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A huge bill arrives two and a half years after a visit to the emergency room: what to do?

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Junko went to the ER after an asthma attack, she gave the hospital her insurance cards – but they got the claims mixed up. Junko got a bill for over $5,000 out of the blue, years later. She tried to dispute the bill with the hospital but got no response. Her CHA Advocate got the bill recalled from collections and filed a complaint with the hospital, saving Junko $5,000.

“My CHA Advocate listened to me and was always on my side. It took a while, but because of her patient and constant approach, my claim was accepted, and the charge was removed. I feel so grateful that there is someone who takes the initiative to solve my problems. The insurance system is just too intimidating for a single mother with two children.” —Junko Arita, Queens, NY

Resolving Medical Bills

Don’t understand why you received a medical bill when you have health insurance coverage?

If you receive a bill, the first thing you should do is make sure what you received is actually a bill, not an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your health plan.  If it is a bill, should your health plan have covered it? (If you were uninsured on the date of service, see uninsured option below).

Some medical bills may be a co-payment or other cost sharing you owe from a service you received. If you believe that the service you received should not have cost-sharing, such as a preventive care service, please contact CHA at 888-614-5400 for help.

If the bill you received is not for your regular cost-sharing amount, you may have balance billing protections that prohibit providers from billing you for covered services. Click on the type of health insurance coverage you have to see if these protections apply to you.

If you have questions or further assistance with your medical bills, please contact CHA at 888-614-5400.

CHA can help answer your healthcare questions.

  • Call our helpline at (888) 614-5400 Monday to Friday, 9am to 4pm,
  • or email cha@cssny.org.

Healthcare Q&A

Read short articles that answer frequently asked questions about healthcare and insurance. Find out how CHA has helped others, and can help you. Choose a topic: