If you’ve recently undergone some
sort of medical procedure and are nervous about the number of digits when the
bill arrives, relax. Medical bills aren’t necessarily black and white; some
frugal patients have discovered a secret.
According to a recent New York
Times article,
most hospitals and doctor’s offices are willing to negotiate price if it means
at least part of their bill actually gets paid. In a time when the economy
isn’t exactly booming and some people can’t afford health care, more and more
medical bills are left untouched. If you’re looking to steer clear of
collection agencies and maintain your credit, you may be able to benefit from
other people’s “dine & ditch” version of medical procedures.
So what’s the trick?
Is To Haggle.
Call your doctor, hospital, dentist
etc. and ask them to give you a discount if you pay your entire bill
immediately over the phone. Angie’s List recently performed a consumer survey
about this topic and found that 74% of people received a discount on medical
bills simply by asking for it.
If you’re the planning ahead type,
check out the website HealthCareBlueBook.com before scheduling a medical
procedure. They’ll give you an estimate of what some of the most common
procedures should cost, that way you can shop around and see how much various
providers are charging. Once you find the best deal, schedule the appointment,
then call afterward to haggle your discount. Check out their section on How to
Negotiate Healthcare Prices for even more tips on lowering your bill.
Even if you’ve never used the salesperson
of the month parking spot, it’s easy to ask for a discount. The worst that
can happen is: they say, “no”
Your request can be as simple as,
“Hello. I have a labor and delivery bill from your hospital for $1,700.00 and I
heard that if I pay it in full over the phone I can get a 25% discount. I’d
like to go ahead and do that today.”
I’m wondering, could this also work
at the vet? If you thought medical bills for humans were outrageous, try having
a puppy and you’ll soon learn what astronomical looks like.
