Even if you have health insurance, a serious illness or injury could result in large medical bills.
If you don’t have the money to pay these bills upon receipt, learn more about the best way to manage your debt.
These tips can help you successfully negotiate medical debt:
- Ask for a discount upfront: If you know about your procedure in advance, ask your service provider if there’s any way to receive a discount. By handling this upfront, you don’t have to worry about it later on.
- Offer cash: Many times, a service provider will provide a discount for paying in full with cash.
- Check for errors: Carefully review your medical bills to understand what you’re being charged for. If you find an error, bring it to the attention of the billing office and ask them to provide you with an updated bill.
- Visit in person: It’s not always easy to make progress over the phone, so you should consider visiting your provider’s billing office in person. When doing so, act professionally and provide all applicable information. Also, make sure you’re ready to take action on the spot.
If you’re swimming in medical debt and wondering what to do next, it’s a good time to learn more about bankruptcy. For example, Chapter 7 bankruptcy can help you discharge some or all of your debts, including that associated with medical bills.
Negotiating medical debt is never easy, but you may be surprised at the end result. Your goal is to clear your debt as quickly as possible, regardless of the approach, to improve your financial situation.
