Medical bills

I've been a full-time student for four years, and up until recently, I was covered under my mother's health insurance. She lost her job, and when she went to re-enroll, she missed my name on the application. This left me without coverage for a certain window of time. Nobody at Drake warned her or even notified us about this lapse. Here’s the issue: I went in for several hospital tests during that period, completely unaware that my insurance had lapsed. Everything looked valid on paper—my primary and supplemental coverage appeared active—so there was no reason to suspect anything was wrong. No one at the hospital flagged the issue either. You'd think their computer systems would catch a lapse in coverage before treating someone, right? Now, I'm being hit with medical bills totaling over $667. I have no intention of paying them because this isn't my fault. I’ve reached out to both Drake and the hospital, but they're just passing the buck. I need advice on what to do next and who to contact. The bills keep coming and the total is piling up. What happens if I just don't pay? How should I handle this?

Thanks

Go ask over on the Legal subreddit

Ethan Brown20 said:I've been a full-time student for four years, covered under my mother's health insurance. She lost her job, and when she went to re-enroll, she missed my name on the application. Suddenly, I was left without coverage for a while. Not a single soul at Blue Cross Blue Shield warned her or even sent a notice. Here’s the catch: I went in for several hospital tests during that gap, completely unaware my insurance had lapsed. Everything looked valid on paper, so how was I supposed to know? Did the hospital staff not check their system? Shouldn't that be flagged immediately? Now, I'm getting hit with medical bills totaling over $667. I have zero intention of paying them because this isn't my fault. I've reached out to both the insurer and the hospital, but they're just passing the buck. What am I supposed to do now? The bills just keep piling up. What happens if I simply refuse to pay? How do I even handle this mess?

Thanks

Pay the bill. You weren't insured, plain and simple. Hospitals don't track individual insurance status like that.

Since we’re talking about billing—I only received a final total to pay. It didn't actually list out the individual items or their specific costs, so I'm wondering if this is considered "normal," or if they are legally required to provide an itemized receipt.

Ashley Bishop32 said:Since we're talking about bills, I only got a final total to pay. It didn't list every individual item or its specific cost. Is this actually "normal," and are they legally required to provide a "real" itemized receipt??

Medicare uses a standardized form for their billing, which means every single line item has to be clearly listed.