Medical care is a very significant expense or many people today. Even if you have a good insurance plan in place, you could suddenly find yourself thousands of dollars in debt due to a procedure or other type of medical care. If you suddenly have received a big medical bill, there are still ways that you can dispute it and either have it reduced or waived. There are several tips that you can follow that could help you to reduce your liability that comes with the medical bill and help you in getting out of a financial emergency.

Gather Information

When you are looking to dispute a medical bill, the first thing you need to do is gather as much information as possible. Medical bills and the overall health care industry is very complicated and can be confusing. Because of this, you need to have as much information as possible when you are looking to dispute a claim. While a doctor’s office may send you a more general bill, you should look for one that has far more detail than you were previously provided. You should be able to get a good sense of what exactly you are being billed for, what was covered by your insurance company, and what items you are supposed to be paying for out-of-pocket.

Reach Out to Insurance Company Immediately

If you are ever send a significant medical bill, it likely means that the claim was denied by your insurance company. The very first thing you should do once you understand the claim is to contact your insurance company. There is a very good chance that the insurance company denied the claim because of a missing code or mundane detail. When you contact the insurance company, you should provide as much detail about the situation as possible. You will likely then receive further feedback from the insurance company within a few days regarding whether the claim will be approved and what the coverage level will be.

Contact Medical Provider

If you are not able to make any progress with your insurance company, the next tip to follow is to contact the medical provider directly. When you are doing this, you should be able to speak directly with the physician or billing team directly to discuss the situation. You should spend discussing the cost of the bill as well as the need for the service. In many cases, you will be able to have a portion of the bill eliminated as long as you are willing to get into a payment plan for the balance of it. After speaking with them directly, you should always follow up with an email and document your correspondence.

Send a Letter

Another great way to deal with a medical bill is to send a letter to the hospital’s billing department. You should be able to send a letter that will include all of the relevant information about the bill and why you believe it should be waived. You can also request a reduction in the total liability or suggest a repayment plan that will work for you. Ideally, you should have this certified to ensure you know it has been received by the insurance company or healthcare provider.

Legal Support

If you are not able to negotiate a settlement with the hospital or insurance company, your next best option maybe to contact an attorney that specializes in medical bills. An attorney will be able to provide you with guidance as to what your correct course of action should be. In many cases, simply having your attorney send a letter or making a phone call to the healthcare provider and insurance companies will be very helpful. At a minimum, they will be able to help you negotiate a settlement or repayment plan as opposed to having to pay for the full amount of the bill.

Remember Your Credit

Finally, you need to remember your credit report when it comes to your medical bills. Medical bills tend to only be reported to the credit agencies when they are significantly passed you. However, if you have a medical bill that has been reported to the credit agencies, it could be devastating for your overall credit score. Because of this, you need to make sure you keep your eye on your credit reports to make sure any past-due bills do not show up on your reports. If they do, you need to start the process of contesting these immediately. This will likely require you to provide much of the same information as well as any resolutions that you have come to to the credit bureaus.

In conclusion, receiving a surprise medical bill can be a very frustrating and stressful experience. While it may seem like challenging a medical bill can be impossible to do, there are several tips and steps that someone can follow that will help them to either have the medical bill waived, covered by insurance, or be able to enter into a fair repayment plan.