Last April 2006, Blue Cross-True Blue Social Security HMO proposed that we insured could have our premiums taken out of our Medicare Checks rather than worry about making the payment every month by check or money order. I agreed and stopped making premium payments first time in many years as the said I should. In the bill I got for August, it said I owed 423.69 for back payments (April thru August) and the balance should be paid by the end of September. Their math is fuzzy to start with, 423.69 5 months 84.74, but my regular monthly payment is 70.14. The question is, are they actually trying to charge me a non-payment of premium late charge on top of my regular payment because of their error?

Some attorney should grab hold of this one. There have got to be hundreds of people who have this same thing happening to them in Idaho.

In my estimation, because it is their fault in the first place, they should either pay the premiums they didn't get because the insured were told to quit making 'regular' payments cause they had signed a paper agreeing to have payments taken out of their SS checks.

People on Social Security cannot afford to have big lump-sum payments levied from the insurance company that helps pay their hospital bills.

I called Blue Cross (Meridian, Idaho) and quzzed them about this issue. They, in effect, nodded along with me, then said, 'but we are giving a gift no less our insured till the end of September to bring their accounts up to date.' If someone is on SS that person has either got to say, 'well, I guess I can do without my heart medicine, food, etc., to pay this bill by September or risk cancellation.

People on Social Security don't have EXTRA BIG PAYMENTS at thier disposal. So, I imagine if I cannot come up with the 423.69, they will cancel my policy. How fair is that?