Maintain Open Communication with Medical Bill Debt
July 14, 2012 in health care costs, Health Insurance, Hospital Bills, Insurance Bills, Medical Care, Medical Debt
The Affordable Care Act is cracking down on some of the most aggressive ways that hospitals categorized as charitable or nonprofit facilities for tax exemption can seek to shake money out of patients. Reports of the new laws also often offer some of the most common advice to protect you and your family from unfair or excessive medical debt.
Always Talk to Your Providers
One of the biggest pieces of advice is to always ask up front about available charity and financial assistance programs. It’s a great idea to ask about health care costs, and detail payment options, before you sign up for any given course of treatment. But beyond this, dialogue with the provider is also a key to keeping medical bills from showing up on credit reports. It’s true that even with the best back channel dialogue, some hospital administrators will still send bills to collections, but having an open communication with the provider will prevent this in the majority of cases where reasonable financial offices simply ask that patients keep in touch about their debt and pay to the best of their ability.
Make Sure You Are Covered
Essentially, the Affordable Care Act can be seen as a double-edged sword – depending on what side of the table you are on. Read the rest of this entry →
