Look at old checks, she said, and ask contractors for duplicate bills.

Duplicate bills are issued at free of cost.

We have had appeals mistakenly processed as duplicate bills, and supplemental information to justify our claim "lost" in transit.

In a polyglot region where insurance forms, duplicate bills and other medical red tape can be frustrating for people with limited English, it has become essential for hospitals and medical offices to offer help in several languages.

"But my wife and I spent hours and hours on the phone with nurses and clerks trying to figure out bills and duplicate bills, and what we owed and what we didn't owe, and what insurance would pay and what it wouldn't, and that's absurd."