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As the recession continues to cut jobs and more people lose their health insurance doctors and hospitals are becoming accustomed to injured persons bargaining down the cost of their medical bills.
Our firm’s personal injury attorneys in San Diego believe that the cost of medical bills can add to your pain and suffering if you have experienced a personal injury. If you are in a car accident, your personal injuries will range from whiplash, spinal cord injuries, paralysis, and traumatic brain injuries.
But whatever your personal injury is, you will most likely need help to pay the medical bills, even if you do have health insurance. With more people becoming jobless and not having the money to spend on medical bills, injured persons are finding ways to talk down the cost of their medical treatment.
Here are four tips to lower the cost of your medical bills:
1. DO NOT BE SCARED
Talk directly to your doctor about your financial situation and your medical bills. If that makes you uncomfortable, then go to the billing manager, who may be able to offer you a discount of 10 to 30 percent or propose a plan in which you pay your medical bills in a few installments or on a monthly basis with typically at no interest.
2. PAY CASH UPFRONT
Doctors can lose thousands of dollars every year from injured persons who do not pay their medical bills and spend countless hours haggling with insurers over reimbursements. If you can make their life simpler by offering to pay right away, you are likely to get a small discount.
3. MAKE A DEAL AND FOLLOW UP
If you do not have insurance or are going to pay high hospital co-payment, call the hospital’s billing department and explain that you would like to discuss getting a discount and why — suggesting you get the lowest rate from your insurance company for the medical bills.
4. COUNTEROFFER
Like doctors, hospitals would rather be paid something than nothing. They lost $34 billion in 2007 on uncompensated care, up 55 percent from 2002. Your medical bills says one number, why not try suggesting another one that is higher than the number zero?
As personal injury attorneys in San Diego, we believe that everyone should be given the best healthcare possible and not have their medical bills add to their pain and suffering. If you need to find a way to cut costs, flex your haggling muscles and do not be afraid to talk down the cost of your medical bills.
If you were injured and believe that you deserve compensation, then call our bilingual law offices right away at 1-858-551-2090 or click here for a free consultation with an experienced personal injury attorney and find out how we can help you. We look forward to providing good advice for your case. There is no fee if no recovery.
SENIOR PERSONAL INJURY ATTORNEY & FIRM FOUNDER
Michael Pines is a former insurance company attorney who graduated from the University of California Hastings College of the Law in 1987. While he was an insurance attorney, he learned from behind the scenes how insurance companies work and how they decide how much 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. Learn more about Michael Pines