The cost of medical bills for injury continues to rise, and there has been a movement by the government to change the way the country deals with health care. In the meantime, a new industry looks to help people with high medical bills get them paid.
Medical billing advocates the are middlemen and women that help patients deal with paperwork and arguments frequently associated with paying back medical bills. In general, they find errors in bills, negotiate with your insurer to appeal coverage denials or negotiate lower fees with care providers.
Our firm’s personal injury lawyers in San Diego believe in making medical bills possible for patients to pay. As such, we have some resources that help lower your medical costs. It’s our belief that your medical bills should be the last thing on your mind when you’re recovering from personal injury.
Of course health care is not free, but there should be a good way for patients to pay their medical bills in the event of injuries. Some injuries can result in higher medical bills because of their severity. For example, spinal cord injuries causing paralysis (i.e. paraplegia and quadriplegia) would first lead to ambulance or transport charges followed by all of the immediate and future care.
To help get her medical bills paid, Susan Redstone, a freelance fashion stylist and author, used a medical billing advocate after a horseback riding accident last summer. Redstone only had a minimum insurance policy, so when a bill for $16,000 from the helicopter ambulance service came, she was concerned.
Redstone consulted with Victoria Caras, a medical advocate in Aspen, Colorado, who told her how to approach the medical transportation company to lower her bill in the best way possible. Thanks to Caras, Redstone was able to get a 25 percent discount in exchange for paying the bill in full.
If you decide to look into a medical billing advocate, you should keep these three things in mind:
1. Billing Errors
According to the Medical Billing Advocates of America, 9 out of 10 bills from hospitals often have errors that have to do with billing for services not provided.
2. Denial of Coverage
If your claims have been denied for whatever reason, you have the right to appeal the decision.
3. Negotiating Fees
Unfortunately, appeals may be denied and the patient may still be responsible for the bill, but in these cases, a medical advocate can help reduce out-of-pocket costs by negotiating lower rates directly with your medical provider.
The Medical Billing Advocates of America does list advocates in various states and by specialties, but as personal injury lawyers, we recommend hiring an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego to help you with medical bills from your injuries.
If you or a loved one have been injured because of someone else’s negligence, then we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible at 1-800-655-6585 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney in San Diego. We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.
About Michael PinesMichael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who specializes in car accident injury. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes on how insurance companies work and how they decided to pay injured people. Now that he works against insurance companies, Michael's inside knowledge has resulted in significant benefits to his clients injured in car accidents.
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