Emily Chan
After having a medical procedure done, you should be focused on recovery. But the reality is that most folks are more worried about how they’ll cover the bills from the hospital visit than getting better. While you can’t make the bills vanish into thin air, you can reduce your financial burden.
Christy (@christyprn) is a registered nurse, and she’s on TikTok explaining several ways you can negotiate your medical bill down to a lower balance. Get a leg up with these five strategies.
The first method is to apply for charity care, which is a program that provides free or reduced-cost medical care to people who make below a certain income.
Around 30 percent of the population qualifies for charity care, yet many do not take advantage of the program.
Christy recommends that you try applying for it even if you think you make too much money to qualify.
Number two: ask for an itemized bill that comes with a description of the services you were charged for.
When you receive a hospital bill, it usually just shows the total balance. An itemized bill lists all the individual charges associated with your medical care. It allows you to understand the specific costs and review the accuracy of the charges.
“Some patients will get a huge bill in the mail, and then when they ask the hospital to break down the charges and show them exactly what they were charged for, sometimes the total of that bill becomes magically smaller,” said Christy.
Next, check for any errors. According to Christy, 80 percent of hospital bills contain errors, whether they are double billed on an item or charged for something you never received. If you do notice a mistake, make a note next to the item and dispute it with the hospital.
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