Paying medical bills can be overwhelming especially since the amounts are usually staggering, but oftentimes hospitals and medical professionals are willing to negotiate. Before you attempt to do this steel your nerves and organize your medical bills.
If you have had a hospital stay or a number of treatments, start a file. Since you will most likely be receiving bills from a few different places like the hospital, the laboratory, the ambulance, the doctors, clinics etc. Separate the bills into different piles according to where they came from.
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Get a third party to review your bills to make sure you are not being overcharged or double-billed. You’ll have to pay for this service, but they can save you thousands. A majority of hospital bills contain some type of mistake. Visit
www.billadvocates.com to find an auditor in your area>
If the medical bill auditor does not find any errors in your bill, call the hospital patient financial services department. Most hospitals are willing to negotiate with patients. Financial aid may be available to you, depending on your income and the number of dependants in your home. Hospital financial personnel may be able to point out state and local programs that can assist you in paying your bills if you qualify.
If you do not qualify for financial aid and have checked out all of the local resources, set up a payment plan with the hospital. If you can only afford to pay $10 a month, set up a plan to pay $10 a month. You don’t want your account to go to collection because collection agencies can be ruthless. Not to mention, once an account goes to collection, it damages your credit history.
The key to negotiating your bills and surviving the process is to be proactive. It’s overwhelming and depressing, but don’t ignore the bills–this will only make things worse. If the hospital knows that you are making an effort to pay, they will work with you.
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