Medical Bills: The Nazi of Bills

I hate medical bills. No, I really, really despise medical bills. It's not that I like any bills. I dislike them all though I believe medical bills are the lowest of the low. They are like Hitler. He just seems to be the most evil of those that believed in totalitarianism. He was the worst. Well, medical bills are the worst and they can destroy lives of even those that are insured. I began thinking about this subject following my grandfather's stay in the hospital and following a conversation I had with a friend who recently gabe birth seven weeks early. It can keep a person up at night. It can make them dread the trip to the mailbox. It can cause one to feel helpless and unsure of how to handle such debt. I have had some personal experience with medical bills though I have been fortunate enough to come out mostly unscathed. There are ways to keep your sanity and there simple steps a person can take in order to feel a little more in control.

You should always know your benefits. Read that hefty book the insurance company sends you. It might make all the difference. Don't think that just because you pay for your insurance that somehow everything will just be taken care of. It doesn't work that way. Be your own advocate because nobody else is going to look out for you. Once I had to fight to get my son a certain allergy medication. Luckily, I had read the book (I know it almost seems like I'm referring to The Bible). I knew that he had to try the other allergy medications before the insurance would pay for the new allergy medication. He tried them all and none worked. He wasn't even in elementary school and it was horrible to see him feeling under the weather at least 9 months out of the year. Well, I knew that once the doctor signed off on the new medication and verified that my son had tried all other covered allergy medications, our insurance would have to pay for the new medication. Let me tell you that I had to stay on the phone for hours and go from person to person to make it happen. I made it happen. Believe me, it was not pretty but I was right and I knew I was right. I had it in writing even though several people with my insurance company tried to tell me that I was wrong. Guess what, he got his medicine and guess what else, I paid a co-pay and nothing more.

Following a hospital stay, you should always request an itemized bill. See what you are being charged for. You might be surprised to see that there are medications you never received or procedures that never took place. It happens a lot more than you might think. Hospitals send out countless bills and errors happen. One error might cost you BIG.

Make sure to read the statements that come from your insurance carrier. Read them. Don't scan them or glance over them, READ them. Regardless of being covered by a private carrier such as BCBS or Medicaid or Medicare, you need to read your statements. Years ago, following the birth of my first son, I became a victim of double billing. It was horrible. I knew my insurance had paid for the many tests that I had had due to preeclampsia. I knew because I read the statements. This company that I will not name, but I really, really want to name, continued to send bill after bill (killing God knows how many trees) and made threatening call after threatening call. I pay my bills. I paid my bills. The thought of being categorized as a deadbeat was almost too much to bear. I think they knew that. I also think they knew that I would pay because I feared my credit being ruined or my name being tarnished. I didn't pay. I was young but I was not stupid and was not going to be manipulated. I got on the phone and called anyone and everyone that would listen. I was twenty and quite capable of making good use of a phone book. I don't remember the woman I talked to and I don't even remember who she worked for but I do remember the outcome. I had talked to many, many people that day and finally this one woman listened to me. I told her everything. She told me not to worry about it and she would take care of it. Less than an hour later, she called back and told me it was taken care of. The calls stopped as did the killing of the trees. I do know she worked for some government office. I wish remembered but again I was twenty and was happy to have it taken care of. Today, I would have filed that woman's name and number away. Just know that this goes on. It happened to my grandfather some years ago and he too eventually got it to stop. It is very sad that this goes on but again you can take a stand and show you will not be one of those that gives in. I do worry about those that are terminally ill and just can't fight anymore. It's just another reason for those can fight to fight.

Let your insurance carrier and the hospital work things out before you open your wallet. Eight hours after having my second child, a woman with a clipboard came into my room and asked, "Will that be cash, check or charge?" I was dumbfounded. Maybe it was the drugs but I'm pretty sure it was just good ole' fashioned shock. They wanted close to $1400 right there. I had not even left yet. I had another day to go before I could leave. It didn't make sense. I told her to bill me. My bill came and it was not $1400. I think it was $1200. Hey, I'm glad I got to keep my $200. I also made a phone call to the hospital billing department and requested to be put on a no interest payment plan. I wasn't going to charge $1200 and I wasn't going to shell out $1200 cash. I paid it off in less than two years and I didn't have to worry about it. I was told congratulations the day I paid my last payment. I thought that was funny until realized so many people don't pay their medical bills but many aren't dead-beats, they just need to put food on the table and give up on their astronomical sized, Nazi of a medical bill.

Don't give up when you have a credit. If a hospital or a physician's office owes YOU money, then you need to get your money. Don't be fooled by the "We only cut checks at the middle or end of the month." Trust me, the middle or the end of the month will come and in all likelihood your check won't. Once I had a credit that I didn't even know about. I learned of it almost two years later. Wow! They had my money for two years. I should have asked for interest. Following my second child's birth, I had yet another credit but this time I found out exactly a year later when I went for my yearly physical. It took me three months to get a check for close to $200. I felt like sending them remittance letters. Man, that would have been hilarious. Maybe I'll do that next time. Point being, they want their money right away but they will take their sweet time getting your money back to you. Again, nobody is looking out for you but you.

These are just a few basic things one can do to at least feel somewhat in control. Everyone has debt just as everyone has bills, but often times it's those medical bills that leave people out in the cold. Literally, they leave people out in the cold because they lose their house or sell their house because they just can't afford it following an illness or accident. Life is expensive but it's better than the alternative. Be prepared, be smart and be strong. Those bills don't have to get the best of you.