How to Fight Medical Bill Overcharges

IF YOU RECEIVE A BALANCE BILL OR BELIEVE YOU WERE OVERCHARGED, FOLLOW THE STEPS BELOW TO WAIVE OR LOWER THE COST:

1. Request an itemized bill and dispute inaccuracies:

Ask the provider or hospital for an itemized bill with all billing codes listed. Because 80% of medical bills contain an error, you may find duplicate or incorrect charges.

2. Ask to see the contract:

With no written agreement, you have no legal obligation to pay.  Particularly if debt collectors are calling insisting on payment for an unfair bill, demand they provide you with the contractual agreement in which you are obligated to pay.

3. Research the actual price posted by the hospital:

Use our Hospital Price Files Finder to find the hospital’s pricing file and verify that you were charged correctly (See the Hospital Price FIles Finder tutorial ).  If you’re in Colorado, use our Colorado Hospital Price Finder to find the correct price (See the Colorado Hospital Price Finder tutorial).  If you cannot confirm the price is correct, call or write your hospital and dispute the bill.

4. Research other prices and use them to negotiate:

Save screenshots of prices for nearby hospitals using our tool, look up the cash price, or compare prices at  Healthcare Bluebook and Clear Health Costs.

For surgical procedures, you can also compare your charges with the transparent prices at The Surgery Center of Oklahoma and Texas Free Market Surgery.  You can then use those prices to negotiate.

5. Address out-of-network services and refuse to pay for inappropriate care:

Many patients are unaware that they can receive an out-of-network charge at an in-network hospital for non-urgent care, resulting in 57% of Americans receiving an unexpected bill. If you received unnecessary care or had an avoidable complication, demand that you not be charged for these services.

6. Call your insurance company:

If you have insurance, check your explanation of benefits (EOB) to determine if the service or procedure is covered. Call your insurer’s customer service line if your health plan isn’t covering something you thought would be covered.  If the bill should be covered according to your EOB and the insurance company is refusing to pay, contact the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. You can also contact your state and file an appeal.  

7. Call your employer’s head of Human Resource department:

If you have health insurance through your employer, you can ask your Human Resources Department to advocate on your behalf.

8. Write to your hospital’s leadership:

If none of the steps above have produced results and you have been unfairly charged for services not rendered or egregiously overcharged for services received, write a letter or email to the hospital’s CEO and CFO. You can also contact the hospital’s board members through their offsite office and inform them of the hospital’s predatory billing practices.