How to Negotiate Medical Bills
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
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Here's your money briefing for Monday, November 15th. I'm Trenana Ree for The Wall Street Journal, filling in for J.R. Whalen. A lot of Americans struggle with paying medical bills.
How common are medical billing errors and should I request an itemized bill?
Unpaid bills can lead to lingering debt and drag down credit scores.
But there may be some relief if you ask the right questions. Mistakes do happen. Hospitals will sometimes bill for something that didn't happen. If you're confused about the itemized bill, you should call and ask about that.
Coming up, we'll talk with our health insurance reporter, Ana Wildey-Matthews, about how to negotiate hospital bills. That's after the break.
This podcast is brought to you by ReliaQuest.
When I get a bill, should I wait for my insurer’s explanation of benefits before paying?
Cyber criminals are constantly attacking. They want your data. They want your identity. They want your innovation. ReliaQuest fortifies your business with agentic defense, AI that detects, contains, and eliminates cyber threats in minutes. It helps your security team move faster at the work that matters most to protect the business now and delivers insights to help them predict what's next. ReliaQuest, agentic defense for the enterprise. Learn more at ReliaQuest.com. That's R-E-L-I-A-Q-U-E-S-T.com.
Last week on the show, we talked about how insurance doesn't always fully cover healthcare costs. Sometimes you get stuck with a big bill, and if it's left unpaid, big debt. But there could be a way out. You may be able to slash the amount you owe, By negotiating.
What steps should I take to check for mistakes on a hospital bill?
For some pointers on how to do it, I'm joined by WSJ health insurance reporter, Ana Wildey-Matthews. Hi, Ana. Thanks for being here. Thank you. Let's go over first steps. I get a bill.
Should I assume I actually owe that amount? No, you definitely should pause. If you have insurance, you should wait to get documents from your insurer. Those are called explanations of benefits that say how much they're going to pay because you shouldn't pay until you're sure that the insurer has done everything necessary that it is going to do on that bill. And if you think there should be more, you can call the insurer, make sure you understand what's going on, and you can appeal if they're not covering something that you think they should cover. Another thing you should do is get, if you're confused about a bill, you should ask for an itemized copy to look for mistakes. It Mistakes do happen. Hospitals will sometimes bill for something that didn't happen.
If you're confused about the itemized bill, you should call and ask about that.
So let's say I know I'm not getting billed for anything I shouldn't. Can I still try to get a break anyway?
Is bargaining allowed?
Can I negotiate a hospital bill even if the charges are accurate?
Definitely bargaining is allowed. Once you're sure that you've gotten as much as you're going to get from the insurer and you've worked that out with them and the insurer and maybe in the hospital worked it out between them, then you can swing into bargaining mode. You can call the hospital and maybe if it's more than you can afford, if it's more than you can manage, explain that. There are a couple steps you might be able to take. You can apply for financial aid. Many hospitals, particularly not-for-profit ones, have financial aid offerings. They're usually based on income. Sometimes they're mainly for the uninsured, but you should check. You might be eligible. You could be surprised. If you didn't think you were eligible, you might be surprised to find that you are.
That financial aid can help a lot. There are application processes that can be confusing, but don't give up, and appeal if they deny you.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–0:48
2
How common are medical billing errors and should I request an itemized bill?
0:48–1:19
3
When I get a bill, should I wait for my insurer’s explanation of benefits before paying?
1:19–2:11
4
What steps should I take to check for mistakes on a hospital bill?
2:11–3:19
5
Can I negotiate a hospital bill even if the charges are accurate?
3:19–5:24
6
How do hospital financial-aid programs work and who is eligible?
5:24–6:53
7
What negotiation strategies increase the chance of settling for less?
6:53–8:55
Speakers
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