Can I be charged with theft of services on a dental bill if I have insurance, made payments, and the bill is disputed for inconsistencies in pre-estimate?

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Can I be charged with theft of services on a dental bill if I have insurance, made payments, and the bill is disputed for inconsistencies in pre-estimate?

I told the office that due to my husband being disabled and my low income with school district, I would need to know exactly what the billing would be, specifically my cost vs insurance payment. I was given a paper outlining this and made payments according to this. Then the billing came in the mail and was totally different from the paper, and substantially higher. I have been disputing this since time of services in 2006. This week I rec’d a call from a mean man in a credit service, threatening me with a civil suit and “theft of services” and jail time of 1-2 yrs. Is this legal and what about statute of limitations?

Asked on June 25, 2009 under Insurance Law, Texas

Answers:

N. K., Member, Iowa and Illinois Bar / FreeAdvice Contributing Attorney

Answered 14 years ago | Contributor

It is illegal for a debt collector to threaten you with jail time since this is a civil, not a criminal, matter. You can of course be sued in a civil case.

The statute of limitations for a debt in Texas is 4 years.


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