These commenters who say a service “cost” $X or they paid $Y amount: I am concerned for your negotiation skills. I once incurred a $30,000 hospital bill while

These commenters who say a service “cost” $X or they paid $Y amount: I am concerned for your negotiation skills. I once incurred a $30,000 hospital bill while putatively uninsured. As soon as I was discharged, I went on alert for a statement. As soon as I obtained the numbers, I began to negotiate. I contacted my prior insurance carriers. I carefully read the CFPB documents on debt collection and I downloaded their letter templates. I tracked every account and claim and payment and provider in a custom Google Sheet. I filed for retroactive Medicaid. They determined me eligible and granted retroactive coverage through my month of hospitalization. Medicaid attempted to disavow this. I produced the documentation sent from the Medicaid office. They gave me the wrong claims office address. I worked with claimants to correct it. The statement still reflected $30,000. I held my ground, and insisted that coverage had been obtained. Not long after these exchanges, one day, my balance was $0. They wiped out my entire debt. They wrote off the whole thing. I was absolved of responsibility. Because I played their game and kept my purse-strings closed. Never believe a creditor’s bill at face value. You should never pay a medical bill on receipt from a provider without checking all portals, all statements, and asking questions. Payment plans often carry no penalty and no interest. If they offer you a 60-month plan, offer them 72 months. Uninsured? Ask for “self-pay plan”. Search their website for Financial Assistance Program forms, fill out the PDF, file it with all the documentation they requested. Get busy on FAPing. Go back to the hospital, find their billing department, and burst into tears once you’re comfy in their office. Turn over bank statements, no matter how wet they got. Your insurance carrier should always be responsible for receiving every bill, negotiating prices, and estimating how much you ultimately need to pay. Don’t be a sucker.