Personal Finance Tip of the Week: Examine Medical Bills & Ask for Discounts

Medical bills can be extremely high, with inflated charges popping up here, there and everywhere. Often, it’s hard to understand how or why hospitals and doctors charge so much money, even for insured patients. Thankfully, there is no need for you to pay more than you can afford. Did you know that more hospital bills contain errors than do not?
After you’ve received your bill, carefully examine each charge and dispute the charges that don’t make sense to you. If you’re looking to find a discount on medical bills, you might want to consider hiring a medical billing advocate. For a fee, these advocates will work on your behalf to fix these bogus errors, negotiate rates, highlight exaggerated charges, and potentially save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Medical billing advocates can be found online or through a trusted health care provider.

If you aren’t willing to hire an advocate but are still seeking a discount on medical bills, there are several ways to approach the topic of finances with your doctor, insurance company, or other healthcare provider.

Unfortunately, insurance companies won’t always be willing to work with patients to obtain a fair price. If you’re searching for a discount on medical bills and facing many obstacles, it’s important to not give up hope; stick to your guns, be honest, be persistent, and be polite. No one should have to pay more than they can afford for health care.