The Bill Came Today

I am not completely sure how I feel about it.  I was expecting it, I guess.  Despite that, I was thinking maybe it wouldn't come.  Maybe I would be proven wrong.

The bill is for $5.28.

It would not be out of bounds to say I can pay this bill.

It would not even be untrue to say that it would be very easy to pay this bill, close out this particular account, forget about it all and move on with my life.

The bill is not my responsibility to pay.

It is a medical bill, and is coded for a procedure I never had done.  A procedure that my doctor never requested.

It is for having blood drawn - and there were no additional charges for any sort of blood work. 

I have called on this particular bill two times.

The first time, I explained the issue, and I was told she would "look into it and call me back."

Two months later, I got my next statement (which included a few hundred dollars in legitimate charges), and I called again.  The person who answered the phone this time told me he could see the original inquiry and he would let the first girl know I had called again and she would follow up with me. 

I explained to him I was prepared to pay the bill in full, if we could get that particular charge settled.  He was unimpressed.

I waited another month before I finally sent off a check for the bill.  Less $5.28 for work that never happened.

A month has gone by, and although I originally expected this statement to come, some naive, innocent part of me thought some wise person on the other end would wonder WHY I had short-payed by $5.28, would look at my account, see the inquiries and resolve the issue.

Today, however, the bill came.  $5.28.

I could pay the bill and be done with it, or I could call, again, and argue the point.

It's not worth my time to argue.  It's not worth my frustration when I get no where. 

But the part of me that was a scared broke 20-something with mounting medical bills and increasingly frequent collection calls wants to fight this for all its worth.  It would be retribution for all those bills that were never even looked at, never questioned, simply added to this credit card or that credit card until all the credit cards were full.  It would be getting one up on the medical bills that were such a large part of my bankruptcy and the turmoil that scared broke girl went through.

The 30-something in me knows that none of that makes a bit of difference to this medical office.  It's not even the SAME medical office, let alone the same person looking at my account.   This part of me knows that it is more likely that I will be reduced to frustrated tears over $5.28 then that the person on the other end of the phone will agree it is a bogus charge.

The righteous part of me wants to write a letter!  Threaten to sue! 

The part of me that felt sinful and wrong for being broke, for being bankrupt, just wants to quietly pay the bill and just be glad its not for more.