Negotiate Your Way through Medical Bills

April 20th, 2009 • Related • Filed Under • by Debbie Dragon

The self-employed or uninsured are vulnerable to the high cost of health care services. In a difficult economy, it makes sense to have a strategy to work with providers and obtain more acceptable prices on medical services. Medical providers are now more lenient and open to working with those who are going through their systems. Here are some steps that you can take to achieve lower medical costs through negotiation.

Discuss your situation

If you are facing a medical procedure, make an appointment to talk with the provider about the impending bill. Discuss what insurance you have, what your employment situation is, and your financial circumstances. This will give you an idea of how open they are to working out payment plans and what their expectations are for paying of bills.

Look for charity help

This is difficult for many people to swallow because of pride or embarrassment, but the fact remains that hospitals and some other medical organizations have access to either foundation grants or state funding in order to cover costs for uninsured individuals. It never hurts to ask and can mean the difference of coming out with a bill that can be a crushing financial drain, or one that is a mild monthly inconvenience.

Know what questions to ask

When you discuss your financial circumstances, you have two approaches. First is to ask to lower the total bill for the medical services provided. The second is to ask about payment plans. If you ask for discounts it is harder to ask for payment plans as well, but you need to make a determination before the discussion as to which option would work better in your situation. If you have a source of money to pay cash for a procedure, then ask for a discount. If not, then opt for asking about payment plans.

Have a reasonable outlook

Do not expect that a provider will drop significant amounts off of a bill for little or no reason. Talk to them expecting to be treated fairly and on the same page from a personal responsibility standpoint. When that is understood, then the process usually flows much smoother. Look at the bill, compare the income and expenses in your situation and arrive at a solution. Finally, do not agree to payments that you cannot afford or that put you at risk financially. Build affordability into your negotiations from the beginning.

Using these steps, you will be able to negotiate your way to lower medical bills. This will help reduce the stress and anxiety that often accompanies medical procedures. The last thing that you want to have is stress over the bill while you are re-cooperating.