Unpaid Medical Bills – Can You Avoid Medical Bill Debt?

Unpaid medical bills are all too common it would seem.  Health care is a major issue, as it should be, but since nothing has yet been finalized you may find yourself in a very difficult situation. If you have any medical bills in collection you may be unsure how to proceed.  You can avoid problems if you are proactive.  There are many cautionary tales out there that warn of what can happen.  Here are a few avenues to follow to avoid trouble and help to pay off medical bills:

As with any bill, check to make sure you are accurately being charged for the service.  If you notice something out of place, contact the clinic or hospital and request information.  Many times bills are much higher than they should be because patients are charged for the wrong treatment or visit type.  You can not argue with a representative and expect to resolve your problem.  Being polite and courteous can get you far and may save you money.

Health insurance plays a big role and if you are watchful, you can avoid unnecessary charges.  Many times companies make mistakes.  If you noticed you are being charged for something that you know the insurance should pay for, call them.  Even if it is a small amount of money, having them do their jobs properly can save you from headaches down the road.

Hospitals can be your friend.  Many times you can simply ask for help.  You can offer to settle unpaid medical bills and hospitals have many debt help programs.  You could save 20% to 25% off your total medical bill just by asking for it.

And of course there are payment plans.  Payment plans are very effective and can help you pay off your debt and avoid any unpleasantness with creditors.  Hospitals are usually more than willing to help patients who are unable to pay.

The biggest point that I want to drive home is you can get help.  If you wait too long your only help may be in debt consolidation or elimination.  The hospital is usually the best place to start.  Your insurance company is also a great resource if you are having difficulty paying your medical bills.  But I cannot stress it enough, you are not limited in your choices for unpaid medical bill help.  Sometimes the hospital is not willing to help you.  Insurance companies are notorious for bad customer support.  Legal action is often the only thing that will help these situations.  I must warn you, the longer you wait, the harder it will be.  As soon as the unpaid bill hits your credit, it is a difficult road to get it off.

If you find yourself in these situations, follow these steps.  You may be tempted to get a loan to pay it off and where that isn’t a bad idea, you may want to resort to that only if necessary.  If you are steady you will most likely take care of the issue yourself.  We at Benjamin Finance have sat down with multiple insurance companies and hospital billing departments.  We know that people are often unsure about what to do and where to get help.  If you have anymore questions concerning these issues please email us at debtfree@benjaminfinance.com and we may post an article addressing those problems.