Have you ever got ill while living in America? If you have you’ll know it is an expensive place to fall sick.
Medical bills can skyrocket and with no universal health care system, free-at-the-point-of-use, like the NHS in the U.K, you are often at the mercy of private companies. These companies’ only motive is to make a profit. Many politicians want to end surprise medical bills. But this is not yet a political reality.
So what should you do if you are landed with a huge bill? Here’s how to go about paying medical bills and the benefits of online loans.
Always Query the Charges
Like many bills in life, the company charging you will usually try to get away with charging you as much as they can. You need to be savvy and check the bills. Do not hesitate to phone up the company or the hospital to query or argue about the bill.
Sometimes threatening not to pay part of it or simply saying you don’t have the money to pay it can lead to a compromise agreement where the company will agree to drop part of the charges.
If you believe that you have been overcharged for any part of your medical bill and the company refuses to back down you could threaten them with legal action. To show that you mean business find a lawyer friend or pay a lawyer to write the company a letter on headed paper.
This might be enough to scare them into backing down. If the bill is considerable and you think you genuinely have a case then taking legal action might be a worthwhile option, depending on the cost of the legal fees.
Get Help
Although not perfect, there are some schemes that can give you some financial assistance towards paying off your bills if you can prove that you cannot afford them.
The schemes available vary from hospital to hospital and from state to state. Often they will require you to have applied for basic insurance in the past or to fill in a huge amount of paperwork.
Do your research to ensure that you can claim what you are entitled to before you turn to other methods to pay your bills.
Consider a Loan
Only once you have considered all the other options should you contemplate taking out a loan to cover your bills.
Don’t use a credit card to pay your bills as these have high rates of interest and short repayment dates so you could end up getting into more financial trouble. In 2020, late fees are likely to rise to around $40.
Instead, investigate how these online loans work and see if they will be right for you.
Paying Medical Bills Is About Considering All Your Options
Paying medical bills is stressful, especially if you have been landed with a bill that is bigger than what you were expecting.
But the most important thing when considering how to pay medical bills is that you don’t panic and make a quick decision. Instead, you want to review all of your options to ensure you make the best decision for you.
If you want to learn more about online loans or how to pay medical bills you can’t afford, then be sure to check out the rest of our site.
Throughout the year, our writers feature fresh, in-depth, and relevant information for our audience of 40,000+ healthcare leaders and professionals. As a healthcare business publication, we cover and cherish our relationship with the entire health care industry including administrators, nurses, physicians, physical therapists, pharmacists, and more. We cover a broad spectrum from hospitals to medical offices to outpatient services to eye surgery centers to university settings. We focus on rehabilitation, nursing homes, home care, hospice as well as men’s health, women’s heath, and pediatrics.
