owes nothing to the bill that you sent to her. 

 

 

Written on August 4, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance agency in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

No, We Don’t Do That 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On August 3, 2022, a man brought papers to our office for his friend who is our client.  The client wanted us to help her file a claim.  Two weeks ago, another client asked me to file a claim with Medicare.  No, we don’t do that. This firm is an insurance agency.  We are not trained, qualified, or equipped to file Medicare or other medical claims.  I won’t even try. Both clients mentioned failed to ask the medical service provider if it was contracted with Medicare and would file claims with Medicare.  Not every doctor or medical service provider does.  In Hammond, Indiana, there is one medical firm and doctor who will not file any claim with Medicare because of a technical rule under the “Affordable Care Act” (Obamacare).  He is a nice doctor and he treated our client well in an emergency.  I respect him. But he won’t risk violating an Obamacare rule and getting into trouble. Seniors should always ask if the medical firm is contracted with Medicare and will file claims with Medicare.  People who have a Medicare Advantage plan should always ask if both the facility and the doctor or other billing party are within the network.  Don’t assume that if the facility is “in-network” the doctor must be “in-network”, too. Despite all this, I am trying to help the client who had her friend deliver papers.  I heard of a discount program that might be available to her.  I called the vice president of the insurance company with which she has her Medigap policy.  The vice president was on vacation but agreed to phone me next Monday when she returns from her vacation.  That is all that I can do for now. 

 

 

                       

 

Written on August 3, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Gary Police Retiree 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On July 25, 2022, a Gary Police retiree that I helped stopped at the Merrillville office to thank me for helping her. Previously, Medicare was billing her over $1,300. Then, Medicare billed her $850.  I had helped her file complaints about the wrong figures.She did not know where or how to file complaints to get the matter resolved.  I did. She got a letter and a phone call promising her that the matter had been fixed. I asked her to bring a copy of the letter to me so that I could close the file. 

 

                  

Written on July 25, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helped Schererville Senior with $92.50 Bill 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

  On July 8, 2022, I researched a medical bill for $92.50 for a client from Schererville.  On that date, I sent a polite letter to the medical billing firm to tell them that the bill was already paid by the insurance company more than two years earlier. 

On July 19, 2022, the client visited our Schererville office to ask for more help.  The medical billing company sent another bill and demanded payment within 10 days.  Our client had phoned the biller and cited part of my letter of July 8.  The billing representative was “rough” and demanding.  Our Schererville office administrator Maha Shahwan phoned the medical biller while the client was there.  The medical biller was “rough” and demanding with Maha, also.  Then, Maha phoned me and told me what had happened.  I asked the client to come to my office that day and she did. 

 Together, we made phone calls.  I asked the first telephone representative of the billing company to connect me with a supervisor.  I got a good billing supervisor.  I arranged to fax and email to him the letter that I sent on July 8.  He got it and asked for a few days to research what I said in the letter.  On July 21, that billing supervisor phoned me to tell me that he researched my letter and concluded that I was correct.  He was correcting the bill to show a zero balance.  I asked him to send a letter to our client to put her mind at ease.  He promised to do that.  I phoned our client and told her the good news.  She was very glad to learn the matter was settled. 

 All the help that Maha Shahwan and I gave to this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  We help all clients with Medicare-related billing problems without charging anything.  It is a way for us to prove that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to one that does? 

 system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available from bookstores and online. 

 

                                                            

Written on July 21, 2022, by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

They Didn’t Obey the Rules! 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On July 18, 2022, I helped a man who is an immigrant from Eastern Europe.  He got a bill for $695.75 for medical services.  Previously, I had helped him to investigate the billing problem and wrote a letter to the billing firm to fix it.  But the medical biller ignored my letter and sent a letter demanding payment within ten days.  So, I helped the client file a complaint with the Indiana Attorney General at the Consumer Protection Division.  I help clients file such a complaint about 12 to 24 times per year. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the attached explanation of complaint that was sent with this complaint.  You should read this and see how it is structured in case you ever need to file a complaint.  Get the complaint form at the website for the office that handles consumer complaints.  Every state has a similar office to help consumers. 

 

I got services on March 28, 2022 from XXXXX XXXXXX, Inc. That firm sent a bill to me for $695.75. (See accompanying copy.) The administrator at the insurance agency that I use helped me request a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) about this bill.  The MSN clearly states at footnotes “s” and “t” on page 18 of 31 that the maximum that can be charged is $7.22.  (See accompanying copy.) The administrator sent a polite letter to XXXXX XXXXXX about the fact that Medicare ruled that $695.75 of the claim was denied because “payment was included in another service received on the same day.”  (See accompanying copy.). Instead of following Medicare’s ruling, XXXXX XXXXXX ignored Medicare’s ruling and sent a collection letter dated 07/07/2022.  (See accompanying copy.)  In the collection letter, XXXXX XXXXXX demanded payment of the false balance within ten days. Since XXXXX XXXXXX refuses to adhere to the rules and rulings of Medicare and frightens senior citizens with demand for payment letters in violation of Medicare rules, XXXXX XXXXXX should be punished for its bad business practices. Please, help protect me (and any other senior citizens being wrongfully bullied by XXXXX XXXXXX by forcing that firm to stop billing me for money that Medicare ruled is not owed. 

 

              

Written on July 18, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helping 95-Year-Old Man From Gary 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On July 8, 2022, I wrote a letter to a medical firm about a bill for $4862.50 that it sent to a client who is 95 and lives in Gary, Indiana. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm that billed him. 

The family of our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks $4862.50 for services rendered on four dates in June. I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of your claims on this bill.  It reported that Medicare never sent any of these claims to it. 

We requested duplicate Medicare Summary Notice forms from Medicare.  Those take up to three weeks to arrive.  When the client gets those, his family will bring them to me to review with him.  But Medicare said that there was no such claim for date of service 06/27/2022. 

So, we know that there are problems with the bill that you sent to our client.  We just don’t know exactly what kind of problems.  Be patient.  Our client is not ignoring the bill.  Instead, he is getting our help to make sure that the bill is accurate and filed properly. 

 

Written on July 8, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Medicare Refused $450 of Claim 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On July 7, 2022, I helped a client with a bill for $450.  The client is from Highland, Indiana. 

I got the bill at our office the previous day at about 5 pm.  I started working on the bill the next day.  I spoke with the client’s Medicare supplement company.  It reported that Medicare denied part of the bill that totaled over $5,000.  But the insurance company did not know why. 

To help the client, a copy of the Medicare report about the claim was requested to be sent to him.  When he gets it, it needs to be brought to me to review with him. 

Right now, I do not know why Medicare denied $450 of the claim, but approved everything else.  It sounds like the medical service company did not file the claim correctly on one item.  But that is just a guess. 

Whatever it is, I’ll help the client.  I have a good record of helping clients of this insurance agency.  But I can’t guarantee success in eliminating the bill.  I just investigate and help the clients as much as possible. 

  

Written on July 7, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental insurance provider in Dyer Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Serious Problems with Obamacare Policies

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 How does the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) really work?  Basically, it is an insurance program for people under 65 who do not qualify for Medicaid.  It is under a different set of rules.  It expects patients to negotiate with medical service providers any balance that the Obamacare insurance policy does not pay if you go outside the network.  Many times, a client checked with a hospital to make sure that it was in-network but the doctor assigned to the case was not in-network.  How many people do you know who can skillfully negotiate about a bill with a hospital, laboratory, or doctor?  Doesn’t that seem unrealistic?  I think it is one of the unrealistic aspects of Obamacare insurance policies.  But the law is the law and rules are rules.  Recently, two clients had negative experiences with Obamacare policies that our agency sold to them.  Not many insurance companies offer Obamacare policies in Indiana.  So, these people who don’t have insurance through an employer and are not old enough to have Medicare got Obamacare policies.  Each chose the same company. 

 One was being told by the insurance company that it had negotiated the medical bill from $1,050 to zero.  But the medical firm told the client that the Obamacare insurance company had negotiated nothing and that the bill was still $1,050. 

The other person had a much bigger bill.  She was told by a hospital that she owed $131,573.79.  The Obamacare insurance company told her that it had negotiated with the hospital a discount of $121,620.64 and that the patient owed only $1,661.09.  Then, the Obamacare insurance company told the client that it had paid the hospital $37,671.14 and that the patient owed the hospital only $200.  In another letter, the Obamacare insurance company told the patient that it had paid the hospital $40,013.24.  But the hospital claims that the patient still owed $58,430.51. 

 In each of these Obamacare cases, the patient didn’t know what to believe.  Neither did I when I went through the papers with those clients.  To help each client, I typed and prepared an appeal to the Indiana Department of Insurance.  In each case, the insurance company claimed one thing and the medical firm claimed another.  We asked the Indiana Department of Insurance to review the matter and inform our clients of the results. 

 

Written on June 28, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Helping a Widow 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On June 21, 2022, I helped a widow with a bill from the final days of her husband’s life.  The bill was not being paid.  Their agent alerted me to the problem and provided some papers to help me research the problem for the widow. 

To help the widow, I asked her to join me on some phone calls.  One was to the Medicare supplement insurance company and one was to Medicare.  She granted me permission to speak and question on behalf of her and her late husband.  We tried to phone the medical service provider, but all we got was a recording telling us to leave a message.  Instead of leaving a message, I typed a letter.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our clients, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm that sent the bill for $811.28. 

 The family of our client brought to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  Today, with the widow on the phone to grant me permission to speak and question on behalf of the family, we phoned both the secondary insurer and Medicare about your bill.  We requested Medicare Summary Notice forms about the claims.  Those should arrive in about fifteen business days.  The surviving family will bring those to me to compare with your bill. 

 But already, I expect to find some problems with your bill.  The Medicare representative with whom we spoke told us that one or more of the services on the bill were never filed with Medicare.  The representative was XXXXX XXXX who works at a Medicare call center in Kansas.  I do not know that is true.  But it is true that the Medicare representative told us that.  Also, there seems to be some confusion of which medical service provider gave which service. 

Your billing the surviving family long before the Medicare Summary Notice forms were sent so that the bill can’t be compared to Medicare’s ruling on each claim seems extremely unfair.  Do not demand payment until the federal documents have been received and some time has been allowed for review. 

All the help that I gave the widow was FREE OF CHARGE.  This agency “goes the extra mile” to help our clients when a Medicare related billing problem occurs.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an agency that does?  This one does. 

 

 

Written on June 22, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Polish, English, and Medical Bills 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On June 2, 2022, I met with two Polish speaking clients in my office.  Both could speak some English, too.  But the client with the problem was more limited in English.  His friend, another client, accompanied him.  She was the widow of another Polish speaking client that I had helped years ago.  She was much stronger in English and made it easier for me to help her friend – our client with the problem.  Together, we made phone calls to Medicare and to medical billers. the source of the problem was that our client switched from one Medicare supplement insurance company to another on 01/01/2022.  Medicare did not update its files for about ten weeks.  Medicare was not forwarding all the claims to the correct, new insurance company.  I wrote letters to each of the medical billing firms explaining that if the balances were not paid by the time they got my letter, it meant that the correct secondary insurer never got the claims.  If that happened, I asked them to send the essential claim information to the correct insurance company and then I gave the proper address for that. 

 

 All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  I spent over two hours helping the client and it did not cost him anything.  This insurance agency is proud of its reputation for giving this high level of customer service to our senior citizen clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this kind of great service to you, why not switch to use our insurance agency? 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Agency in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores and online. 

 

  

Written on June 2, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A Fouled Medicare File 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On May 27, 2022, I sent a letter to a client to tell him that his Medicare file had inaccurate information added to it.  That caused his medical bills not to be paid by Medicare or his Medicare supplement insurance company.  The problem will continue until the Medicare file is corrected. 

With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to our client. You took medical bills to one of our offices for our review.  The bills were forwarded to me. 

  On April 25, I sent a letter to the first hospital that sent a bill.  In the latest papers that you sent to me, there was a letter from that hospital which stated that Medicare ruled that it would not pay on bills because Medicare’s records state that you have another insurance – XXX – as your primary insurer as of 02/01/2022. 

 

This means that your Medicare records are fouled with incorrect information.  None of your medical bills will be paid by Medicare or your supplement insurance until Medicare’s records are corrected. 

 I can help you with this.  I have helped other people to get their Medicare records corrected.  It is a drawn-out process.  I need you to make an appointment to come to my office in Merrillville.  We need to make phone calls together.  In each phone call, you will need to give permission for me to speak and question on your behalf. Fixing someone’s Medicare record after it has been fouled with misinformation is a process that takes a few weeks – once the initial phone calls to Medicare are made.  So, the sooner we get started, the sooner your problem can be fixed.  Call me for an appointment as soon as possible. 

 

All the help that I am giving to this client is FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps clients with Medicare-related medical bill problems without charging the client a cent.  It is a way in which we demonstrate to our clients that we really do care for them and want to treat them very well.  If your insurance agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to this agency and get treated well? 


 

Written on May 27, 2022 

by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Protected Portage Patient 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On May 12, 2022, the husband of a client brought bills and papers for me to check and explain to him. His wife got a medical bill for $85.09.  I researched the matter and discovered that the client’s Medicare supplement insurance company paid the bill before the bill to our client was sent to her. The insurance paid the bill on April 22 and the medical firm cashed the payment on April 26.  The bill was printed and sent to our client on April 28.  If our client had paid the bill when she got it, the medical firm would have received the balance due payment twice.  I wrote a letter to the medical firm citing the facts and told them they got paid and should not expect any more money from our client. When I finished writing and sending the letter, the client’s husband said to me, “Wow!  Now, you’ve saved me over $1,200.”  I asked him to remind me about how he arrived at that total.  He reminded me of how I had helped him and his wife in the past.  He was right.  I had saved him over $1,200. 

 

Written on May 12, 2022 

by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

The Claim was Denied by Medicare 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On May 10, 2022, I worked on a bill that was sent to a client in Hammond, Indiana.  The bill was for $133.After I studied the bill, I went to work on it.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm that billed our client. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm and some other papers for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $133 on Account Number XXXXXXXXX for services rendered 09/17/21. 

 I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  It told me that Medicare denied this claim.  Of course, the secondary insurer will not pay on a claim that Medicare denied. So, I helped the client request a Medicare Summary Notice (MSN) about the claim.  That will arrive in about three weeks.  When the client gets it, he will deliver it to me so that we can review it. 

Until then, please check your filing of this claim.  I suspect that the claim was misfiled.  If an appropriate service is filed correctly, it usually does not get rejected.  The claim was not filed under your firm’s name but under the name XXXXX XXXXX.  So, please do review how the claim was filed.  If you made a mistake, please correct it so that the claim can be paid properly.  Thank you. 

 

 All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps all our clients with Medicare billing problems without charge.  It is our way of showing that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service to clients, why not switch to this insurance agency because we do help clients with such problems. 

 

Written on May 10, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Highland Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

Saved Dyer Client Over $3,000 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On May 6, 2022, I researched a medical bill from a hospital to a client in Dyer, Indiana.  The bill sought $3,818 from our client. I found the problem with the bill.  It was another case of Medicare failing to send the claim report to the client’s insurance company.  The insurance company was willing to pay its portion of the bill.  But it never got the claim information from Medicare. 

I wrote a pleasant letter to the hospital.  When the hospital does what I ask, almost the entire bill will be paid by the insurance company.  I say “almost” the entire bill because the client purchased a policy that does not pay the Medicare Part B annual deductible.  So, the client will need to pay a small part of the bill but the rest will be paid by his Medicare supplement insurance company. 

 

If I had not helped this client, the hospital would have hounded him to pay the bill for $3,818.  All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This agency helps clients when a Medicare related medical bill is fouled by a mistake in the Medicare system.  We “go the extra mile” to help our clients and show that we really do value our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to our agency? 

Written on May 6, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking Of Seniors 

A Bill from Los Angeles

By Woodrow Wilcox 

  On April 28, 2022, I helped an 81-year-old client from Dyer, Indiana. He had traveled to the Las Vegas area and needed some x-ray service in Henderson, Nevada.  He got a bill from a billing firm in Los Angeles for the medical services that he received in the Las Vegas area. 

 

I reviewed the bill the day earlier and phoned the client to leave a message.  He phoned me on April 28 and agreed to stay online while I made a three-way call to his Medicare supplement insurance company. In the phone call, with the client on the line, I asked some questions of the insurance company and the particular bill.  What I suspected was true.  The insurance company never got the medical bill claim report from Medicare.  It could not pay a bill that it never got from Medicare.  This happens a lot. 

 I wrote a letter to the medical firm and its billing service citing the facts.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm and its billing company. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill from your firm seeks a balance of $416 on Account # XXXXXXXX for services rendered 03/10/2022.  The Account # was not clear.  I did not have a clean copy of the bill.  That is what Account # seems to be. I phoned our client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  It reported that it never received this claim from Medicare. That is not the fault of the patient – our client.  It is Medicare’s fault. Your bill shows an original balance of $416 with no adjustments or payments by Medicare.  So, your bill evidences confirmation of the secondary insurer’s statement that Medicare never sent any ruling on this claim.   

 To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that you have directly to the secondary insurer at the following address. 

 I expect my letter will result in our client owing nothing except the Medicare Part B annual deductible because that was the kind of policy he bought.  All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency “goes the extra mile” for our clients to fix Medicare medical bill problems.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an insurance agency that does?  This one does. 

Written on April 28, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – SPEAKING OF SENIORS 

BAD BOOKKEEPING AT MEDICAL FIRM 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 On April 14, 2022, I helped a 75-year-old senior citizen client from Munster, Indiana. She got two medical bills from two different medical firms that were both wrong.  I researched the bills and wrote letters to both firms to correct their billing errors.  In each case, the senior citizen was being billed a false amount when the real balance was zero. In one case, I suspected that maybe the bill was already fixed because of the pattern of the dates of correspondence between the medical firm, the insurance company, and our client.  I simply wrote a letter restating the facts and asking the firm to make sure that the balance was zero. 

 

 In the second case, I found more serious problems with the bill.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent about the more serious medical bill problem. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill is dated 03/24/22 and seeks a balance due of $113.17 on Account Number XXXXXXX for services rendered 11/13/21. 

 

 I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  It reported that your bill is false.  Here is why. Your bill states that the secondary insurer paid your firm only $1.90 on 03/21/2022 and that there is a balance of $113.17.  That is false. The secondary insurer paid your firm the entire balance of $113.17 on 3/15/22 by an EFT draft with token # XXXXXXXX which your firm cashed on 3/17/22.  Someone is not marking your account books correctly.  If you need help to fix your bookkeeping, please contact the secondary insurer for help. 

 

 All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency has built a reputation for “going the extra mile” for our clients in such medical billing problems.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an agency that does? 

 

Written on April 20, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Medicare supplement provider in Schererville Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – SPEAKING OF SENIORS 

Bad Bill From Hospital  

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On April 19, 2022, I wrote a letter to a local hospital to tell it that its bill to our 94-year-old client was a false bill.The client sent to me the bill and another paper.  I received the papers from the client that morning and went to work on the case. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the hospital. 

 Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill is dated 04/04/22 and seeks a balance of $72.96 on Account # XXXXXXXX for services rendered 03/16/2022.I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this claim.  It reported that your firm’s bill to our client is false.  Here is why. The insurance company sent payment to your firm on 03/06/22.  The payment was made by EFT with confirmation token KXXXXXXXX.  If you need help to learn or remember how to get this money, phone the insurance company’s policy services line at 800-XXX-XXXX for assistance. Please, correct your records to show that this bill was paid.  Thank you. 

 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This agency helps clients with such medical bill problem to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an agency that does?  This one does. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over three million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book Solving Medicare Problem$ which is available through book stores and online. 

 

 

Written on April 19, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – SPEAKING OF SENIORS

THEY ALREADY GOT THE MONEY 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On April 13, 2022, I wrote a letter to a medical service or supply firm for a client who lives in Valparaiso.  I researched the medical billing problem and wrote the letter.  With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the billing firm. 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill from your firm seeks a balance of $147.16 on Account Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 02/23/2022. I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this claim.  The secondary insurer reported that your bill to our client is false.  Here is why. The insurance company paid your firm $168.10 in March.  That was a combination of part of the client’s Part B annual deductible and coinsurance.  The $168.10 was part of a bulk payment of $242.16.  The payment was made by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) through XXXXXXX.  To verify this, contact XXXXXXX at 877-XXX-XXXX. 

Please, do not bother our client about this bill any more.  You have been paid. Our client was charged NOTHING for our assistance.  This insurance agency cares about our senior citizen clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an insurance agency that does?  This one does. 

 

 

 

Written on April 13, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – SPEAKING OF SENIORS

HELPED 82-YEAR-OLD DYER CLIENT

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

On April 6, 2022, I wrote a letter to a hospital in northwest Indiana to help a senior citizen client who lives in Dyer, Indiana. The bill from the hospital was delivered to me the night before that by Maha in our Schererville office. 

It was another case of Medicare failing to send the claim information to the senior’s insurance company. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the hospital.  I am confident that the bill for $99 will be resolved because the hospital involved has a good record of cooperating with me. Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $99.00 on Guarantor Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 11/16/21. I phoned the patient’s secondary insurer to learn what it knew of this bill.  It reported that Medicare never sent this claim to it.  That is not the fault of the patient. 

 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB about this claim to the secondary insurer at the following address. All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with such Medicare related billing matters to demonstrate our commitment to treat our senior citizen clients well. If your insurance agent or agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to an agency that does?  Our agency does. 

 

 

Written on April 6, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

S. O. S. – Speaking of Seniors 

Protected Widow from Hobart 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On March 30, 2022, a widow of one of our clients brought an unpaid bill to me to check for her.  I was able to research the matter and send a letter to the billing firm the same day. 

 

 On my phone call with an insurance company representative, the representative said, “But we paid on all the claims that we got.  What’s the problem?  I can give you the check numbers and the dates we sent the payments.” 

 

 He did not understand my questions.  I did not doubt that the insurance company had paid every claim that it received.  I wondered if it had not received the claims.  I specified my questions to ask if a claim for a date of service with an original billed amount of X had been received by the insurance company.  I went through each of seven dates of service.  The representative got the gist of my questions while he was answering “No” to each of my specific questions.  The only reason that the insurance company had not paid the bills for those dates was that Medicare never bothered to send the claims for those bills to our client’s Medicare supplement insurance company.  You can’t blame an insurance company for not paying a bill that Medicare never bothered to send to it. 

 

If I had not helped the widow with this bill, she would have been hounded to pay a bill that never should have been sent to her.  This problem happens thousands of times per day all around our country because the Medicare communications system breaks apart many times per day.  I was able to help this widow with this bill.  Other people need to learn how to help seniors with these kinds of Medicare related medical bills.  If you want to start to learn, get my book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$. 

 

All the help that I gave this widow was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency “goes the extra mile” to help our clients with such problems.  It is our way of proving that we really do care about our clients. 

 

 

 

Written on March 30, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

 S. O. S. – Speaking of Seniors 

 Saved Valparaiso Client $125 

 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On March 23, 2022, I researched a bill for $125 for a client from Valparaiso and wrote a letter to the medical service company. 

 With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent. 

 Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $125 on Account # XXXXXX for date of service 09/08/2021. 

 I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement plan insurance company to learn what it knew of this bill.  It reported that Medicare never sent such a claim to the insurance company.  That is not the fault of our client – your patient.  It is Medicare’s fault. 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information for this claim/bill directly to the secondary insurer at the following address.  Thank you. 

 If I had not helped this senior citizen client to correct this billing problem, she would have been hounded to pay a medical bill that she really did not owe. 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency “goes the extra mile” to help our clients with such billing problems.  If your insurance agent or agency do not give this high level of customer service, why not switch to an insurance agency that does?  This one does. 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over two million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which can be ordered through book stores or online. 

 

 

Written on March 23, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

Supplemental Medicare insurance in Merrillville, Indiana

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

Slow Medicare Records Update Caused Bills 

By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 On March 16, 2022, a client from Chesterton met me at my office a second time and learned that most of his bill problems had been resolved since our first meeting on March 3, 2022. 

 On July 31, 2021, the client ended his coverage with his former employer’s health insurance plan.  On August 1, 2021, Medicare became his primary insurer and his secondary insurance was a Medicare supplement plan that our insurance agency helped him get. 

But Medicare did not update his Medicare records that Medicare was his primary insurer as of August 1, 2021 until November 4, 2021.  That’s what we discovered in our phone call to Medicare on March 16, 2022. 

The Medicare Summary Notice forms (Medicare’s report of claims) that were dated as processed and sent to the client on December 8, 2021 reported that medical services received by our client on September 1, 22, and 23 of 2021 had all been rejected by Medicare because Medicare records had not been updated in a timely manner. 

 Medicare was refusing to pay anything on the claims because Medicare records still showed that our client was under primary insurance coverage from his former employer.  That had ended on July 31, 2021.  Medicare did not even bother to update his records until November 4, 2021.  The report of medical claims filed for this client was still wrong on December 8, 2021 when the Medicare Summary Notice forms were sent to our client. 

On March 16, 2022, when the client was with me in my office, we learned from Medicare that four claims had been resubmitted, approved, and paid.  This means that my previous letters of March 3, 2022 had worked.  In those letters, I asked medical services to refile the claims that had been denied.  I told them that Medicare’s slow update of our client’s Medicare file had caused the claims to be denied.  I reminded them that was not the fault of our client – their patient.  I asked them to refile the claims and they did.  That saved our client a lot of worry and hassle.  Also, it saved our client $872. 

 

The Medicare system is far from perfect.  If no one helps a senior citizen to fix the medical bill problem, then the senior who gets a wrongful bill because of the Medicare system’s blunders is hounded to pay a bill that is not really owed.  I have not been able to get any Member of Congress – Democrat or Republican – to care enough about seniors to want to help reform the Medicare system to correct its many faults.  I estimate that the faults of Medicare are costing senior citizens over a billion dollars per year in wrongful medical bills. 

 

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency has built the reputation of “going the extra mile” for our senior citizen clients.  If your insurance agent or agency does not have a high standard of customer service, why not switch to an insurance agency that does?  Our agency does. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that agency over two million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

Written on March 21, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

Hospital Apologized for Error in Bill 

 By Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

On March 14, 2022, I received a letter from a client in Hebron, Indiana.  The letter contained a copy of the letter of apology from a hospital in northwest Indiana. 

 

 On January 19, 2022, I had written a letter to the hospital to explain their error and that their bill to our client was wrong.  The balance of the bill should have been zero because the hospital was already paid by the insurance company and the balance from the client’s deductible portion was already paid by the client. 

 The letter from the hospital is dated February 16, 2022.  In the letter, the hospital stated, “We are writing to advise you that we received correspondence from Mr. Wilcox of Senior Care Insurance Services on your behalf regarding a bill that you received for $124.95.”  The hospital explained that their technical error had caused the problem and that they adjusted the bill balance to zero. 

 

 All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This insurance agency helps our clients with Medicare related medical bill problems to demonstrate that we really do care about our clients.  If your insurance agency does not give this high level of customer service, why don’t you switch to our insurance agency? 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical bill case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana. He has saved clients over two million dollars by fighting mistakes and fraud in the Medicare system.  Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through book stores or online. 

 

 

Written on March 14, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

SPEAKING OF SENIORS

HELPED 89-YEAR-OLD HIGHLAND CLIENT 

By Woodrow Wilcox

On February 24, 2022, I wrote a letter to help an 89-year-old client from Highland, Indiana.  He got a bill for $634.90 that he did not deserve. The cause of the bill was the fact that Medicare never sent the claim information to his Medicare supplement insurance company. You can’t blame an insurance company for not paying a bill that it never got from Medicare. With some editing to protect the privacy of our client, here is the letter that I sent to the medical firm that billed our client for $634.90. 

 

Dear Representative, 

Our client sent to our firm a bill from your firm for our review.  The bill seeks a balance of $634.90 on Invoice Number XXXXXX with Client ID Number XXXXXX for services rendered on 10/28/2021.  The statement is dated 02/09/2022 and claims that the bill is past due. 

I phoned the client’s Medicare supplement insurance plan company to learn what it might know about this bill. IT REPORTED THAT MEDICARE NEVER SENT THIS CLAIM TO IT. That is not the fault of the patient or his insurance company.  If your firm filed the claim properly, then it is entirely Medicare’s fault.  This failure of Medicare to send claims information to secondary insurers is a serious and growing problem with the Medicare system. I hope that you want to treat our senior citizen client as fairly as you would want someone in your family treated. 

To fix this problem as fast as possible, please send both the original billing information and the Medicare EOB information that you have for this claim directly to the secondary insurer at the following address: XXXX.           

All the help that I gave this client was FREE OF CHARGE.  This agency helps our clients with such Medicare billing problems AT NO CHARGE to demonstrate that we really do care about our senior citizen clients.  If the insurance agent or agency that you use does not give this high level of customer service, shouldn’t you switch to an insurance agency that does?  Our agency does. 

 

Note: Woodrow Wilcox is the senior medical billing case worker at Senior Care Insurance Services in Merrillville, Indiana.  He has saved clients of that firm over two million dollars.  Also, Wilcox wrote the book SOLVING MEDICARE PROBLEM$ which is available through bookstores and online. 

Written on February 24, 2022 by Woodrow Wilcox 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

 

 

 

What Is “Guaranteed Issue” in Medicare Supplement Policies, and When Do They Apply? A Supplemental Insurance Agency in Schererville, Indiana Explains

What Is “Guaranteed Issue” in Medicare Supplement Policies, and When Do They Apply? A Supplemental Insurance Agency in Schererville, Indiana Explains

"Guaranteed issue" refers to a set of rules that automatically qualify you for certain Medicare Supplement (or Medigap) plans. This eligibility is essential because it guarantees you will be covered by these plans, regardless of your current health situation or what's...