Bills can add up fast when you're dealing with a health crisis. Here's how to stay out of medical debt — or make it go away.
Go through each item on your bill. Mangum said that"it's not infrequent for something to be double-billed." Even if you've already been discharged and gotten behind on payments, it is worth checking to make sure you weren't overcharged.Consumer advocates said people mistakenly think medical costs are fixed and nonnegotiable. That was the case for John DeAnda, who fainted while working as a cleaner at a New Mexico hospital.
"I actually didn't realize you could negotiate," said DeAnda."What I would've done differently is I would've talked to the hospital first, to see if they could work out a deal with me" before the bills were sent to collections. If you know you cannot pay the bill, negotiate with the hospital administration or billing department."That's almost always possible" because hospitals want to avoid the costly administrative burden of sending bills to collections, saidAsk repeatedly about any other forms of financial assistance the hospital might offer. Negotiate the terms of payment to a monthly level that is affordable for you.
That means you should focus first on paying for life necessities — rent or mortgage, gas to get to work, and food, saidDo not sign up for credit cards that offer to pay medical bills for you Experts warn against using credit cards offered by dentists, hospitals, and doctors' offices to pay medical charges. Once you take out credit cards, personal loans, or second mortgages, the debt will get lumped in with any other form of consumer debt — the same as if you overspent on clothes or a luxury SUV. That's one reason medical debt is often underreported; a lot of it masquerades as other forms of debt.
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