Medical bill reduction?

[mom2abcd]

I have a chronic health condition and was not able to get much help with it while we had poor health insurance. Now that we thought we had "better" insurance, I went to the doctor. Blood tests alone were almost $700 after insurance paid what they said was their part. There are other smaller bills that I have paid little by little over the past couple of months, but I have this last one.

 

I would like to write to the hospital/lab to see if they would consider reducing my bill. Has anyone successfully done this? Or worked in this field and have tips to share? They already got almost $3000 from insurance for these blood tests. Would they write off the remaining amount?

 

People say that medical places sometimes overcharge because they know insurance will pay. But if insurance doesn't pay all of it, how does one convince the medical place to write the rest off?

 

I was supposed to return to the doctor long before now, but I just can't handle going into further debt. We are low income and this is such a burden. I need to do something about this bill...

 

We also have a dental bill for $500, I think. (Can you tell I'm trying to ignore the amounts and stay sane?;o) They said I needed a crown. I said, "No thank you. I can't afford it." They said they would check with insurance. Came back and said the most I would have to pay was $150. So I gave the OK. Now the bill is much more. This seems easier-- write a letter and remind them of the whole conversation, send $150, and tell them I hope they can write the rest off. Or is there a better way to handle these situations?

 

I have already talked with the insurance companies. They have done all they will.

Edited February 13, 2012 by mom2abcd

[TeenagerMom]

Definitely contact the hospital. Both hospitals in our area (and the Children's Hospital that we go to) have charity programs. You give them proof of your income and can get a discount based on your average (anywhere from 10-100%). We basically don't pay any medical bills after copays and insurance because of these programs.

[Mommyof4ks]

Letters and phone calls rarely work. I just go down to the hospital and speak directly with someone who can help me. You wil likely need pay stubs, last years tax forms, and your drivers license, but it is worth the hassle to get it taken care of. We had a very large bill written off a few years ago. It was hard to sign the form accepting charity care, but I did it to keep us from going broke.

 

Did you call the insurance company before having the crown done to make sure of the cost? It would not hurt to go in and talk to the dentist office, but I find them much less willing to write things off even if they say it should only cost X amount. I have asked my dentist to accept X amount plus whatever insurance pays, and he has given me a written statement saying that is all I have to pay. That works well.

[scrapbookbuzz]

Having been in a similar situation as you find yourself in, and having worked in health insurance, I can tell you this:

 

*Hospitals (and many other medical offices) would LOVE to work with you but you need to call them and tell them what's going on.

 

*On your Explanation of Benefits (usually mailed to you from your insurance company) there is a "Disallow" column. This is not your responsibility. This column lists what the Provider has agreed to write off in their agreement with the insurance company. IF you continue to get billed for this amount from the Provider (hospital, doctor's office, etc), call your insurance company ASAP. They need to know this.

 

*Don't be afraid to call the medical offices to try to work something out. They'd rather get their money in tiny bits over a couple of years, or just get some of it all at one time, than to not get any at all.

 

HTH!

[Little Nyssa]

When we've had hospital bills that we could not pay, I did call the hospital and they cut the price for us. That was so kind of them. In that case, all I had to do was call & ask them. (These where hospitals near Fresno, God bless them.)

 

Other times, I have talked directly to the insurance company. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

 

Sometimes, even if the insurance company says no, if you ask the hospital to resubmit it, then they will cover it. :confused: but :001_smile:

 

One time for my son's hospitalization, there was a disagreement between the hospital and the insurance company which left us with a $500 bill. (One side said it was not pre-authorized, one said it was). I remember getting so frustrated with the lady at the hospital accounting dept, that I told her loudly "WELL I'M NOT PAYING IT!" and to my absolute surprise she agreed and took it off our bill. Again, :confused: but :001_smile:

 

At our local hospital, they do not do any discounts. But they will make a payment plan, with no interest. We paid off DS's hospitalization $100 a month til it was all gone.

 

I'd definitely make sure you keep receipts, though, so if there any mistakes you can catch them instead of paying them.

[ZooRho]

yes do call.

 

also talk to your dr about other options.

 

I have an issue that won't be covered but I need some blood test. SO she is going to let me go somewhere else and have it done and just send her the results

[Lisbeth]

When hospital "write off" a bill, they usually are just passing the cost onto other patients.

[besroma]

I would try calling first, then writing if you don't get the answer that satisfies you. You might be pleasantly surprised at the answer. Also, I would call sooner than later to make sure your credit isn't jeopardized and to cut down on any worries you are having about the bills.

[Joanne]

When hospital "write off" a bill, they usually are just passing the cost onto other patients.

 

:glare:

 

That's true with any business. But when you make less than $3000 a month and your medical bills total more than your yearly salary..........what do YOU suggest?

 

I found your post to be unhelpful.

 

OP, I have applied, at the request of the hospital, for a reduction using their charity program. I have not yet heard back.

[sandellie4]

:grouphug:

 

We have found most hospitals and medical offices willing to work with us when this issue arises. They tend to be very helpful but they don't know what's going on if you don't tell them. Also, if this might help you in the future, I have learned to always double-check with my insurance before receiving services. So many times I have been given manageable estimates, only to be billed at a much higher rate. One time it was because I didn't realize the provider wasn't in network. The provider's office said he took our insurance, so I thought we were fine. But since he wasn't in network, neither were the lab results, facility fees, etc. It was awful, but the facility waived its entire charge but for the insured amount, and the provider called the labs and made a deal with them since we were his patients. He also agreed to take what insurance had paid plus our agreed-upon deductible. I was surprised at how helpful he was -- he actually called the labs...and the anesthesiologist, if I remember correctly.

 

Sandy

[Mommyof4ks]

When hospital "write off" a bill, they usually are just passing the cost onto other patients.

 

It depends on the hospital. Our hospital has donors that provide help to patients that cannot pay the whole bill. They also have fundraisers, so the cost is not always passed on to other patients. ;)

[mom2abcd]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses! It helped me work up the nerve to call. I asked the gal in the billing department if they had a charity program. She said they did and asked some questions about income, family size, mortgage/rent, etc. She was able to forgive the whole amount on the phone! She said if I used their lab again, I would have to fill out forms I could get online.

 

I was so happy I was nearly in tears! God is good!! I think I will write them a thank you letter tomorrow.

 

We'll see about the dentist. I wrote the letter and sent the check. I hope that's all they need. I think next time I should get their statement in writing, though it seems pretty untrusting. This has been so much stress for us!

[ZooRho]

Thanks, everyone, for the responses! It helped me work up the nerve to call. I asked the gal in the billing department if they had a charity program. She said they did and asked some questions about income, family size, mortgage/rent, etc. She was able to forgive the whole amount on the phone! She said if I used their lab again, I would have to fill out forms I could get online.

 

I was so happy I was nearly in tears! God is good!! I think I will write them a thank you letter tomorrow.

 

We'll see about the dentist. I wrote the letter and sent the check. I hope that's all they need. I think next time I should get their statement in writing, though it seems pretty untrusting. This has been so much stress for us!

 

So glad it worked for you. I'll be doing that as soon as the bills hit here too. The new ins put something as pre-existing and it wasn't covered by the ins. OUCH