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Help Available for Questionable Medical Bills

In Focus look at mediation services provided by state agency
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Posted at 10:32 AM, Nov 15, 2021
and last updated 2021-11-15 14:48:28-05

BALTIMORE — Medical care can come with a high price tag, and plunge people into deep debt.

But, if something doesn't look right to you, there are ways to dispute it, and the Maryland Office of the Attorney General offers its services to help.

The Health Education and Advocacy Unit isn't a new agency.

In the last fiscal year, they helped get back more than $2.5 million for more than 1,600 patients.

"Sometimes it does help to have an independent voice, advocating on behalf of the consumer," says Jeannine Robinson-Hurley, the Training, Education and Outreach Coordinator at the HEAU.

They can help you request a doctor re-submit a claim to your health insurance, they can advocate to your health insurance that your care is in fact covered under your policy and they can help you file an appeal.

Robinson-Hurley says, the agency can be a useful resource.

"Many people don't have the time or resources to actually put together the information needed for their insurance company to reconsider the decision," she tells WMAR-2 News.

The agency has an English and Spanish hotline.

English: 410-528-1840
En español 410-230-1712

You can also file a complaint online on the HEAU's website, here.