So What Have I Learned About Medical Bills?

There are some important things I have learned about paying down medical bills which made it easier and faster to take care of.

1.  Contact the Medical Facilities:  Let them know that you will be paying your bills. Don’t wait until they send them to collections to try to figure something out. Most everyone I have spoken with regarding medical bills has been very understanding and actually friendly.

2.  Ask About Hardship Programs:  One of my bills was cut from thousands to hundreds by qualifying for a program with the hospital that had something to do with charity. If you ask the facility if they have any hardship programs like this, you may get lucky and have your bill cut drastically.

3.  Set Up Payment Arrangements:  If you deal with the medical facility they will set up a payment plan with you that you can afford. You can also have it automatically debited each month from your bank account usually which worked out well for me. Keep track of the statements though so you know when you can have it paid off.

4.  Don’t Kill Yourself Paying Medical Bills:  My coworker and I talk about this all the time. She has 3 kids so she pretty much has indefinite medical bills with the clinic. Set up payment arrangements that fit your budget and don’t kill or starve yourself trying to pay them off. There will almost always be medical bills, unless you’re lucky enough to never ever have an illness, rash, cough, or anything broken. Your chances are less likely if you have children, by the way.

5. Do Make Sure You Pay Your Medical Bills:  On the other hand, don’t ignore your medical bills. After all, you did receive a service and you do owe for that service no matter how outlandish the bill is. You also do not want your bill to be turned over to collections and placed on your credit report, nor do you want to have problems with the facility if you need them in the future.

In short, it is possible to keep up with the medical bills. I realize there are instances and serious illnesses that cause them to get out of hand for some, but if they are manageable you can certainly work it out. It may take a while, but it isn’t impossible.

My biggest problem, of course was keeping track of everything. I’m eternally wondering if I’ve paid something, if I forgot to pay something or if I’m going to forget to pay something. Unfortunately, not paying or paying late isn’t an option for me on the medical bills, because this could result in voiding the payment plans or discount I’ve received on the bills. I definitely can’t afford to let that happen.

Tips for Keeping Payments Organized

Keep a Calendar: Whether online or printed, a calendar with big enough spaces to write when things need to be paid helps out a lot. I prefer printed calendars, and for a while even used just printed pages of each month of simple Word program calendar pages. Now I’m trying out a small monthly pocket calendar, but I think the daily spaces are too small for the things I need to keep track of.

Keep a Notebook: Even if you happen to be uber organized and file your statements religiously in the appropriately tabbed folders, it is still nice to have a notebook with account numbers for utilities, phone numbers, and other contact information. I wrote everything down in a small notebook that I carry with me today, while on the phone with each facility. Let’s face it, we aren’t always at home next to the filing cabinet when we need that information.

Keep Envelopes and Stamps Handy: This may seem strange because almost everything is accessible online now. Who still needs envelopes and stamps? I do, that’s who. I have one bill that does not accept payments online or over the phone and for this reason gets forgotten quite often. It does help to have the supplies I need right with me so I can write out the check and send it out while I’m sitting in the car or at work. My electric bill, for example does accept online payments but costs I think 3.95 to pay that way, which I won’t do. Paying online is convenient and nice, but I won’t pay anything extra for it. So, that bill has to be mailed in as well.

With all of the iPhone apps available, I’m sure there are pretty cool apps that can probably handle all three of these tips. I happen to not have an iPhone yet, though it’s at the top of my list of things I absolutely, really want and will starve for. There are also a number of computer programs that will regulate everything for you, but I don’t always have access to my computer. This, my friends, is why I carry around such a big bag (dubbed my “suitcase”) by many that know me. I need everything in that bag. Okay, maybe not the empty gum wrappers and Barbie sunglasses, but this is how I remember and keep track of my bills.

What do you do to help keep your bills organized? (And don’t worry if you’re using a method from the 90s, I’m still dragging around notebooks and stuff…)

And then I hit the lottery…

Not really the lottery, but I did find out recently that I qualified for 60% off of the actual hospital bills through some kind of charity program they have. I had called to set up my payment arrangement and was told about the program. After they sent me a form, all I needed to do was fill it out and attach copies of check stubs. To tell you the truth, I wasn’t expecting to qualify for so much. I was pretty surprised when I got the letter. Of course, that only applies to the bills at the hospital, it doesn’t apply to the labs or other clinics and testing and whatever else. I honestly couldn’t tell you all of the places I owe money to because of one surgery. Still, I couldn’t have asked for more from the hospital, well except for just downright free service, but that isn’t fair either.

I am but a hamster on the medical bill wheel of life…

My friend at work and I joke about the medical bill cycle all the time. She has three kids, so between their annual visits and checkups as well as hers and her husbands, she figures that they’ll always just have a bill at the clinic for the rest of their lives. I can relate to this completely, as soon as you’re almost paid off, you get sick or need some other kind of surgery.

Next year will be better…

I think I said this last year, not sure but I feel like I’ve had everything checked and worked on this year that could possibly be worked on. I don’t think I’ll have any reason whatsoever to be in a hospital, or test for so 2010 should mean a lot less medical bills, right? Like I said…I think I said that last year.

I guess what I’m figuring out is life is life. I’ve learned to live with the fact that I’ll have these perpetual medical bills. I do what I can, work out the payments that can be worked out and sometimes I even get a little lucky and get 60% deducted. The day I post something like “Woo hoo all medical bills are paid in full,” or “Yeehaw, I don’t owe a soul for anything medical,” well that’s the day someone better check on me. I’m either lying or I’ve bumped my head…and need to go to the hospital…

1. Accepting all those Damn Credit Cards

My intention was to hang on to them for emergencies and not use them. The open lines of credit actually made my credit score look even better. The problem only occurred when the emergencies came up, combine that with the irresponsible not quite emergencies and the credit cards ended up all being used and not saved. The concept of just hanging on to a credit card works for other more responsible people, I just know now that I’m not one of those folks. I should’ve just stuck with 2 main cards and I wouldn’t have some of the problems I have right now.

2. Bankruptcy is Embarrassing

The fact that I had to file in the first place is one of my biggest regrets. It’s embarrassing to me, when I have a credit report pulled, even when my credit score was good. Bankruptcy has to be an absolute last resort and I wonder to this day if somehow I could’ve worked out my finances and avoided filing at all.

3. Letting Medical Bills Run Amok

I can’t say that this was entirely my fault but I do regret not keeping up with the medical bills better and getting them paid off sooner. I’ve learned a lot about working with creditors and making payment plans but initially, the bills would bother me so much that I’d just try to ignore them until the absolute last minute.

4. Not Living Frugally or Budgeting Sooner

I don’t know if I had even heard of the word “frugal” at the time and I certainly wasn’t looking for ways to cut costs. Everything seemed to be going well so I didn’t worry about expenses or finding better deals on stuff. It wasn’t that I had a ton of money, I just figured that my bills were being paid so I didn’t have to worry about it. Don’t wait til you need to budget to budget.

5. No Savings Account

Younger people are smarter now and it isn’t unusual for a teenager to have a bank account with enough money saved for their entire college education. In my case, though, I figured savings was something I would worry about when I was older. I wasn’t a teenager after my bankruptcy, but I still felt young enough that I didn’t have to worry about it. If I had saved then, undoubtedly my savings would be drained by now to pay some of my medical bills and credit cards, but I wouldn’t have those bills to worry about and could be building up the savings account again.

Unfortunately, as the cliche goes, you can’t change the past you can only learn from it. I’m happy to say I’ve learned quite a bit on this journey. I just hope that one of these days I learn enough to stop making mistakes.

I’ll post about the good things that stemmed from my bankruptcy (believe it or not, there are some.)

Have a great Labor Day weekend, and don’t do anything you’ll regret later!

So, I paid $30 for my copay and $20 on the bill. I move down the hall to the lab, get my blood drawn, and am told “okay, you’re all done.”

“What? That’s it? Am I supposed to have an actual appointment or something?”

I went back to the checkin area to find out if I was actually done. She pulled up her screen and said, “Yep, that’s it for today.”

Wow. Do you mean to tell me I just paid a $30 copay for that? And $20 on a bill I could’ve ignored longer. Plus I’ll have a bill from the lab. Hell no. Someone is going to see me, diagnose something, take my blood pressure, or weigh me.

Of course I imagined starting a riot in the waiting area. My inner self is actually the Incredible Hulk. Outer self just kind of pouts and leaves in a daze to ponder how a person can ever survive with medical bills. There are no coupons for blood tests, no buy one blood test get one free, no shopping around for a cheaper blood test. There isn’t even a season where medical bills are cheaper. If you’re sick or have an illness, you either stay sick, die or pay the medical bills.

What is even sadder for me, though is that I actually have insurance. Maybe it isn’t the greatest because I don’t feel like it pays anything, but I’m sure if I didn’t have it I’d be in even more of a mess. For that I am grateful. There are some budget battles that you just can’t fight. Guess medical expenses are one of them.

Look over your bill as soon as you receive it to make sure there are no errors or extra charges. Fortunately, I’ve never found any errors on any of my medical bills. Unfortunately, the amount I’m responsible for has always been correct (would be nice to be able to decrease the bill with an error).

Organize the medical bills. In the past, I became overwhelmed with statements from different clinics and different divisions of the same clinic. I may receive a bill from the lab and one from the clinic and one from anywhere else that provided anything, even though it was all the same appointment. I know, silly that I didn’t expect that, but I ran into problems wondering which bills I paid and which ones I didn’t.

Spreadsheets are effective if you manage bills and things that way. Otherwise just different folders with the name of the provider or clinic is just as simple. This way you can keep receipts, phone numbers, account numbers, and a record of payments and appointments. I mention keeping receipts as well as mileage records because sometimes medical expenses are tax deductible. Check with your accountant at tax time but in the meantime have all of the information just in case. Plus it’s just good to know when and what you’re paying.

Make sure the amount you’re responsible for is correct and that any insurance you may have has already been applied.

If you can’t pay the entire bill, call the medical facility and set up a payment plan immediately. Not only does this prevent interest and late fees (if you stick to the payment plan), you may find out another discount is available.

For instance, a couple years ago I called to set up a payment plan and was told that I may qualify for a hardship program. All I had to do was fill out a form and send in a check stub. I didn’t think I would qualify because honestly, it seemed the equivalent to winning the lottery. To my surprise though I did and my bill for that particular medical facility was decreased by almost 60%. It never hurts to ask and you will probably not be told about any such program unless you specifically ask.

I suggest setting up the immediate payment plan even if you don’t qualify for any discounts though to save money on the bill. I am also a huge fan of direct debit or automatic payments just to make sure I don’t miss one. Sometimes the entire payment plan will be cancelled if you miss a payment.

These are the main suggestions, if I think of anything else that may be useful I’ll post it. Right now I have to sleep off some of this medication. The grogginess and sleepiness has caused me to have a completely unproductive day. I’d say that deserves a discount, right?

I finally forced myself to call and set up payment plans for all of my medical bills-four more to be exact. At the rate I’m going, the medical bills will take approximately 25 months to pay off. Plus, I have new ones that will be coming in for all kinds of recent tests and exams (can’t wait to get those).

I put it off for a while because setting up payment plans and paying bills creates a ton of stress and worry for me. I guess sometimes I just wish they would go away, but putting off bills just makes things worse. Besides the extra fees incurred, I might as well add a banner to my credit report that says, “Loser”.

I joked with a co-worker that the bill collectors always ask, “How much can you pay?” Honestly, I want to tell them that I can probably afford a quarter a month, but I know they won’t accept that. So I set up the payment schedules according to what I thought would keep them happy and still allow food for my daughter.

As I was speaking to each collection agency/attorney’s office/medical facility, I wondered if the collection agents have the worst job on earth. I mean, a lot of people probably aren’t friendly or happy and making someone pay something they don’t want to has to suck, especially with people out of work and everything else going on. I have to say that every person I spoke to today was pretty friendly though, I’m sure they’ve heard their share of excuses and sob stories so I refrained from that. I also tried to be as reasonable as possible. After all it’s my fault I’m struggling with medical bills, not theirs. No one made me feel like an ass for having these bills or tried to force me to do anything. It sure makes things a tiny bit less stressful when I feel like someone is trying to work with me.

At the same time, I have credit card payments coming up…and that’s a whole different story.