How to Negotiate High Medical Bills

It seems like there are an ever-increasing amount of stories about people having to deal with massive hospital bills. This can happen to anyone, especially if they do not have an adequate health insurance policy. The good news is that if you are hit with an unexpected hospital bill that you cannot afford to pay then you have some options. Here are some tips in order to help you negotiate high medical bills.

Be Organized

The second that you receive your first hospital bill, it is crucial that you are extremely organized about keeping track of each one that you receive. To do this, it is recommended that you use a spreadsheet. Keep in mind that you may be dealing with a bundle of hospital bills and not just one. This can come from a hospital, from various doctors, from the ambulance, from a lab, etc. Bills usually come from the particular medical service you used and not from the hospital itself.

Review Your Hospital Bills

It is highly recommended that you place a call to the hospital’s billing department in order to make sure that all of the charges are correct and to see if there are any charges from bill you have not yet received. It is surprisingly common for bills to contain overcharges and errors and so it is up to you to ensure that you are being charged the appropriate amount for the services you received. For example, if you bring medications that you received from an outside source with you to the hospital, it is not uncommon for them to be charged to your bill by mistake.

Don’t Be Afraid to Challenge Your Health Insurance

You should be keeping track of any hospital bills that your health insurers reject due to the drug or procedure not being covered by your health insurance policy. If you truly think that your health insurers should be paying a larger portion of your medical bill then you should not hesitate to attempt to appeal the decision. In fact, you’d be surprised by how often health insurers change their mind from a previous rejection.

Negotiate Medical Bills After Figuring Out How Much You Have to Spend Out of Pocket

If you need more time to pay your hospital bills then it is quite easy to speak with the business office staff or hospital in order to fix up a payment plan. On top of this, you could try to get a cash discount by paying the entire bill all at once.

Compare Rates

It may be useful to look online in order to see the rates for other competing hospitals. In this way you may discover that the hospital you used is charging you a way larger amount than they should. You can use this knowledge in order to attempt to get your expenses down.

Consider Hiring a Professional

Due to the fact that medical bills are extremely messy and complicated, it can be worth your while to hire a medical-billing or patient-billing advocate. This advocate will most likely charge you between 15%-30% of what you save by using them. This is similar to getting a CPA to complete your taxes. If you go with this option then ensure that you do not have to pay the professional any fees upfront. A good advocate will be willing to work for you, and only be paid if they win the case.

See If You Can Get Assistance

You could be eligible for some financial assistance from the hospital you used. Most hospitals have some sort of charity/assistance program with most having a certain criteria you have to meet such as uninsured or low income etc. Check with the hospital in order to see what you may qualify for.

Finances - 27 Jun, 2014 - No Comments