Additional bill 3 years after procedure (any time limits)?

[NBrazil]

Jurisdiction

Georgia

I had an expensive dental procedure 3 years ago and to the best of my understanding, I paid (in full?) at the time (well, Care Credit, anyway).

This evening I go to the mail and there is a bill from that dentist for nearly $900. Can he do that? I mean, what is to prevent a medical practitioner from going "opps" every few years or so?

Any recourse/argument I can make based on the tardiness of it? Y'see just this past week I found out that I've been let go from my full time job, so if I cannot make enough on part time hours, bankruptcy is a real possibility (I know this isn't the bankruptcy category). On the other hand, what's another old bill should that happen, eh?

Back to the subject, assuming it was their error (which shouldn't be my problem after a few years), are there any remedies (like I said, 3 years), or time limitations for this stuff? Seriously, what's to stop a practice from doing this every few years (opps, found another one). Sorry for the sarcasm, this caught me totally off guard. And how could I know if this could be "padding" the bill years later? Basically, I'm wondering what to say to the office when I call them because I don't have anyway to pay it now. (They snooze, they loose.)

 

[army judge]

You are misinformed.
read this:
Rights and options concerning medical debts » Fair Debt Collection

You might NOT have a SOL claim to assert.
The SOL for medical debts to be collected in GA, is four years.
It appears the medical practitioner is within the law for contacting you about the unpaid debt.
If you believe you owe nothing, write a letter explaining your position.
If you get sued, go to court, be prepared to defend your position.

 

[NBrazil]

Thanks. Yeah, I just found a site showing statute of limitations for various debts (oral, written, etc), and the four year time frame. This for service rendered 2.5 years ago.

While not easily accessible, I should have original bills in with my tax documents (the shoe box method, sigh) to compare with the bill I just received, so I don't know about the validity (thanks for your insight). It will take some time to find it.

In lieu of that time, I plan to contact the dentist office and, well, explain to them my current situation and see if they will settle for some percentage on the dollar (I'm hoping 30%) rather than nothing (in bankruptcy) as payment in full, I can come up with about a third.

Truth be told, I'm hoping to avoid bankruptcy, because if I work enough hours in a month on a part time basis - together with my Social Security I may be able to continue to service my obligations.

And the answer to the question about coming up with bills long after the procedure, what stops that is 4 years time.

 

[mightymoose]

It is possible the insurance did not cover the full amount and you had a balance remaining. My first call would be to my insurance.