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The initial bill is written KNOWING that it will be discounted. Prices are obviously jacked up so they get negotiated down to something reasonable, just like an

The initial bill is written KNOWING that it will be discounted. Prices are obviously jacked up so they get negotiated down to something reasonable, just like any scenario where haggling is normal. I was just in the ER and got the claim forms. Price paid was about 1/10th the initial bill. If hotels billed like hospitals, they'd offer rooms for $1000/night and settle for $100 when you flashed a Hotels Club card, which everyone would have, pay a flat rate for + deductible, and would use to the max to squeeze every penny of value out of that flat rate.

sachingulaya 15y ago
I recently had an appendectomy. It was 40k according to the hospital. My insurance negotiated 27k of that down to 3k(3k is my policy max for an appendectomy apparently) and then left me to pay for the other 13k. In the end, my insurance paid 3k and I paid 13k. The initial bill is written knowing that some people won't pay, some will get huge discounts, and others will get stiffed with the entire thing. The discount is far from guaranteed--even with insurance. The problem is you have no idea what kind of terms that Hotels Club card gives you. I had no idea what my insurance deemed is the maximum reasonable charge for an appendectomy, how much the hospital would bill, etc. If I knew how much my hospital was going to bill I would have passed on certain procedures. For example, I would have saved $800 by not having a CT...which is actually acceptable care if you have enough clinical symptoms of appendicitis(and I did). I would have also refused an overnight stay and left immediately after the operation.
ww520 15y ago
What are the ways to negotiate the hospital bill down? What leverages the patient can apply after the service has been delivered?
- ctdonath 15y ago
  Step #1: call hospital billing. Thing is, almost nobody bothers with even that first simple step.

sachingulaya 15y ago

I recently had an appendectomy. It was 40k according to the hospital. My insurance negotiated 27k of that down to 3k(3k is my policy max for an appendectomy apparently) and then left me to pay for the other 13k. In the end, my insurance paid 3k and I paid 13k. The initial bill is written knowing that some people won't pay, some will get huge discounts, and others will get stiffed with the entire thing. The discount is far from guaranteed--even with insurance. The problem is you have no idea what kind of terms that Hotels Club card gives you. I had no idea what my insurance deemed is the maximum reasonable charge for an appendectomy, how much the hospital would bill, etc. If I knew how much my hospital was going to bill I would have passed on certain procedures. For example, I would have saved $800 by not having a CT...which is actually acceptable care if you have enough clinical symptoms of appendicitis(and I did). I would have also refused an overnight stay and left immediately after the operation.

ww520 15y ago

What are the ways to negotiate the hospital bill down? What leverages the patient can apply after the service has been delivered?

ctdonath 15y ago
Step #1: call hospital billing. Thing is, almost nobody bothers with even that first simple step.