The New Year has begun! I wish you joy, peace, health, and prosperity!
When January arrives, it often brings bills from the holiday season—or even just regular bills that hit us when we’re feeling less festive and a little tired from the preceding holiday months. Perhaps the most frustrating and potentially devastating of these bills are medical bills.
It can feel like an avalanche of emotion when you’re still healing and dealing with so much. Unfortunately, I’ve already received a number of calls this month regarding this very issue. Did you hear about actor Eric Dane (famous for his role on Grey’s Anatomy), who has ALS? He and his wife had to advocate tirelessly to get the at-home care he needed. She was told by someone from his insurance company, “You can keep calling and I will keep denying coverage.” These are people with means, but it doesn’t matter how much money you have—it can go very fast if you need care.
So here are some tips if you or someone you love is facing medical bills:
- Check your insurance now! Don’t wait until you’re sick. Who is your insurer? Find out what your insurance covers if you need an ambulance or emergency room visit, as well as coverage for your primary care provider versus a specialist.
- Know these terms:
- Deductible – The total amount you must pay out-of-pocket for covered medical services before your insurance starts to pay its share
- Coinsurance – The percentage of costs you pay for services after you’ve met your deductible
- Insurance Premium – The regular payment (monthly, quarterly, or annually) you make to an insurance company to keep your policy active and ensure coverage
- Check your EOBs before you pay a bill Your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) comes from your insurer. Check these against the bills you receive. Often, if there is no EOB for a service, it wasn’t sent to your insurance company. Call the insurance company to ask if they received it, and call the provider to see if they sent it. If it was sent but not received, you need to get that fixed before paying.
- Don’t wait; negotiate If you or an advocate has done all of the above and you do owe money, call the hospital or provider and see what they can do to lessen the bill and/or set up a payment agreement.
Remember: the “No Surprises Bill Act” has been in effect for a few years now. In essence, you can’t get a surprise bill after you’ve been in the hospital and been told that the doctor(s) in that hospital don’t take your insurance and you have to pay privately.
New Yorkers check out Care Answered’s Blog on Laws Protecting those with medical debt here.
Contact Care Answered on our website at www.careanswerd.com for more blogs, webinars and more information. Care Answered gets healthcare DONE.