<p>We are learning this the hard way. Last spring, D became very ill and was sent by cab to an ER connected with her U. Two students went with her and apparently they handled the paperwork while she was seen by a doctor. No idea if they found the insurance card in her purse. Her dad carries the insurance. My address is her permanent address. So, any insurance info would have gone to him and any remaining bill should have come to me. I got no bill so I figured her very good insurance covered it. Two weeks ago (six months later) D received a letter at my address from a collection company for quite a bit owed on the hospital bill THAT WE NEVER RECEIVED. No idea if insurance was ever filed because dad can't remember. I call the collection company to see what's going on and they can't talk to me, in fact, hang up on me. Call the hospital just to see if insurance was filed, and they can't talk to me. It has taken D two weeks to get releases so they can talk to me so I can try to figure out what happened. No way is an 18-19 year old mature enough to handle this kind of situation. Get your kids to sign medical releases so medical providers can talk to you. It has nothing to do with respect for their privacy. Unless they are prepared to handle the financial part on their own......you need to be authorized to talk to the providers.</p>
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<p>I agree with you…but my understanding is there is NO blanket “form” you can sign for this. It has to be done with each situation. My DD was taken to the hospital when she was a college senior…she called me from the emergency room and I gave her a LONG list of people to authorize for communication. Otherwise, it would have been a NO for us too. </p>
<p>The thing these students DO need to know is that they should contact you ASAP in case of any medical situation and they should ask how they can put YOU on the list of folks authorized to speak to folks with regards to the situation.</p>
<p>I know some parents who have gotten a limited power of attorney specifically for medical reasons…not sure how that worked. Not sure if it’s even a good idea, but if it is…then maybe that is the way to go…because then you would always have that ability to discuss the medical situation…</p>
<p>Not so sure about the billing…if your kiddo doesn’t list you on that form at the hospital.</p>
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<p>Slightly offtopic, but it seems to me this is becoming more and more common…</p>
<p>Contact a lawyer; there is a standard form for this exact thing. We have it for both our kids. I think it’s called a health care proxy but don’t quote me.</p>
<p>Similar thing happened to us with S2. He forgot he had the insurance card on him (he’d never had to use it) when he went to the ER; no claim was ever sent to insurance nor did the hospital follow up with S about his insurance; no bill was ever sent home; and 4 months later, he got a collection letter at home (I guess the hospital had the address after all).</p>
<p>We were able to talk to the collection agency if S called them first & gave them verbal permission. He talked to someone in the hospital billing dept who admitted that this was probably a billing mistake, but that didn’t really help any. The hospital did file the insurance claim at that point, which decreased what we still owed, but it took probably 5 more months to get the whole thing settled. Fortunately, the collection agency never reported him to the credit bureaus.</p>
<p>I think S learned it’s better to let us know when he has a medical issue than to try to handle it all himself.</p>
<p>Try the Durable Power of Attorney for Healthcare Decisions (which is probably available as a standard form for the state your student lives in) AND a Power of Attorney designating you as his/her POA specifically for healthcare related insurance information and claims, healthcare provider billing and payments, Clinicians & Student Health Services at ABC University, appeals to insurer, state or federal appeals panels, INCLUDING protected health information covered by HIPAA, State, or local privacy or healthcare privacy statutes, include Mental Health related claims and benefits.</p>
<p>With the addition of Medicare and SS, the above language for the POA has largely allowed me to deal with health claims and related problems for my parents, my mil, and my kid. Some providers balk, but most can be persuaded with this. While a general POA would SEEM to be helpful, I was turned away in most cases without specific language in the POA that directly addressed healthcare. If there’s a way to fit it all on one page, including the notary stamp and attestation, you’ll be much happier since you may need to fax it or attach it to letters. I boldfaced the HIPAA portion for ease in referencing it.</p>
<p>This isn’t just happening to kids who might not have their insurance cards (or who do). DH got a bill for a $5000 LifeStar ride (we already HAD an EOB that said it was paid) a year after it happened…yep…from a collection agency. And believe me…I had the power to talk to the insurance and the hospital. The insurance coverage is in MY name…and he signed all the releases.</p>
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I don’t think this is a given. If the kid is taught what actions they need to do then they should be able to handle at least some aspects of it. The minimum should be to promptly inform the person holding the insurance (parents) that they incurred the service. They should also know whether the insurance info was provided to the hospital/med office or not and if they don’t know then they can follow up with the hospital to figure it out. They might not be in a position to review the actual bills that go to the parent’s house but they should be able to at least answer anything questionable on them.</p>
<p>Just like the other thread about the student who got sick at college and had no mother there to check on and mother her, thereby necessitating that the student understand they need to take care of themselves, the student needs to understand up front that they have a responsibility to take care of these health insurance items to the best of their ability.</p>
<p>I’m not disputing the idea of getting a medical release though, especially if the parent is left holding the bag on insurance or any debt as a result.</p>
<p>If the student is over 18, and no parent signed any of the hospital admission docs, then I don’t know why you’d be getting calls from a collection agency since it seems that YOU don’t owe the hospital any money (although I realize these people will go after anyone who might be in a position to pay sometimes). There was another recent thread on this particular point.</p>
<p>We also had this happen- our D was in Boston (we are in CA) and got very sick. Our med. insurance did not cover her there so we had purchased a policy through her school just for that reason. The medical facility did have her insurance information, and told her she would be completely covered. She left that school shortly after this, and lo and behold, we got a huge bill in CA from a collection agency about 6 mos. later. It turned out that the insurance had sent her a questionnaire asking simply if this was her primary insurance- it went to her school address and was not forwarded to her. Since she did not respond, they did not cover the cost and sent it to a collection agency. By the time we figured out what was going on, the insurance company said it was too late to file a claim. We were able to negotiate a sizable discount, but it was so frustrating, as we had paid a significant amount for the insurance policy. Fortunately it did not affect her credit rating.</p>
<p>Part of the issue is the horrendous way hospitals handle billing. It can be so drawn out and convoluted with various bills (room, pharmacy, this doc, that doc, radiology, this lab, that lab, etc.) all coming at different times and no straightforward way to confirm that they’ve been paid.</p>
<p>Part of it is incompetency…sorry…but there it is. When DH had his emergency <em>I</em> was there to give them the insurance. I watched them as they “entered” the information into their little computer. About a week after his discharge, they sent us a form with that information asking if there were any “corrections” needed…ahem…they had his address, birthday, and the insurance policy number wrong (and YES they had made a photo copy of it). They must KNOW they have folks who make errors like this…and so we sent in the corrections form…with the correct information (again). Unbelievable.</p>
<p>THE MORE IMPORTANT ISSUE…</p>
<p>…that was brought into the forefront with the tragedy at Virginia Tech. If your child is over 18, a parent has NO RIGHTS TO MAKE ANY MEDICAL DECISIONS for their kids. In fact, PARENTS OF VT KIDS COULD NOT EVEN LEARN IF THEY WERE IN HOSPITAL OR THEIR CONDITION. After this tragedy, many attorneys advised their clients to have their kids sign releases.</p>
<p>Although the financial issue is important, the medical issues are more so.</p>
<p>While the financial issue is important,</p>
<p>If a student is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, they medical folks WILL talk to the next of kin.</p>
<p>Both of our kids were told that if they had any medical emergency and could call us…they should do so IMMEDIATELY. Either we or someone we knew (a responsible adult) would arrange to be with them. It’s one reason why our criteria for college choice was either less than a 3 hour drive from our house…OR within an hour of a close friend or relative.</p>
<p>When our daughter was hospitalized, she called, and we gave her a LENGTHY list of folks to put on the release form because from across the country, we didn’t know who would actually get there in time for her surgery…first. As it happened a close relative got there immediately…and so did a close friend. Since we were on the release the kiddo signed, WE actually made a lot of decisions with the doctor via telephone (decisions about a second surgical procedure, and the options if that wasn’t successful…it was thank goodness).</p>
<p>BUT the bottom line was as uscd<em>ucla</em>dad said…the KID knew what to do… and did so.</p>
<p>At this point the same kid is overseas. We have a complete Power of Attorney for her…so we can handle everything if needed including health issues, and finances. It is all clearly spelled out on the POA.</p>
<p>“If a student is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated, they medical folks WILL talk to the next of kin.”</p>
<p>Not true - a parent cannot even get information as to the condition of their child:</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“http://www.probate-estate-planner.com/children.html]Children[/url”>http://www.probate-estate-planner.com/children.html]Children[/url</a>]</p>
<p>My comment is a bit off topic; both my kids have had ER billing issues, even though we were WITH them, and made sure the insurance information was submitted. </p>
<p>When I see dependent adults in my office I let them know I need to talk to whoever will be financially responsible, AND to the insured. This may not be fair, but I have learned how casual some young people are with their signature. Some don’t seem to get how signing things makeS them finically responsible. I did meet one remarkable young man who seems to understand completely, and took all the right steps. I remember he went to Reed!</p>
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<p>This is not true. If a patient is unable to speak for self, we (the medical folk) always contact and rely on the next of kin to make decisions and sign consents etc. The next of kin is generally considered spouse, then parent, then siblings or children (if old enough). Obviously, if there is a medical power of attorney, then that trumps any of the above but most college students do not have one. </p>
<p>Another point, my brother was recently knocked unconscious in a bicycle accident while riding alone, and the medical center had no way to find next of kin. His iPhone was locked and he lives alone so even though he had his drivers license with him, the hospital could not locate the next of kin. Fortunately, he woke up enough to tell them how to unlock his phone and who to call. So, make sure that scenario is covered.</p>
<p>Yet another comment: my daughter had a minor injury while we were out of town. I took her to the ER, registered her with our current address, insurance etc. Several months later, I received a collection agency call at my office. After multiple phone calls, I found out that the hospital, for reasons that no one has been able to figure out, had somehow unearthed an address that we moved out of 6 years ago, and had sent the bills there. Obviously, it never reached me. It was very bizarre.</p>
<p>This may all be the technical problems, but I have found in practice, that medical personnell will talk to whomever is there. When my BIL got into a car accident, he was unable to communicate from the moment he was airlifted, to the time he died. No hospital employee ever asked his parents for any paperwork of any kind. All family members were appraised of his condition and were asked how to proceed. What were they supposed to do?</p>
<p>When my cousin had surgery, any family member (and a couple of friends) who were waiting afterwards were told how it went and her status. I certainly don’t remember having to sign forms, waivers or anything else. </p>
<p>Now…if a perfectly coherent 18 yr old goes to a health clinic, no clinic is going to call a parents without that student’s permission. And rightly so. And afterwards, no doctors office is going to speak to the parents without the student’s permission. I also wouldn’t want my doctor’s office giving my mother my personal medical or billing information without my permission. But rest assured, that if I end up comatose, they WILL let my mother know, without previously having signed a release.</p>
<p>The posters above were lucky. The link I provided in my last post talked about the situation in Virginia.</p>
<p>Why take the chance?</p>
<p>^ Gus, you’re going to base your opinion on a for profit lawyer’s site?</p>
<p>HIPAA allows doctors to talk to family when the patient is unconscious or incapacitated. <a href=“http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/provider_ffg.pdf[/url]”>http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/understanding/coveredentities/provider_ffg.pdf</a></p>
<p>Erin’s Dad – You’re right. Unfortunately, a truly HUGE percentage of hospital and medical office staff don’t believe it. Kind of like the TSA officers who insist that printouts from TSA’s website showing something as allowable, “aren’t up-to-date,” and you get forced to dump whatever anyway.</p>