Action: Keep copies of those medical bills

I had four skin cancers removed in March. In May, I received a bill for $89.75 from Quest Diagnostics and a request for a copy of my BlueCross BlueShield card. I believe the bill represented the balance after Quest had collected from Medicare; I no longer have a copy of it, as I sent it off with my check and the BCBS information.

I could not get this resolved, so I wrote a letter to the doctor that I was leaving him, even though he did an excellent job on my skin cancers. At my age, 90, you know I have been to different doctors of all kinds, and it was only after going to him that I started getting bills from Quest. Helen Mitchell

Response: If we understood your complaint correctly, without a copy of the bill from Quest Diagnostics, you felt that BlueCross BlueShield of Florida should have been billed by Quest, not you, and since you went ahead and paid, "someone" owed you the money and an explanation. It turns out the situation is not that straightforward.

Maegan Walton, customer satisfaction representative for Quest Diagnostics in Norristown, Pa., said the payment of $89.75 you made was not for biopsy charges. Rather, it was a balance due after Medicare paid its portion for blood testing performed in March.

Since Quest does not file insurance claims with secondary carriers, the bill was sent to you, not BlueCross BlueShield. BCBS will reimburse you, she said, if the payment you made was for services covered under its benefits. It is up to you, however, to forward the bill to BCBS, along with a copy of your Medicare statement.

Once we got this information, we contacted BlueCross BlueShield, which administers Medicare in Florida, on your behalf. Unfortunately, it appears you will not be reimbursed for the $89.75 payment you made to Quest. According to Steve Wilson, a spokesman for BlueCross BlueShield of Florida in Jacksonville, the service in question was denied because the diagnosis code indicated it was related to a vitamin B-12 test. This is not covered by either Medicare, he said, or Advantage65 Select Plan E, your secondary insurance through BlueCross BlueShield of Florida. He also said you signed a waiver at the time of the test that you would pay if your insurance did not. This is standard procedure for doctors, hospitals, labs, etc.

We're sorry we couldn't help but hope that this explanation will set your mind at ease. In the future, be sure to keep copies of any bills you receive for medical services. It makes trying to unravel billing problems so much easier, not only for the patient, but also for the provider.

Yellowed flooring

I purchased carpet and vinyl for my condo from Progressive Floors in Port Richey. The flooring for the hallway, closet and kitchen was Armstrong Initiation. The final installation and payment occurred on Feb. 15. Sometime in August, I started noticing a yellow patch in the middle of the kitchen. This patch has now appeared in an "L" shape in the middle of the kitchen.

I called Progressive, which sent someone who said the discoloration came from the street. Now, there are no yellow stains by the front door or the hallway. There never were, so I don't know how the inspector came to that conclusion. I then called Armstrong; it sent some cleaner, which did nothing. Several weeks later, Progressive sent another inspector, and as soon as he walked in the door, before he even saw the kitchen floor, he, too, said it was from the street.

I think the product was defective when it was installed and I think Progressive should back up the products it sells. The flooring has been in place since February, and I certainly did nothing to cause the discoloration. Muriel Feldman

Response: According to Chris Bedgio, the owner of Progressive Floors in Port Richey, Armstrong has determined that this is not a manufacturing defect. The residue from walking on the asphalt paving around your condo is what has caused the discoloration in the traffic area, he said, and there is therefore nothing further he can do.

-- Action solves problems and gets answers for you. If you have a question, or your own attempts to resolve a consumer complaint have failed, write Times Action, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or call your Action number, (727) 893-8171, or, outside of Pinellas, toll-free 1-800-333-7505, ext. 8171, to leave a recorded request.

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