[USER]

I was hospitalized and received a bill for over $4k . Yes I am insured, but have hdhp 6k/14.5k deductible. Yes I have EOB and itemized bill. So the bill is correct.

We hear about legislation about medical bills not going to credit bureau, but last time I forgot to pay my son’s medical bill , unintentionally, my son information was sent to collections and affected his credit.

So is there any ways to help to decrease the bill?

Should I wait for it to go to collection and negotiate for fraction of cost?

[Stephanie]

If you don’t have $6000 to meet your high deductible, the insurance plan you have is wrong for you.

Everything up to $6000 is your responsibility to pay

[Jacqui]

As long as you pay a little of it at a time, they won’t send it to collections.

[Terrell]

I always call and ask if I pay in full if there is a discount. I’ve never been turned down

[Roxanne]

Just pay it… it’s $4,000. If you have an HSA this is a good reason to use it.

[Amanda]

It absolutely can go to collections. My credit score took a 100 point hit over a $50 copay that was billed to the wrong address- after I was told I didn’t have a copay for that visit.

It took 6 months to get it off.

[Heather]

If you call the hospital and offer to pay in full immediately, they might give you a discount.

It’s always worth a try.

[Mia]

Call the hospital billing department and ask if you were self pay what the charge would be, if it is less than $4k try to get them to switch it.

They may also have a hardship fund to help defray your cost, or worst case, you get on a payment plan and pay $10 a month until you pay it off.

[Amar]

if you owe it please pay the bill. at the end of the day its the right thing to do

[Rachael]

I would instead try to make a payment plan for the bill or pay whatever you can monthly. Sometimes that saves you from going to collections, if they know you’re making an effort to pay.

Also look into changing your health plan away from a high deductible plan if possible.

[Kristin]

With a HDHP, you likely have lower premiums and access to a HSA. The provider knows this and will see the high deductible and oop max as the trade-off for the lower premium and most likely won’t sympathize, though it’s always worth a try.

I would keep this in mind when it’s time to elect coverage and choose your HSA contribution for next year.

Meanwhile, don’t let it go to collections.

Do what you have to in order to get it paid off as soon as possible.

[Blakley]

While I was waiting for the hospital to look into a charge I was disputing on my bill they sent it to collections.

I tried to do what was right but I will not pay a bill in collections.

It’s been 1.5 years and it still isn’t on my credit.

[Melanie]

If you make less than 50k or so, you could inquire about charity care at the hospital and see if they would write off or reduce your bill.

The only way I’ve ever gotten a reduction was by offering to pay the balance in full for a 15-20% discount.

I’m sure they will work out a payment plan that’s reasonable though.

[Linda]

Here is a great article from a couple of days ago regarding the legislation. In a nutshell, the credit bureaus will remove certain types of medical debt off of credit reports, and all medical collections under $500.

Hope that helps and I have always been successful calling the hospital directly to ask for a full payment discount.

I was told that if you just call and ask they will give you a 20% discount.

I’m sure its hospital specific but I believe to be very common. Also, if you haven’t already done so, request your detailed hospital bill.

There is a huge likelihood there are some incorrect charges on there that you can get removed. The stats on this are overwhelming.

Medical debt and insurance companies are the worst. Wishing you all the best.

[Marcus]

I haven’t paid full price for a medical bill in years. Call the provider and ask if there’s a prompt pay discount they can offer.

If the answer is no, wait a couple more billing cycles then call again.

[Laura]

Just pay a small amount each month. A friend of mine did this. And after 2 years, they just wrote it off.

Did not affect her credit.

[Mary]

Set up a payment plan & never miss a payment. If you don’t pay the bill it’s gonna be reported to the collection agencies

[Cheyenne]

I have never in my life paid what I was billed after insurance. Life hacks I have learned from having significant medical bills (5 autoimmune diseases and a husband who had colon cancer).

Also, I have worked for health insurance companies my whole 10+ year career.

First, ask what discounts they offer (prompt pay,ñ and cash pay are typical).

Second, if they say they don’t offer discounts (or even if they do) apply for financial aid.

If you make up to four times over the federal poverty line they write the full thing off (and like doing so because they get a tax write off).

Anything above that you are very likely to get at least a partial discount (typically 50-65%) that applies after insurance.

Third, go through your itemized bill to see what they billed and make sure you actually received the service.

If there is ANYTHING you question, call the billing department and ask them to do a coding audit.

They will go through your whole bill, compare it to chart notes and then rebill insurance.

They make mistakes A LOT. This has saved me thousands over the years.

[Delilah]

I let a medical bill go to collections before purchasing my condo. I had a surgery and there was a bill from the hospital, one from the surgeon and one from the anesthesiologist.

I was able to get rid of most of the hospital bill because they are non profit and will typically work with you.

I made payments to the surgeon but somehow the anesthesiologist bill was missed due to moving etc.

I was able to negotiate with the collection company for a fraction of the cost and I negotiated them removing it from my credit once I paid the negotiated bill.

Not sure it’s the best approach for everyone but it worked for me.

I didn’t have insurance at the time, and I’m reading that he has a high deductible insurance.

[Rhonda]

HDP’s really only work if you front load the deductible plus some in the first year. You really have to assume you will meet your deductible at minimum each year out of an abundance of caution.

Getting caught with no funds means going into debt sadly.

I wish we had universal health care so people didn’t have to go into debt for basic medical care but that’s not the country we live in, in the USA.

Good luck.

[Todd]

I hate to be this guy but if you owe it why wouldn’t you pay it?

If you are short funds, totally get that, make payment arrangements.

[Tracie]

I wouldn’t wait til it goes to collections. You can negotiate your hospital bills, call the billing department and ask them to work with you.

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