Medical Bills can throw your whole life into a whirlwind. Not only were you sick, but now you have to deal with all the added costs. Not fun.
But between my RA and having kids, we’ve got some experience with medical bills and along the way I’ve learned a few tip and tricks to help keep those bills down.
My Adventure with the Emergency Room
A few years back, my then toddler son was diagnosed with walking pneumonia. He had a chest x-ray and was given medication by his doctor. No worries, we had medical insurance through my husband’s employer:
Doctor Visit Co-pay: $15
Prescription Co-pay: $15
X-Ray Co-Pay: about $100
Total Out of Pocket: About $130
We had good insurance and decent paying jobs, so it wasn’t a huge deal, we just wouldn’t be going out to eat that month. And with a sick kid at home, he needed extra cuddles anyways.
A few days later, he still wasn’t getting better, so we took him back to the doctors. ($15)
She gave him a new, stronger prescription. ($20)
That night, we gave him his new medicine and put him down for bed. Within an hour of putting him to bed, he came running into our room, crying. He couldn’t talk, I noticed his lips were swelling up. He was having a hard time breathing. He was having a bad allergic reaction to the medicine!
We immediately called 911. Firefighters and an ambulance showed up at our house and whisked away my son and I to the emergency room.
After a few hours in the ER, he was checked into the hospital due to low oxygen levels. He spent the night and was sent home with different meds the next day. Luckily, he made a full recovery and we learned a new medicine allergy.
The Aftermath of Bills
I was ecstatic my son was well taken care of and healing up but at the same time, I was panicking about what the bill would be for our night of excitement. Yes, we have good insurance, but this is still the U.S. of A. and I was scared what an ambulance ride, an ER visit, and an overnight stay in the hospital would end up costing us.
I called our insurance provider to try to get some insight as to what size bill we might be looking at.
Because he ended up being checked into the hospital, the insurance would fully cover the ambulance ride. If he had not been checked in, it would have been around $3,000 just for the ambulance.
Insurance would cover about 80% of the hospital and ER visit, we still ended up with a bill right around $5,000!
At this point in our lives, that was a HUGE bill, it would take us months, possibly over a year, to pay off. And this is where I learned, many, not all, but many hospitals have a financial aid office.
If you, or anyone you know, gets into a similar situation, know that there are often options, if you just put in the work to look for them.
COMMUNICATE YOUR NEEDS AND BE WILLING TO PUT IN THE WORK
Financial Aid
Many hospitals are out to make a profit, but the number one priority for most hospitals is to take care of people and keep their local community healthy. If you are stuck with a huge hospital bill, don’t curl up in a ball of panic and think you just have to suck it up and be in debt for the rest of your life; reach out to those involved and ask what can be done.
In my case, after ensuring the itemized bill was correct (always make sure you’re not being charged extra for things you didn’t actually receive) I was able to call the hospital billing department and ask if they had financial aid, they did! It was a long process of paperwork, proving that paying the amount would be a hardship for us, checking in with the office to ensure they had everything they needed, asking if there was anything else I needed to do. It took about a month to ensure they had everything they needed.
I had to turn in forms, bank statements, taxes, and pay stubs. But in the end, they were able to get our bill down to around $800. It still wasn’t chump change, but it was definitely more doable than $5,000.
The hospital billing department also mentioned that if my insurance hadn’t covered the ambulance, the ambulance company has grants and financial aid as well. You just have to put in the effort to contact them and get the information. Ambulance companies are often private businesses, separate from the hospital, so you have to contact them separately.
- Call the hospital
- Ensure your bills are correct
- Ask for financial assistance
- Provide the necessary proof
Cash Prices
If you don’t have medical insurance, not recommended by the way, or if you have high deductible plans, many offices have discounted rates if you let them know you’d like to pay with cash, outside of an insurance program.
Due to the way insurance plans are structured, many doctors and dentists have to charge a higher rate so that they can give the insurance companies the “discount” they require. If you let them know you are paying cash, many offices will offer a lower price, “the real price” for services rather than the “insurance discounted” price. Just ask.
Payment Plans
Many medical facilities realize that insurance coverage in this country is not ideal. Things happen and we need medical or even dental procedures done to keep us healthy and alive. Many offices, even if they are unable to provide financial aid, will offer interest free payments for necessary procedures. Dental offices often offer interest free payments for crowns or orthodontia, etc. YOU JUST HAVE TO COMMUNICATE YOUR NEED. Let them know your situation and ask if they can help you out.
Shop Around
This doesn’t necessarily work for Emergency Room visits, but for regular appointments, elective surgery or procedures/tests, SHOP AROUND. If you need an X-ray, don’t just run out to the X-Ray office your doctor sends you to. Contact your insurance company to find out if your co-pay will be a flat rate (in which case go to whatever place you want) or if you will be responsible for a certain percentage, then call different X-Ray providers to get their prices. Depending on your insurance coverage, the Cash Price I talked about earlier could be an option as well.
If you need a crown put on and your insurance doesn’t cover it, you can’t pay cash for it, and your dentist refuses to offer the interest free financing you need to get it done, look for another dentist that will be willing to help you. We live in a country based on healthy competition, unless you live in a tiny town with only 1 doctor/dentist, most likely, you will have options to choose from. Choose the providers that you feel will provide the best overall care: physically, emotionally, and financially.
Sign up for Prescription Discount cards. Here’s one I’ve used: GoodRx. They are like coupons for your prescriptions. You can just screen shot them on your phone and bring them to the pharmacy. We get a good $10 off our allergy pills most of the time.
When it comes to your medical needs, don’t be afraid to stand up for yourself and communicate your needs. Taking care of yourself isn’t always the easiest route, but if you put in a little extra effort, you can come out healthier both physically and financially.
What about you? Have you found any (legal) tricks for reducing your medical bills?
1 thought on “4 Hacks to Reduce Medical Bills”