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Message
Negotiating a medical bill
Posted on 6/8/15 at 8:43 pm
Posted on 6/8/15 at 8:43 pm
Anyone ever have any luck negotiating a medical bill down ? I'm convinced 100% we as the consumer are being taken to the woodshed by these hospitals.
Would appreciate any success stories. Thanks
Would appreciate any success stories. Thanks
9
Posted on 6/8/15 at 8:44 pm to Teauxler
Call and ask 
Or just pay what you owe and don't be a pos
Or just pay what you owe and don't be a pos
Posted on 6/8/15 at 8:46 pm to iAmBatman
Not being a POS... But if they would accept .50 on the 1.00 them why not give it a try
Posted on 6/8/15 at 8:56 pm to Teauxler
Do you haggle at restaurants or the dry cleaners?
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:02 pm to iAmBatman
No sir
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:05 pm to Teauxler
If you can take the credit hit, refuse to pay. Biggest problem with hospital costs is they don't tell you the cost before hand. I've told the story before burning it hit with a $500 charge for a 10 minute check by a PA for my kid at an after hours clinic. I told the m to take a hike when the bill came. Settled on $100 which was still Bs, IMO.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:10 pm to iAmBatman
quote:
Or just pay what you owe and don't be a pos
Are you fricking kidding? NO ONE should pay the quoted price. Blue Cross sure as shite doesn't. Ever even look at your insurance statement? They pay about 30% of the charge - which is what you should shoot for when negotiating.
ETA: assuming this is a full-price charge from a hospital for services rendered, not a post-insurance payout bill.
This post was edited on 6/9/15 at 8:06 am
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:18 pm to GaryMyMan
quote:
Are you fricking kidding? NO ONE should pay the quoted price. Blue Cross sure as shite doesn't. Ever even look at your insurance statement? They pay about 30% of the charge - which is what you should shoot for when negotiating.
I agree, if you are talking about "sticker price", on the other hand if you are talking about a bill that is your portion ( be it co pays, deductible, co insurance, etc) then the contracted reduction has already been applied and you need to pay it
OP, which are you talking about?
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:43 pm to Tigerpaw123
Got a bill today from an ER visit for my 3 year old. Bill was for $750 so assuming that's what the insurance didn't pay. But like a previous poster said, what the hell is it for. They don't disclose. They just hope you pay it. We were sent a $2k bill when my son was born. Said it was for nursery charges. I laughed at them and told them to stick it. He never left our room the entire time.
Posted on 6/8/15 at 9:53 pm to Teauxler
Look at your EOB, it will say
Sounds like a deductible , does your policy have a deductible? It is very confusing, but you need to understand your policy . Sounds like the charges have already been reduced to contracted prices so I doubt you will have much luck with negotiating, but call up the provider and ask them to explain the bill to you. Healthcare ain't free
Sounds like a deductible , does your policy have a deductible? It is very confusing, but you need to understand your policy . Sounds like the charges have already been reduced to contracted prices so I doubt you will have much luck with negotiating, but call up the provider and ask them to explain the bill to you. Healthcare ain't free
Posted on 6/8/15 at 10:18 pm to Tigerpaw123
wife just had a baby and the bill was $1600. are yall saying i should negotiate this down?
Posted on 6/8/15 at 11:14 pm to Teauxler
quote:
Negotiating a medical bill
Got a bill today from an ER visit for my 3 year old. Bill was for $750 so assuming that's what the insurance didn't pay. But like a previous poster said, what the hell is it for. They don't disclose. They just hope you pay it. We were sent a $2k bill when my son was born. Said it was for nursery charges. I laughed at them and told them to stick it. He never left our room the entire time.
What do you suppose $750 is for?
How many folks did you see during your visit to the EMERGENCY ROOM? A receptionist, a triage nurse, a doctor?
Did you get any lab work done? Add a lab tech
Any imaging? Add a radiologist and radiology tech
Were any supplies used? Even gauze costs money. And I assume they don't have a gauze factory on site. Add logistics personnel so little Teuxler can have a band-aid
Were the lights on during your stay? I bet. Air conditioning? maybe
Was your room clean? I'm sure some poor janitor came along after your baby vomited everywhere and cleaned the room for the next guy.
Your bill? Probably sent by the billing staff
But I'm sure you're of the mindset that all those folks should be donating their time and services for free?
Posted on 6/9/15 at 6:27 am to Teauxler
What are they supposed to disclose during your child's emergency? "We want to do an X-ray to rule out pneumonia. $200." You: "well in that case, we are going to reject the X-ray. How much is the supplemental oxygen? I'm not sure that's worth it either."
Posted on 6/9/15 at 6:35 am to RadTiger
Medical care is inflated. There is no doubt about this. The truth lys between full retail and the pathetic Medicare reimbursement. If the bill is after the allowable charges from your insurance carrier has been applied then you need to pay. If there is no insurance coverage then you need to make a call to the billing department and plead hardship and negotiate a lower bill. Health care billing is a mess and our government has made it worse.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 6:52 am to RadTiger
We took my son to an urgent care facility at 3 months because he was very congested, the neighbor's kid had pneumonia, and we were new parents who were in a new city without a pediatrician yet. Back home, the after hours clinic had a 50 dollar deductible instead of a 20 dollar deductible for the GP. I thought it would be similar. They listened to his breathing. Took his heart rate, and took his blood pressure. They tested for RSV (easy swab of the nostril). We were there for 30 minutes. The bill was over $2000. Insurance didnt cover very much. We got a separate charge for every damned person who touched him. We were beyond shocked after getting that bill. We will pay it, but never go there again. We now have a pediatrician who can advise where to go after hours by calling their hotline. My cousin who is a GP basically told me thise are the last olaces he would go. If its something serious, they'll send you to a hospital. If its something they can handle, they will rape your wallet.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 7:45 am to iron banks
This thread is awful.
Medical bills are in no way "negotiable". If you were billed incorrectly, then you should get that fixed, but that's not negotiating.
Medical care is extremely expensive, but running a hospital is extremely expensive. Astronomical lawsuits from malpractice, insurance premiums are through the roof in some fields, and government regulations and programs might not show up on your bill but they are in fact a large part of the costs of running a hospital. Oh wait and people who think bills are "negotiable". Yep, I'm sure they have this factored in to costs as well.
I'm sorry, but paying for medical costs, albeit high, is something I have no problem with. I want the best and brightest handling my medical care. Medical degrees are expensive as well is the continuing ed to keep them up to date with the latest information.
Medical bills are in no way "negotiable". If you were billed incorrectly, then you should get that fixed, but that's not negotiating.
Medical care is extremely expensive, but running a hospital is extremely expensive. Astronomical lawsuits from malpractice, insurance premiums are through the roof in some fields, and government regulations and programs might not show up on your bill but they are in fact a large part of the costs of running a hospital. Oh wait and people who think bills are "negotiable". Yep, I'm sure they have this factored in to costs as well.
I'm sorry, but paying for medical costs, albeit high, is something I have no problem with. I want the best and brightest handling my medical care. Medical degrees are expensive as well is the continuing ed to keep them up to date with the latest information.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 7:48 am to KG6
quote:High deductible and you hadn't met it?
The bill was over $2000. Insurance didnt cover very much
quote:After hours clinics are pretty horrible IMO.
We will pay it, but never go there again. We now have a pediatrician who can advise where to go after hours by calling their hotline
It sounds like you need to understand your insurance policy. My policy sounds like yours for the after hours care, but my wife's seems to cover most expenses there.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 7:57 am to LSUAfro
quote:
Medical bills are in no way "negotiable".
Wrong
Collections will always settle a debt but it will likely hurt ones credit.
Medical bills for cash paying patients can be negotiated up front. I have done it for the un insured birth of my daughter.
Further, i believe it is unfair that companies/suits get huge discounts (more like they tell the docs and hospitals what they are going to pay for each service and then force the docs and hospitals to sign up or take their "covered lives" elsewhere) because they have so many "covered lives".
Those BS discounts are the biggest reason, IMO, that health care cost are out of control.
Bottom line: We would all be better off to return to "Fee for Service" directly from the docs and take all the companies and suits that work for them out of the medical business.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 7:59 am to Teauxler
quote:You sure it's the bill? Insurance might not have settled their portion.
Got a bill today from an ER visit for my 3 year old. Bill was for $750 so assuming that's what the insurance didn't pay
quote:They can mail you an itemized bill. I almost always request it. Medical billing is often outsourced and inaccurate billing is not uncommon.
They don't disclose. They just hope you pay it.
Posted on 6/9/15 at 8:04 am to MoreOrLes
quote:Ah excuse me. They are negotiable I suppose. I also don't shake down the dry cleaners, restaurants owners, and massage therapist.
Wrong
quote:
Collections will always settle a debt but it will likely hurt ones credit.
If it was "negotiable" there wouldn't be a credit ding
.quote:
Medical bills for cash paying patients can be negotiated up front. I have done it for the un insured birth of my daughter.
Cash is a different ballgame in many industries.
quote:
Further, i believe it is unfair that companies/suits get huge discounts (more like they tell the docs and hospitals what they are going to pay for each service and then force the docs and hospitals to sign up or take their "covered lives" elsewhere) because they have so many "covered lives".
Seriously? Many industries gives group discounts for large contracts.
quote:Sure, but we've moved a long way from the "family doctor" does it all days.
Bottom line: We would all be better off to return to "Fee for Service" directly from the docs and take all the companies and suits that work for them out of the medical business.
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