Best strategy to get hospital bill reduced

April 15, 2019 12:35 PM

I had surgery on February 19 and have a hospital bill (just the hospital, not the surgeon, anesthetist, etc) of about $2200, which I know in the scheme of things is not terrible but it makes my financial situation even more precarious in my newly-divorced, newly-employed, looking-at-more-expensive-surgery-and-treatment-soon state. Can I negotiate this down? What do I say? I could possibly pay it in cash if they would knock it down like 20%. Is it better to talk to them sooner or let it sit for a while? All advice welcome.
posted by HotToddy to Work & Money (15 answers total)

Absolutely call the hospital billing department - I had a bill knocked down by 50% if I could pay in full right away. It never hurts to ask!
posted by dbmcd at 12:37 PM on April 15, 2019

Response by poster: dbmcd, did you ask for 50%? What did you say?
posted by HotToddy at 12:42 PM on April 15, 2019

IIRC, I called to ask about payments, and they offered the discount!
posted by dbmcd at 12:46 PM on April 15, 2019

I helped a loved one in a similar situation and while the discount itself wasn't too big, she negotiated a payment plan of $100 per month. And as long as she made those payments, they never hassled her for the balance.
posted by BlahLaLa at 12:49 PM on April 15, 2019

The last time I had a large medical bill I called right after I got the bill to find out my payment options, and when I sort of hesitated about how to pay, the hospital billing rep told me she'd knock 25% off my bill if I could pay it over the phone right at that moment, which I then did. It saved me several hundred dollars. I didn't even have to ask for a discount, which tbh is sort of wild. All of these prices are fake.
posted by goodbyewaffles at 12:52 PM on April 15, 2019

Call and say, "I'm calling to find out if I can negotiate this bill down in any way. Is there anything you can do to help?" That leaves the door open for them to offer suggestions. You are also free to say, "If you can reduce it by X%, I can pay in cash, today." The worst they can say is no, and you're no worse off than you were when you started.

Medical billers do this ALL THE TIME. Do not be afraid to ask.
posted by cooker girl at 12:53 PM on April 15, 2019 [7 favorites]

Hospitals love negotiating with you! I got a complete 100% discount once by filling out a form and submitting my tax returns showing I was low income. They often do payment plans, or pay in full discounts too. The only part of the bill I've heard they can't negotiate down is anesthesia, but luckily I've never had a bill that has included that. Good luck!
posted by katypickle at 1:24 PM on April 15, 2019 [2 favorites]

I just negotiated a surprise $600 medical bill into $50 no-interest monthly payments with very little effort, similar as other experiences above. The biller was very nice about it. I would definitely try to get the courage to ask for a discount, I did not, but chances are they will be willing to do a payment plan if nothing else. This was for an urgent care bill from an urgent care run by a hospital system in my area.
posted by possibilityleft at 1:51 PM on April 15, 2019

I’m not sure if you have insurance or not, but also ask if it’s possible to get the contracted or Medicare rates if you’re paying cash. They will be less, and they accept them from other payers, so they often will from you, too. Usually if you can pay quickly they will knock at least 5% off, because it’s much harder to collect from a person than an insurer. Definitely ask, explain your situation. Ask about
discounts, charity care if you might qualify, foundation funds available, payment plans. It can really help. Be honest that you’d struggle to pay this bill and might not be able to. Getting something is better than a bankruptcy, and they know it.
posted by OneSmartMonkey at 2:38 PM on April 15, 2019

If you can't get it reduced for some reason, ask about a payment plan. They can be interest free depending on the amount & arranged payment schedule.
posted by wwax at 3:24 PM on April 15, 2019 [1 favorite]

In the "all the prices are fake" vein, I just received a hospital bill of ~$3400 where the insurance-negotiated rate (which was all I + my insurance was responsible for) was ~$260 (no, I didn't forget the extra zero). I know this isn't apples to apples, but the "sticker price" for the hospital bill can be well above what they actually expect to get paid. I don't know if this is rational, but I would expect a 50% discount as a starting point.
posted by Betelgeuse at 3:53 PM on April 15, 2019

Nthing the strategy of calling and asking. Hospitals would rather give you a discounted rate and a payment plan (one or both) because they would rather have money up front than pay a collections agency that may recover the money but take most of it in the process.
posted by honeybee413 at 8:34 PM on April 15, 2019

Nthing to call and ask. Many hospitals actually have a special office dedicated to working out financial arrangements and reducing bills based on the finances and insurance status of patients. I once got a big reduction in the cost of sinus surgery when I was an uninsured freelancer. I just had to explain that I was uninsured, show them some financial information (tax return, IIRC) and sign some stuff.
posted by slkinsey at 5:32 AM on April 16, 2019

I once was presented with a $20,000 hospital bill. Just devastating! I called the billing department and expressed some dismay. No insurance, etc. They forgave the entire bill! Evidently that hospital had an endowed fund for cases like mine.
posted by Agave at 6:53 AM on April 16, 2019

Response by poster: Holy shit, I got up the nerve to call today and they said I'm eligible for a 90-95% discount because I make less than $60,000! She's sending me the form to fill out and I will report back on the actual results! Sounds too good to be true, right? Many thanks for all the encouragement!
posted by HotToddy at 6:53 PM on April 16, 2019 [5 favorites]