by KYW's Salil Gutt
Health care expenses are at the top of the list for most senior's budgets. Out of pocket monthly expenses for the various insurance premiums can range from $400 to $750 per month per person depending on family income.
The last thing one wants are errors by their insurance company which increases out of pocket costs even further. The problems generally occur with the private companies that administer the Medigap policies.
Here's a common situation. Medigap policies are responsible for paying the expenses that Medicare does not cover. The unpleasant surprise comes in a letter from the private company indicating that the supplemental policy does not cover certain items and that the customer is responsible for them. When called on this by alert customers, the insurance companies concede an error has been made and conveniently blame it on a data entry error. This is happening often enough that customers should be on guard.
The best thing to do is call the customer service number for any claim where money is payable by you. If you are still getting the run around then call the health care people who provided the service to double check.
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