How to deal with your medical bills and insurance

One of the scariest things that arrives in the mail is healthcare bills. Just when you thought you already paid your part, a scary bill appears in your mailbox. Often these bills can be tricky to understand and the initial price can seem outrageous. Here are my top tips for understanding your bill and negotiating it down.

1. Know your insurance terminology.

This is the most important part, in order to understand your bill and have any chance of negotiating costs, you HAVE to know common terminology. What terms are the most important? CPT code, copay, coinsurance, HMO, PPO, and deductible. This is a nice list of some of the most common terminology used in insurance. Knowing your terminology helps you be taken seriously when calling insurance or your doctor’s billing department.

2. Know your insurance.

When you sign up for insurance, they will give you a list of the basics of what’s covered and what’s not. Make sure to keep this paper and know your basic copays. This has saved me big time a couple of times when I was quoted an incorrect copay and was able to inform them they were billing the appointment wrong. Do not just trust what the doctor’s office says is your responsibility, if it seems wrong, question it and request they run it again or call your insurance.

3. Call the billing department first!

Before you call insurance, start with the office billing department first. Often they can quickly sort out any issues or ask for a review. You can also ask if there are any discounts that can be added. Sometimes they will give you a discount for paying in full or with a certain payment type. In addition, they can usually set up a payment plan.

4. Call insurance.

If billing can’t help sort out your issues, call your insurance and ask for info regarding the claim. This is helpful in ensuring what was billed was actually what was done. If the initial person you are connected to isn’t able to help you, ask to speak to someone else. You can also request a 3-way call between you, insurance, and billing if you are receiving different information from different parties.

5. Remain calm and firm.

Healthcare bills and insurance are one of the most annoying things and can easily be very frustrating. When dealing with insurance and bills it is important to remain calm and firm, even when you are frustrated. The moment you get angry the conversation goes awry. If you find yourself getting overly upset, it is often best to take a break and revisit it later.

Insurance and billing issues are one of my least favorite things in this world. Especially since you can go about fixing the issues in all the right ways and still not solve it. Knowledge is power though, so I highly recommend reading up on insurance and billing terminology before you ever need it.

Feel free to share this with your friends and family!

Disclaimer-

All information provided on this blog is for educational purposes only. Always consult your healthcare provider and/or your insurance provider for your specific situation. This blog does not offer medical advice.