jersey ctiy dental practice

[pvickers]

When my 24 year old daughter was put back on my medical insurance through my employer I assumed she was put back on dental as well. She had a procedure done in an oral surgeons office and the staff did not check out her coverage obviously because they told my daughter everything was ok with the insurance after she sat in their office for hours waiting for an answer. My medical insurance covered part of the procedure because she was put to sleep but they did not tell her until after the surgery many weeks later that she was not covered by my dental insurance. Now they are sending me bills as though I were the patient and are threatening to send this bill to a collection agency. Can they do this?

 

[cbg]

Of course they can. It was YOUR responsibilty to (1) inform your employer that you wanted to include her on your dental insurance (if you even can - the new law that requires that employers allow you to cover your children under 26 on your medical insurance does NOT extend to dental insurance) and (2) to know what is and is not covered under which plan.

Since your daughter is a legal adult, you are free to pass the bills on to her and tell her to pay them, but there is nothing whatsoever in the law that says that the practice cannot pursue these bills or send them to collection if they are not paid.

 

[pvickers]

I will pass the bills on to my adult daughter and hope my credit is not damaged. I never signed papers accepting responsibility.

 

[army judge]

I will pass the bills on to my adult daughter and hope my credit is not damaged. I never signed papers accepting responsibility.

This is an adult (24 year old daughter).

You are NOT responsible for any bill another adult incurs.

This bill is your daughter's responsibility.

You need to inform the dental practice that she is an adult.

Tell them that you refuse to be responsible for her medical expenses, and are not required by law to assume such responsibility.

What happens to your daughter?

What happens to any foolish, irresponsible, or uniformed adult?

It isn't your problem unless you choose for it to be.

 

[cbg]

However, to avoid this happening again, you and your adult daughter need to determine whether or not your employer will permit her to enroll in your dental plan and, at your next available opportunity (which will be your next open enrollment period) do so. You (and she) were foolish in the extreme to assume that she was covered without either requesting such coverage or following up to ensure that it was in place.