Negotiating Personal Medical Costs

Many people save money on their medical bills simply by asking their doctor to reduce the bill. Here's some information from a recent article that appeared on AOL about how you might negotiate a reduction in some of your personal medical expenses.

A 2005 Wall Street Journal Online/Harris Interactive Health Care poll found that only 12% of patients tried to negotiate a medical bill with their doctor. But of those that made the effort, 61% were successful. And 67% of doctors say that they provide some charity care, which is defined as free or discounted services, says Alwyn Cassil, spokeswoman for the Center for Studying Health System Change, a nonpartisan policy research center.

How do you negotiate?

When asked, many hospitals will quickly reduce its full price for a medical procedure down to what it charges Medicare, which is considered the benchmark for costs, says Kevin Flynn, president of Healthcare Advocates, a private advocacy firm based in Philadelphia. (You can look up Medicare reimbursement rates on the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services web site.)

Flynn says that if you're paying for a doctor's visit out of pocket, many physicians will cut their price if a patient offers to pay the bill in cash before walking out the door.

Just last month I got a bill for my colonoscopy. It was over $6,000 and my insurance only paid $285! I called the imaging center, protested, and asked what could be done. They informed me that actually they had a special arrangement with my doctor for his patients. If I would send them the $285 that the insurance company had sent me for the procedure, plus another $500 they would adjust the bill and consider it paid in full.

WOW! Just for asking. I've learned my lesson. Now before paying any medical bill, I'm going to ask.

Stay healthy!