You Can Haggle with Doctor Costs

You probably never thought you could actually talk down your doctor costs, but apparently you can! In an article on ABC News, How to Cut Down Doctor’s Bills, specific examples are given on how others have been able to save hundreds of dollars on procedures and doctor’s visits just by asking for it. This is after health insurance pays for their share, since many insurance policies won’t pay enough of the bill to keep you out of financial hardship.

In this economy, you can talk people into giving you deals almost anywhere you go including medical care. The medical profession doesn’t want to see you go without healthcare but they still want to be paid. This is why they will meet you, in most circumstances, half way. So if you know you are in need of care, call ahead to your doctor and discuss your situation. Ask if your doctor would be able to give you a reduced rate, you’ll be surprised to hear that he/she most likely will!

When I worked as a case manager, many of my clients had limited incomes and many of them didn’t have any insurance. If one of them needed to go to the hospital for an emergency, in most cases, he/she weren’t able to pay for it. Usually, we would ask the hospital to treat it as a charity case. They would review the patient’s financial information and verify that he/she doesn’t have insurance and then waive the cost. However, what were they really going to do? The patient would never be able to pay…so in the end, they wouldn’t get the money anyway.

(Photo Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheesepicklescheese/419050330/)

August 10th, 2009 by Marcelina Hardy | Posted in Saving Money | (0)