This past January, I was double-billed for the same procedure — bladder anesthesia for a kidney stone crushing (lithoscopy).

When I enquired, the billing company said that they had to do it because the procedure was performed by a nurse and not the doctor. So, the insurance company wouldn’t pay unless the doctor had done it. If that’s true, should the nurse have done it at all?

They never removed the charge. No reason was given, and contacting them is very difficult. I don’t have the resources to dispute or sue. I don’t have the funds to file a claim in small claims court or the legal knowledge, and I am mobility-challenged and things where I live are spread out. Getting to the courthouse is very difficult for me. 

I was informed that every doctor is supposed to introduce themselves to you and tell you what they are going to do. I don’t remember the doctor or nurse introducing themselves and telling me who they were and what they were going to do. 

Things have been very hard. I have a lot of medical bills to pay. I was downsized from work and lost my healthcare coverage. So paying off these bills really cuts into my income.