Money was the last thing on Bill Linden’s mind when his wife Kate had to be rushed into an emergency C-section. “It’s a life or death situation. Baby has to come out now. Period. End of story,” he said. Linden didn’t think twice about the anesthesiologist that was brought in to help with the procedure.
But once his bill arrived that was pretty much all he could think about. “It was a lot.” Said Linden. He was told he owed about $2500 because while his hospital was out-of-network that anesthesiologist was not.
Bill’s situation is not uncommon. According to a recent Consumer Reports survey, 2 out of 3 people who’d recently had a major health expense had an issue with their bill.
“There’s a very good chance that your billing problem will drag on for weeks, months or even years,” said Consumer Reports Money Editor, Penelope Wang. More than a third of those people said they paid bills they weren’t even sure they owed.
That doesn’t have to be you. Bill Linden turned to a non-profit patient advocacy group for help. They told him everything he’d have to do “This is the documentation you need to get. This is who you chase down. Send things certified mail.” He said. It took him 14 months to prove he didn’t owe the money.
You can even hire a medical billing advocate if it’s cost effective. And if you find that you owe all the unexpected charges, experts say try to negotiate. Penelope Wang says “They may offer you a payment plan or if you agree to pay in cash right away they may discount the amount.