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Insurance denied: claim filed too late. How to appeal

Your health insurance denied a claim as claim filed too late. What it means, your deadline, and how to appeal.

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What it means

The provider sent the claim after the plan's deadline.

What to do

This is the provider's deadline, not yours. If the provider is in your network, its contract often does not let it bill you for it. Ask in writing.

Your deadline

Most plans give you 180 days from the denial notice to file an internal appeal. Original Medicare gives 120 days from the Medicare Summary Notice, and Medicare Advantage plans 65 days from their decision. Check the date printed on your letter.

If the plan says no again

After a final denial from a marketplace or employer plan, you can ask for an external review by an independent reviewer within 4 months. If the reviewer decides for you, the plan must pay.

Ask for your claim file

You have the right to receive, free of charge, copies of the documents and the criteria used to decide your claim.

Other denial reasons

Sources

  1. HealthCare.gov: Internal appeals
  2. HealthCare.gov: External review
  3. 29 CFR 2560.503-1, claims procedure for employer health plans