Have you received a high medical bill, so complex you can’t figure out what you are being billed for? If so, you are like many other people who received medical treatment and found out even the most routine treatment and hospital care carries a heavy cost. Due to the complexity of medical billing, many people are acquiring the services of a medical bill attorney to help them.
According to some reports, medical bills are responsible for more than half of the bankruptcies filed in this country. For people who don't have medical insurance or whose insurance only covers a small part of the bill, bankruptcy may seem their only option. A medical bill lawyer can offer the assistance you need to decipher the bills and do something about them.
People are shocked when they are charged hundreds of dollars for mild pain medications or thousands for bandages. Most don’t know the fee structure of most medical facilities is fluid and flexible. You and your medical bill attorney can negotiate or dispute these charges. People usually accept them and pay the bill assuming there is nothing to be done about it.
Steps to Take When You Receive a Disputable Medical Bill
If you’ve received a sky-high medical bill and don’t understand it or know how you can afford it, your first action should be to make an appointment to discuss your case with an experienced medical bill lawyer. Your lawyer will help you to understand and decipher your bill and help you to either negotiate or dispute the charges. Medical facilities won’t tell you the bills are negotiable because they know most people will assume they aren’t and simply pay the amount charged.
How Legal Representation Helps
It’s important you seek legal assistance as soon as you receive your bill. Most facilities allow a limited time to dispute the charges on a bill. Beyond that cut-off, the hospital will begin to aggressively pursue payment of the bill, even resorting to using a bill collection agency if payment isn’t rendered in a timely manner. A medical bill in collections can have a devastating effect on your credit, causing your score to plummet.
Your attorney will meet with the hospital accounting department on your behalf and attempt to negotiate the prices you’ve been charged. In some cases, there are charges on medical bills that are mistakes that shouldn’t be there. Your lawyer will take steps to dispute the charges and if need be, seek a remedy in court.