Dentist estimate wrong- now am I responsible to pay?

[tracykins1978]

My dentist gave me an estimate for dental work which was wrong. The coverage I actually receive is 50%. The estimate the dentist office gave me showed I was covered at 80%. Now there is an outstanding bill for over $300.00 that I don't think I should pay for since this was an error on the insurance company and/or the dentist office- not me. The dentist said the insurance company refuses to pay, so they called me. I had already spoken to the dentist office about this before and they said it was their error and to disregard the bill. Now a few months later, they are charging me again. Am I responsible to pay for someone elses mistake?

 

[cbg]

An estimate is exactly that; an estimate. It's not a guarantee. The dentist did the work; you are responsible for whatever charges are not covered by the insurance.

 

[tracykins1978]

I thought so, but was unsure whether I could hold them liable for their mistake. Unfortunately, I could not afford to have all the work done at once with only 50% coverage. Since I was supposedly covered at 80%, I had agreed to complete all of the work (which doubled the price). Now I have ran into a hardship trying to come up with the remaining money. I thought perhaps they were liable for that error.

 

[Duranie]

You should always double check with your insurance company on coverage. It sounds like the work was needed regardless, what if you didn't have it done? More problem teeth.

 

[cbg]

You don't get to "hold them responsible" for an error in what the insurance will pay. It is your responsibility, not theirs, to know what your insurance will cover. If they choose to waive some or all of the balance, that is up to them. The law is not going to force them to.