Wait, Wut? Is My Healthcare Now Free?

by Kim D

This morning I opened our BlueCross BlueShield of Texas statement and was utterly confused.  For the month of April, we owe nothing. Zip. Zero. But how could this be?  

By February 15, 2015, we had to sign up for a new plan, one which would allow for the same coverage and doctors like the one we had in 2014. The only difference was this new plan would be costing $750 more per month for our family of four. So, on February 10th, we bit the bullet, signed up for the plan, and made the first payment of . . . wait for it . . . $1,380.61, our new monthly premium which would begin coverage on 3/1/2015.

The March statement showed a zero balance because we had paid for the month of March with the February 10th payment. However, the new bill for coverage from 4/1/2015 to 4/30/2015 shows amount due $0.  Knowing the math didn't quite add up, I began making calls.

I first called the credit or debit card payment option and was greeted by a recording congratulating me on the chance to win a $100 Wal Mart gift card. I was immediately connected to a gentleman with a very thick accent. Once I told him I had a question about my bill and wasn't interested in taking a survey to win a gift card, the line went dead. 

I tried another phone # listed on the bill and was routed to an online pay service. I then logged onto my member account and could find no billing information or pay link.  The third and final phone number on the bill which would connect me to my "customer advocate" worked like a charm, kind of. The wait time was minimal and I got to speak to a lady with a nice, perky Southern accent. I gave her our insurance id# and other required verification and she said we had a zero balance.

Then I questioned her on the why and how could that be, and she said, "Hmmm . . . doesn't seem right, but that's what the system says. You owe nothing for the month of April. So, don't worry about it."  According to the BCBSTX website:

Each month you will receive a bill for your premium. You can continue to use your insurance as long as you keep your payments up to date. 

If our payments are not "up to date," will we have difficulty using the coverage if needed? Well, for now I'm not worrying about it, neither is my husband, But mark my words, if our May bill demands a double payment, I'm going to be furious!