[aeromarv]

OK, so I got my pump Oct 2006. I had 2 insurances so I paid Medtronic $744 and change. Last week I get a new bill from them for another $780! Its been a year and a half. No one at Medtronic (I talked to about 5 or 6 different people) can give me a break down of the account details that add up correctly. I'm a pretty smart guy. I've got a BS in Aerospace Engineering and I'm working on a Professional Master's of Engineering degree now and I can't figure out their math. I mean I can see what they are doing, but it still doesn't make sense. Maybe I'll threaten to send back the pump and tell them to refund my previous $744 and my insurances' $6400+.

[RobiJo]

Keep digging and pull at or call and ask for copies that show what your insurance paid (from your insurance company). Likely it could be a paperwork error somewhere. (Who waits a year and half for payment?) If you really owed this much more you would have seen a bill sooner.

[mcgriff]

One reason I chose the Cozmo is my overall impression of the company and the service they will provide. When I spoke with Medtronic everyone was indifferent and the rep took 2 weeks to return my call. They never gave me the impression they wanted my business and never made an attempt to make me feel like an individual. I felt like I was talking to my health insurance company...just a number. When I asked for a demo of a Paradigm the rep told me of a class in July I could attend. The Cozmo guy was at my house 3 days after making a call. Maybe I just fell through the cracks. I'm sure the Minimeds are fine pumps, but my initial contact with them was so bad I didn't even consider using their product.

To bill you 18 months after the purchase is insane. Do you have a balance from supplies? If this is cost from your initial pump purchase I would fight it tooth and nail. They've had plenty of time to get it straight and there should be a time limit as to how long they can sit on a bill of that size. Call your rep and threaten to switch to an Omnipod or something. Maybe he/she can sample you supplies totaling the $780.

[pegasus]

Send the paperwork (with a copy to them) to your state insurance company requesting a clarification.

[notme]

For every pump company that a person has used on this board, someone can tell a story of incompetence or failure to do something or another. I also researched every pump company before deciding to go back to Medtronic. I also had a billing error with Medtronic, the first time, that took me a few months to get sorted out. It was very similar to the story you are telling. After sending the EOB for payment on the pump and a copy of my check for my deductible three times, I finally was in the clear and was not given any more bills.

Keep at it and tell them you want them to see that the pump was paid for completely and you won't pay anything more. Call your insurance and get a copy of the EOB if you don't have it. Things will get sorted out.

[Tin Ben Dur]

Bull Butter. They need to tell their secretaries to quit gossiping and figure out their mistake. I have run into all kinds of garb since I was diagnosed.

[lelggren]

I had the exact same thing happen to me!!!! They really have issues that they need to get straightened out.....Mine was an extra like over $1000.00 that the mysterious bill was for. And, I too couldn't get any help or printouts from them. Basically, they told me to buck up and just pay it. And, I had no choice because I had already had the pump for over a year and they don't return it after that long of a time.

Their billing department just sucks. They do a lot of good as a company, but I probably will not buy a pump from them again because of the errors that they have made with me.

Hope that you can find a resolution with them! I sincerely wish you the best of luck with it and hope that your outcome with them is better than mine.

[notme]

I actually did get a pump from them again Laura and had no problems this time. I heard that there were thousands that had this billing issue and it took a lot of time to resolve. I was frustrated at the time as my bill was over two years old when they tried to re-bill me for my pump. I have had good luck with MimiMed ever since.

[morrisma]

I got my first pump the summer before medtronic bought minimed. I dealt with their reps and had a clear statement of what the insurance covered and what I had to pay. Nine or tem months later, the bills for about $700 began to arrive from medtronic. I spent a reasonable amount of time between the insurance co and medtronic who claimed that the merger had caused a lot of problems. I finally, after months of wrangling told a supervisor to fix their problems & stop bothering me. That was it as I recall - no more letters.
Mike

[lelggren]

Originally Posted by notme

I actually did get a pump from them again Laura and had no problems this time. I heard that there were thousands that had this billing issue and it took a lot of time to resolve. I was frustrated at the time as my bill was over two years old when they tried to re-bill me for my pump. I have had good luck with MimiMed ever since.

I am glad that you had good luck with them the next time Nancy I think that I just get burned easily, and it makes me really want to just stear clear of them. Especially where money is concerned. We are so broke already that it is just something that would probably do me in if I got another huge bill like that from them....

I just remember fighting with them for months and being told the same thing every time, nobody could help me and I just needed to pay it. And then I let it go until I moved here to UT and had worked with a Minimed rep at my old job (I dealt a lot with pumps and supplies at my old job), and he worked on it for months too and got nowhere.....It was just so discouraging especially since my pump was self pay. It would be paid off right now if not for their large mistake.

Please know that I am not discouraging anyone from buying a minimed pump. Their pumps are awesome, wonderfully simple to use, and sturdy (i've dropped mine and knocked it around a lot, and she's still tickin' ). I would love to buy another pump from them myself. But, I think that if I did, I would go through a 3rd party company rather than buy direct from Minimed.

[Jan B]

Wow,

My story is so different.
First, I have amazing insurance through my husband's company (I'm self-employed w/no insurance.)

In February, I started using my old pump that was out of warranty. I called MM to get some supplies & they encouraged me to upgrade to a newer model. I talked about it being out of warranty, assuming I might be out of luck. In less than 15 minutes, they called me saying my insurance company approved the new model and I needed a note from my doctor with his approval. My doctor's approval was received by MM in another 1/2 hour (I've got a great doctor).

The only little hiccup -- there was a 2-day lapse because the girl I was emailing back & forth with from MM missed what my doctor had faxed her.

One week later my pump arrived. My trainer called that night to set up a meeting. In another week, I received a package to send MM back my old pump, which I sent back right away for a $700 credit.

The next week I received a bill for $70 (seventy dollars) from MM -- that's it!!

[Dewey]

I think the morals of these stories are that people have different experiences with each company. Some love MM, some love Animas, some love Cozmo, some love OmniPod, etc.. Likewise, some dislike MM, some dislike Animas, etc.. For all the good experiences folks have with companies, sometimes individuals have bad ones as well.

In the past, I've had a share of troubles with MiniMed & bills/money...I too, encountered the problem shortly after Medtronic merged with them. I was so frustrated, that after 9 years of being with them (from the beginning of 1996 to Feb. 2004), I opted to switch. That said, it didn't stop me from coming back when I wanted a CGMS. I love the Guardian & have had decent luck with it.

Here's hoping that anyone & everyone who's having a tough time with MM bills & billing gets everything sorted out soon. Life can be stressful enough without unexpected (& wrongful) bills showing up!

[aeromarv]

Well, everyone I have talked to at MM seemed nice and truly trying to help. Its just that the bill I received, and copies of statements from MM, and my insurance EOBs don't match. I see where MM calculated the numbers, and it comes out to me owing more $$$. But the numbers on the bill I received don't match. An no one can explain why. Long story short, I ended up getting a 10% discount and having to pay the balance. I'm not sure I'm done fighting. Might have to go to the state incurance commission on this one. If anything, I'd at least like a clear explanation of the numbers, something no one at MM can seem to provide.

[pegasus]

Something that might be interesting to try--the MM Legal Department.

When I got my pump last October, I read the HIPAA word for word (I found very weird interpretations from different docs when it first passed), and found confusing language and that they had some note superscripts in the text that didn't have notes to match. So I called the company, and was switched around and around until I got someone's answering machine in the Legal department, and figured that was it. I actually got a call back from someone, and we went over it; he explained the confusing language and promised to--and did--get back to me with an answer about the notes (holdovers from old versions).

Those folks who don't deal directly with the public are often surprised--and not displeased--when someone tracks them down and actually talks to them intelligently. You could say that you've encountered many other pumpers who have had this complaint, and that it would be important to MM's reputation, and to keep pumpers, to resolve it.

Good luck!