3 Tips For Negotiating And Surviving A Huge Medical Bill

Medical emergencies are no joke. And the Kaiser Health News "Bill of the Month" feature keeps finding real hospital bills that are funny like a heart attack. Kaiser's Chad Terhune frequently sees surprise billing from out-of-network providers – and balance billing that sticks consumers with whatever insurance companies decline to pay. When a huge bill lands in your mailbox, it can be terrifying. So here's what to do!Show more

Many consumers get “stuck” with bills that are astronomically high, and sometimes it is just whatever amount the insurance company does not pay. The first tip here tells consumers never to pay the bill right away. Don’t just accept every bill you receive as fact that should not be questioned. Never pay a bill from the hospital right away. Sometimes, the bill will just go away as the hospital and insurance companies work out the costs and payments. If your bill has arrived fairly quickly, usually within a month of the medical treatment, it is likely that the insurance company has yet to pay their part. Therefore, your cost at that moment may not be the real cost that you owe later on.

Next, get an itemized bill that will tell you exactly what all the charges are for. As stated in the video, “[Hospitals] really have no expectation that anyone is going to pay one hundred percent of that bill. Your insurance company will often only pay thirty to forty percent of a bill, so you should not be under an expectation that you the consumer should ever have to pay a higher percentage.”

The next step is to write a letter or email to formally contest the bill. Many times, this alone shows the medical agency that the consumer is on top of their involvement, and they are now on record for not agreeing with the bill. That can get the hospital to work more with you, or they may drop the price down right then and there.
After that, get help. Don’t be afraid to ask for protection or assistance. There are organizations out there just for this purpose, and they can help you with this process. Many people have had companies pick up their remaining balances completely, and sometimes you can receive advice and guidance on what to do to get your bill reduced.

Medical agencies do NOT expect you to pay the bill entirely in full when the numbers are that insanely high. When you’re talking about thousands upon thousands of dollars, try not to just absolutely panic when you see those numbers show up. You do not have to pay that. Actually, you are definitely hurting yourself if you do pay the entire bill, because you are definitely not expected to do so.

Another place you can go to for help is your employer or healthcare plan to see if there are some benefits there or programs that can help. Finally, ask friends and family if they have gone through similar situations and what they did. People around you many times have gone through the same thing and you may not even know it!