

If you've reviewed your medical bills and you're sure they're accurate, you can move on to the next step and attempt to negotiate a self-pay discount or reduction of the bill.
#I have bills to pay how to
If you're one of them, it's essential to know how to pay hospital bills without insurance to avoid the possibility of those debts landing in collections. How to Pay Hospital Bills Without InsuranceĪccording to the Census Bureau, an estimated 28 million people don't have health insurance. For example, your health care providers might be willing to offer a discount if you enroll in a payment plan and sign up for automatic payments or make a lump sum payment toward the amount due. If you've been overcharged, request that amounts be corrected and a new bill issued.Īlso, ask if any discounts are available to help with the costs of care your insurance doesn't cover. Contact your health care provider and the insurance company to ensure that you're being charged fairly and accurately for health care. If there's something on your hospital bill or EOB that you don't understand or appears to be inaccurate, ask for clarity. Payments for health care bills made on your behalf.Deductibles or coinsurance that you have to pay.This document isn't a bill instead, this document explains:

Your insurance company may also send you an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Charges for services that you did not receive.Figures that appear to be too low or too high.Costs for tests or screenings you received.Then go through that statement line by line to make sure that the charges are correct. If your health care provider hasn't given you a detailed itemized statement of your charges, ask for one. Start by reviewing your bills for accuracy. Be careful to preauthorize your treatment when required and to choose providers covered by your plan.Įven if you have insurance, it's still important to look for opportunities to reduce hospital bills and save money. If you have health insurance, your insurance company will probably pay at least part of your medical bills. But there are things you can do to cope with medical debt to avoid a worst-case scenario. So what happens if you don't pay hospital bills? In short, nothing good. Depending on what your state laws allow, this can include garnishing your wages or attaching your bank accounts. Once a judgment is entered, the debt collector can take the additional step of getting a court order to force you to pay. Judgments and late payments can be highly damaging to your credit scores.

Should the court rule in favor of the debt collector, your credit score will probably suffer. If you still don't pay, the debt collector may file a lawsuit against you. You may then get calls or letters from a debt collection agency requesting payment. Your health care provider may send your past due hospital bills to collections. Meanwhile, late fees and other charges may increase the balance. Instead, your health care provider will reach out to you to arrange payment. If you don't pay hospital bills, they won't just go away. What Happens if You Don't Pay Hospital Bills? That can be challenging if you have hospital bills to pay. Regardless of why hospital bills are so expensive, the fact is that health care is unaffordable for many people. Specifically, Cutler chalks it up to administrative expenses, corporate greed, price gouging and increased utilization of expensive medical technology.

Chan School of Public Health, proposes that high health care costs in the U.S.
