A Clean Bill Of Health? Fighting Hospital Fees

For every single one of us who pays for healthcare, being hit with a massive hospital bill is an extremely stressful thing to undergo, not least after being put under duress with illness. There have been cases of people hit with massive bills running into six figures! Having to negotiate a cheaper hospital bill is as stressful as going to a hospital in the first place, but because of there being so many cases being highlighted online, it may help to keep hospital prices more competitive and therefore help you to negotiate a lower bill. Luckily now there are more ways to negotiate a bill if you ask. So how can you do this?

Look For Errors

By going over the bill with a fine tooth comb, you may notice overcharges or glaring errors. For example, if you are discharged in the morning you may have been charged for a full daily room rate for that date. In addition, if you brough your own medication with you, you need to make sure that you weren’t charged for them, which happens quite a lot. Also, it’s worth disputing any fees for everyday supplies, such as sheets or gowns, as they should be considered in the overall hospital room charge rather than as an additional cost.

Is It Worth Hiring A Professional?

A lot of people may feel better by doing this, but you need to bear in mind the costs involved such as expert fees, or if you bring in a patient billing advocate or medical billing advocate, they may charge you an incredibly high amount. Of course, it depends on the circumstances involved. There are a considerably high amount of medical malpractice lawsuits doing the rounds now but even having these professionals on board means a high amount of stress and pressure. Look at civil litigation attorneys like Benedict Morelli, they take on medical malpractice lawsuits for people like the chef paralyzed in the Amtrak Crash in 2015. And while these cases are incredibly high profile you need to consider whether these injustices are worth your time. Remember that attorneys charge 30% of the savings they achieve, so if you really are considering going down the legal route you need to weigh up the pros and cons and whether it’s worth your while at all.

Alternative Methods Of Fundraising

As this is, unfortunately, a very common situation, a lot of people that pay hospital bills have resorted to crowdfunding websites as a last ditch attempt to raise money. And, yes, there are many high profile cases, but it’s important to be sensitive in this respect as you can see many crowd funding campaigns online where the patient is critically ill. So you may want to consider your own personal situation when it comes to paying for hospital bill,s especially as a lot more hospitals are now open to a payment plan.

As hospital costs are the bane of many people’s lives, it can be a struggle to get out of debt when faced with a massive bill from a healthcare authority, but there are various options for you when faced with this type of issue.