Even when you have insurance, a surprise medical bill can really hurt. Now a San Francisco-based startup is trying to ease the pain, by scanning bills for mistakes and they are finding plenty.
Following a horrible car crash, 17-year-old Taylor Rippee was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room. While her family expected a co-pay, they never expect a $31,000 bill from the hospital. They simply couldnt pay it.
We have medical coverage, explains Michelle Rippee. I pay for medical coverage for a reason, so that my familys taken care of.
Victor Echeverria is founder and CEO of a startup known as Remedy. He says 60 percent of the medical bills his company has looked at have mistakes.
When it comes to industries, health care is as bad as you get, says Echevarria. Weve seen men billed for pregnancy tests. Weve seen people getting billed for surgeries that havent happened
He says the average family overpays a thousand dollars each year, though in most cases, he thinks they are honest mistakes.
Everything from as simple as you misspelled my name when filing an insurance claim, to something really hard to detect like a non-billable code most people dont even know what that means, says Echeverria.
Remedy has crunched those confusing codes. Users upload their bills and the it is scanned for free.
If Remedy finds a mistake, they say theyll get your insurer to remove it.
Remedy bills you 20 percent of the amount they saved you, but never more than $99. If there are no errors, there is no charge.
To sign up or get more information, go to tryremedy dot com.
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