Dissatisfaction With Dental Bill: Refusing to Pay $879.38 - Essay Sample

Introduction

I hope this letter finds you well. The aim of writing this letter is to express my dissatisfaction in the dental bill. Regarding the solicited dental costs amounting to $879.38 sent from the beginning of September 2018 to October of 2019, I remain unswerving in not paying the dental charges.

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My refusal not to pay the dental cost as indicated results from the flagrant disregard of my wishes. Initially, I had expressed my concerns for my son not to undergo dental procedures. I categorically stated that my son would not go for the treatment if the insurance covers could not cater for the costs. The incident referenced above took place on the 1st March 2018 when I brought my son and daughter for routine teeth cleaning procedure. It is worth noting that my kids were covered under the free dental care of the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program. Therefore, the treatment was supposed to be free. However, as it was explained to me, the Healthy Smiles Ontario Program covers such procedures once a year. Since my children had been through teeth cleaning exercise six months earlier, I understood that they would not be insured under that cover. However, costs could be catered by private insurance coverage.

Having been covered by Claimsecure (Centennial College Student Insurance), a private insurer, I requested the confirmation. I sought to determine whether my child's dental cost for the procedure would be covered under the limits of Claimsecure. Under that directive, your receptionist contacted the Claimsecure insurance provider to ensure that my children would be covered at no extra cost. The entire process of consultations took over 20 minutes. The receptionist verified the information provided and confirmed that the insurer would cover for the cleaning procedure for both my son and daughter. After the teeth cleaning exercise, I was informed by the front-desk receptionist that the dentist, Dr. Nick Stratas, had made some discoveries. The dentist had recommended that my son needed a treatment plan based on his oral health needs. The receptionist was a different lady.

The treatment plan for my son, in this case, involved the extraction of one upper left tooth as well as the filling of one bottom tooth. At the time, I never wanted any of these procedures performed to my son since he did not like them. Moreover, I was uncomfortable with the cost they would drive towards my insurance premium as well as the limit of the insurance coverage budget. We were informed that the procedure was essential for my son, considering his oral health issues. Moreso, the treatment was supposed to start as soon as possible. Therefore, I felt that it was prudent for my son to undergo the process. However, before making any arrangement, my wife and I requested to have an explicit confirmation. We needed to understand whether the procedure costs would be covered under the Claimsecure (Centennial College Student Insurance) in its entirety. The request was followed with a disclaimer that we would not consent to the procedures unless they are covered under the insurance premium budget available. She confirmed that, indeed, the treatment would be covered, and the budget was enough.

In agreement that the procedures would be covered in their entirety by the Claimsecure (Centennial College Student Insurance), the receptionist helped us book an appointment for 2nd March 2018 the following day. The next morning, I took my son to Dr. Nick Stratas, the dentist, for the one upper left tooth removal and filling of one bottom tooth procedure. At the time of the treatment, it was clear that all dental expenses would be covered through the available insurance premiums.

To my dismay and utter disbelief, in September 2018, I received a bill through the mail from the dentist that I owe $879.38. The letter explained that the insurance covered only $50.62, and therefore I was required to pay for what was not insured. The information was shocking since there was clear communication that all procedures were to be covered by the Claimsecure insurance policy. At this point, my wife made a call to the dentist's office to confirm the details of the bill. During the call, she explained the situation and how the procedures ought to be covered within the insurance premium. The receptionist at the time said that she would confirm the details and would call back. However, she never provided us with any response.

In November of 2018, a second bill came through the mail from the dentist again, claiming that we still owe $879.38. The letter claimed that the amount reflected due to the dental procedures outside the insurance coverage. Thus, it was required that we pay the amount to cover the cost. At the time, my wife called the dentist's office and spoke with the receptionist and explained how we could not pay for the extra dental costs. My wife claimed that we authorized the procedure after confirmation that the insurance would cover the expenses. She explained to the receptionist that they indeed confirmed that all treatments were within the insurance budget, and that's why we felt confident that our son should have the procedure. She went further to explain that it was not in our purview to determine what was covered within the insurance. Moreover, the dental clinic confirmed that the cost would be included. We are, therefore, not liable to any cost, and we would not pay as it was not our fault. At this juncture, the receptionist said that she would talk to the doctor and rudely hanged up the call without saying anything.

In October 2019, almost a year later, I have received another bill through the mail from you for $597.90 instead of $879.38. I remain adamant that I will not pay this bill due to the reasons that I have explained above. Mainly, this warranted me to write this letter to air my grievances and dissatisfactions.

At the moment, I remain skeptical about your patient handling protocol and communication procedures. Regarding the occurrences on the 1st March 2018 interaction, it is clear that I explicitly explained my wishes. I wanted no medical procedures that would not be covered under the insurance policy that I provided. We accepted the treatment after the receptionist confirmed that all the dental procedures that you recommended for my son would be covered by the insurance cover that I consented to them.

Receiving a bill then of those procedures is the sentiment that indeed, those dental costs were outside the insurance covered. As such, I did not consent to the treatments, and therefore, I am not, and I will not be liable to any dental costs that arose from those procedures. Moreover, the practice is dishonest and betrays the code of conduct as listed within the clinical practice guidelines. To this effect, I protest the constant solicitation for money towards a bill of voluntary medical procedures that, in retrospect, I consented to under pretenses. Further, your receptionist displayed rude behavior in handling the matter with few explanations.

I am, therefore, making this communication clear. Considering the order of events and the reasons provided above, I am not liable and will not accept liability for dental costs solicited in pretenses. I hope to hear from you soon.