[Chelsea]

Anyone have advice on fighting medical bills? like er visit that insurance paid a good bit of but you’re still getting billed thousands of dollars?

I’m looking for advice on managing and reducing high medical bills that remain even after insurance has paid its part.

Despite having coverage, the out-of-pocket expenses are overwhelming.

What strategies or tips can you share for negotiating with healthcare providers, disputing charges, or finding financial assistance programs?

Any personal experiences or resources would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

[Tanya]

Did you get your insurance EOB statement? That should tell you what you owe and hopefully break down why you owe whatever amount.

It could be copay, deductible, co-insurance, etc.

if you don’t have this, call the insurance and ask.

I have had many battles between hospitals, Drs, and insurance having things messed up.

I always try to compare the insurance statement with the actual bill and make sure it’s all correct as best I can.

I have caught so many mistakes it’s ridiculous.

It’s definitely worthwhile to ask questions and know what and why you are paying whatever amount is on the bill.

[Katie]

1). What is your deductible? If you haven’t hit that yet, that could be it.

2). Sometimes the hospital itself is in network, but some of the service providers working in the ER are not, (doctors, anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists, etc.), so your insurance won’t pay them.

I learned that the hard way.

Fortunately since then, I’ve never been in bad enough shape that I couldn’t do that.

Now I ask, and if they are not, I ask them to find someone who is.

[Annette]

Insurance billing is such a challnge for me.

I recommend you take the bills you are getting to your insurance financial department, sit right there with them until they give you the answers you need.

Be nice, be patient but be firm.

[Marilyn]

After your copay, you shouldn’t be responsible for anything else. Talk to your insurance representative

[Shelly]

I pay a little bit each month after 3 to 5 years they wrote the rest of my bill off after calling them about my bill.

[Sarah]

You can ask for forgiveness. Most hospitals billing has a stipend for those who cannot pay the full amount, especially if its like providence or another catholic hospital.

You just call billing and send them your monthly bills and rent amount and a paystub.

They will then reduce it or pay it off in full for you

[Debbie]

Sometimes if the person does the coding for services incorrectly, things will not get paid.

Could you call the hospital and ask them to make double sure they coded it correctly?

Also there are programs for low income people to get some hospital bills forgiven or partially forgiven, so if you are low income discuss applying for this.

[Amanda]

Likely a deductible not met. Review your plan, call to understand with insurance and talk with hospital about 1)any options to reduce 2)set up a payment plan.

Just because insurance paid some doesn’t mean you won’t.

If your plan pays 80% after deductible met, you may responsible for that amount up to deductible plus 20%.

[Donna]

Apply for Medicaid. Even if you are denied, you might get “share of cost,” in which case your hospital bill would be written off (or so I’m told).

[Cherryl]

Call your insurance company and ask for a duplicate explanation of benefits so you can see for yourself what you owe

[Danielle]

Your EOB should tell you why you owe the amount you owe. If you have a high deductible or out of pocket then it makes sense.

ER visits are incredibly expensive and insurance doesn’t pay much in a lot of cases.

Once you know for sure what the bill is an why, I suggest applying for hospital financial aid if there’s any chance you qualify and using a payment plan for any remaining portion

[Megan]

Check your EOB. It’s not uncommon for ER bills to be in the thousands, even in network.

Also, like mentioned above, just because an ER is in network doesn’t meant the providers are.

[Becky]

Ask hospital for a detailed bill of each charge. Often you will find duplicate charges or items you never received.

[Mary]

You can ask for a detailed accounting of each charge, review it and see if anything is exorbitant (like $10 for a bandaid or something), also request and apply for the hospitals medical financial assistance program.

You may also work with the hospital billing dept to ask if you are able to pay in cash now, how much is the maximum they can discount or write off of your bill

[Julia]

I wouldn’t say “fighting” the hospital.
It depends on the insurance.

Some have a fixed rate (copay) for doctor visits, emergency room visits, etc.

However, many have a deductible the patient has to pay, and then they usually pay 80% of the bill (generally afrer some contract write offs) and the patient pays the remaining 20%, known as your coinsurance …

So it’s quite possible that you owe what is being billed.

I’d recommend that you first call your insurance for an explanation of your plan …

copay and/or deductible and coinsurance amount.

Then ask for an explanation of what you’re being billed…

Was it your deductible and coinsurance?

Was something denied, if so…why?

If something denied because it’s not covered for a particular diagnosis.

Call the hospital billing office and ask if the diagnosis code used was correct.

If everything checks out and you do owe the balance, then ask if there are any options for reducing the amount owed.

If it’s honestly a hardship, let them know.

My advice on all of this is that be honest, kind, and sincere will generally get you a much better resonse .

If you start with the thought of “fighting” them on the bill, you’re likely to encounter resistance.

Best of luck to you.

[Sarah]

I mean, i just dont pay them if it comes from the hospital. At the end of the day, the collection companies cant prove the debt due to hipaa restrictions, and ot falls off your credit.

Medical debt under $500 cant be reported to credit anyway.

If you do feel you want to pay it, you can look up all the ICD 10 .codes for procedures on your bill then you can look up the fair price of that procedure for your state.

Then call and negotiate it those codes down to that amount with billing.

Then set up a payment plan.

I also want to add, that if the charges came from an in network hospital, but a out of network provider saw you, you can see if there is a no surprises act in your state.

Then call billing and let them know you want those charges billed as in network or removed

[Amanda]

Can you ask for a discount? or a cash price? At the hospital I work I always teach everyone to use the words “steep diacount” and see how much the bill can be reduced.

I know I personally have had tests drop from hundreds or thousand to $70-200

[Author]

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