Three Rules to Negotiating Your Medical Bills

Less than 15% of consumers have asked their physician to negotiate their medical bill. Approximately 40% of people who ask for a discount receive one. Many medical providers and facilities, such as hospitals, have a system in place where patients who can prove that they are financially unable to pay, will be offered discounts. The medical provider will either deny the discount, or grant a significant discount or complete balance write off. Discounts for cash pay patients without health insurance often range between 20 and 50% off of the normal charge. For those people with additional financial resources and who would not qualify for assistance, could still be offered smaller discounts and a payment plan to pay off the doctor’s bill over a specified period of time.

Here are three helpful rules to keep in mind when negotiating medical debt:

1. Be Tactful and Courteous
   If you are negotiating with a medical provider who you see frequently, you do not want to negatively impact your relationship with this physician. If requests to the billing office do not give you your intended result, tactfully ask your physician directly. This may be more effective.
2. Remember: Cash-Flow is King
   Medical providers care about their cash flow and would like to receive their payment quickly. You can negotiate with your medical provider by stating that you would pay immediately if you are offered a certain percentage discount now. This is usually effective. Medical providers know that there is risk in receiving full payment on a patient balance because many people take too long to pay or do not pay at all. They want to work with people who are willing to pay something.
3. Do Your Research
   Sometimes the most effective method of receiving a discount off of your medical bill is to do a little bit of research. If you can prove that your physician bills higher than other similar providers in the area or that you are being asked to pay more than what a health plan would pay for the same service, then this could help you reduce your bill. This information would be helpful in your negotiations because you would claim that you would like to pay the going rate for the medical procedure based on what other physicians bill in the area, and/or that you do not wish to pay more than what a normal health plan would pay.

If you are unable to negotiate the medical bill by yourself, there are other options available to assist consumers struggling with unsecured debts such as medical bills. The most common are debt consolidation, consumer credit counseling, and debt settlement. Bills.com offers a wealth of information about various debt relief options.

Consider a debt settlement program. Rather than making monthly payments to your creditors, these programs negotiate lump sum settlements with your creditors, frequently reducing your debts by 50% to 60% of your principal balances. These programs usually take only 2-3 years to complete, so this is a good option for many people to rid themselves of debt in a relatively speedy manner. In many cases they can also reduce your monthly payment toward your debt. There is one major drawback to debt settlement programs, though — they will significantly damage your credit while in the program and for at least a year or two afterward. However, if you are currently unable to afford to pay your creditors, the hit to your credit may be worth the benefit of ridding yourself of credit card debt. If you enter your contact information in this form, a pre-screened debt settlement firm will contact you to discuss your debt relief options.

I wish you the best of luck in resolving your medical bills, and hope that the information I have provided helps you Find. Learn. Save.

Best,

Bill

Bills.com