Negotiating Medical Bills

Whether you have adequate health insurance or not, you may find that you are asked to pay a hefty premium for healthcare procedures. The reason is that you are expected to also cover a portion of someone else's bill that went unpaid.

If you are uninsured, then you may find that your medical bills are extraordinarily high. Not only do you have to cover the expenses of those who don't pay, you also fail to benefit from the substantial discounts that insurance companies negotiate with the service providers.

Insurance companies negotiate reductions in the costs of many services. You can do the same by winning a compromise with your healthcare provider.

The best starting point is to find out what insurance companies pay. The "usual and customary" charge for each procedure is a stated maximum that the provider should be charging for the procedure. Many providers charge more than this, which increases what the uninsured are asked to pay. Furthermore, insurance companies negotiate discounts even below what is "usual and customary."

It is not your responsibility to pay these extra amounts. You can find a compromise with your healthcare provider on many bills. A primary care physician may not necessarily negotiate, but anyone billing through a hospital likely will.