Does anyone know much about the process of receiving a refund from a hospital? What is the legal timeline for refunds?

I’m asking because I went to the hospital August of 2017, so last year, and from then until about June 2018 this year, I was fighting with my insurance I had at the time. They were refusing to cover my visit. Long story short, they decided to finally cover a large part of it, literally a few days AFTER I freaking paid $7,000 out of pocket for the visit.

NOW, I’ve been fighting with the hospital billing about getting my refund for what the insurance decided to cover. They owe me $4,500!! I’ve been given the run around by ten different people. One day they say I should give it 30 days, then the next minute someone says there’s “no timeline” for refunds. I even spoke directly to the company who writes their checks for them, and back in August they claimed in writing through email that my refund was literally being “printed as we speak” and I should receive it in a week through mail, by the end of August at that time. Never came, so I profusely tried to contact the lady who told me that information for over two weeks. No response, until someone else from the company called me directly and said all of a sudden their company is no long contracted with the hospital I went to, conveniently enough... I didn’t believe her. So I did some research and made calls and found out that the woman blatantly lied to me about it.

Like seriously, where the eff is my money?!

I’m considering contacting an attorney. I’m giving them one more chance to send me my refund (as I just emailed someone else about it).

Is this normal?!!!