Medical expenses | blog.firstffcu.com

If you’re looking at astronomical medical bills due to the coronavirus pandemic or another health emergency, you might think there’s no choice but to pay thousands of dollars for your treatment. This may not always be the case. Here’s some advice on how to bring down the numbers on your medical bills and tips on how to cover the remaining costs.

Step 1: Review your bill(s).

Typically, you’ll receive an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) from your insurance company along with the actual bill, which tells you how much you’re responsible for paying. It’s important to hold onto both of these documents and to review them carefully.

The EOB is a document provided by your insurance company explaining your insurance benefits as it pertains to a bill. It will usually include the following information:

Amount Billed by Provider (this refers to the amount the doctor or hospital charged)
Plan Discounts (this refers to a discount negotiated by your insurance company)
Amount paid by insurance company
Amount you owe the provider

Most EOBs will also include information about your deductible, co-pay and co-insurance. If a procedure or treatment is not covered, the EOB should include a short explanation about why it’s not covered. If your statement includes charges for COVID-19 testing or related expenses, like co-payments and deductibles, your insurance should be covering the entire amount, as per the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

Review your bills carefully and make sure the EOB and the medical bill correspond with each other. If there is a discrepancy between the two documents, it may be a billing error. If you suspect an error, you may want to ask for itemized bills. This will provide you with a detailed breakdown of all costs charged to you for services and/or inpatient stays.

If you’re being billed for a hospital stay, review the charges carefully to be sure you’re not getting billed for a treatment you haven’t actually received.

Step 2: Review your insurance coverage.

It’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with your health insurance policy before disputing any charges. Most health insurance providers will present their members with a detailed manual that outlines exactly which treatments and charges are covered and which are not. Here, you can refer back to the EOB to see if the insurance paid for all the procedures it claims to cover.

Step 3: Dispute any errors.

If your insurance billed you incorrectly or did not cover a procedure or treatment that is covered under your plan, call a company representative to ask about the charge. Be sure to have your bill in front of you when you make the call, note the time of your call, the contents of the conversation, and the name of the representative you speak to in case you need it for future reference.

If the error is with your doctor’s office, ask to speak to an office billing representative and explain your position. Here too, keep a record of the conversation for future reference. Be prepared to make multiple phone calls until you reach a party who can make the change. It’s also a good idea to follow up with a written request to challenge any charges in question.

Step 4: Negotiate the remaining bill.

If the bill is unimaginably high after all the errors were corrected, you still have options. Consider negotiating with the billing department at your doctor’s practice for a lower price on the treatments rendered. You may want to do this in person, and most practices will allow you to schedule an appointment with a representative of the billing office. Bring all your bills and other supportive documents, such as receipts from the pharmacy and information from your insurance provider. If you believe a charge for a procedure has been unreasonably inflated, it’s a good idea to research the going rate of coverage through sites like HealthcareBluebook.com and My Healthcare Cost Estimator first.

At the meeting, explain that you are having difficulty with your bill and that you’re looking for a way to lower the costs. Here are some open-ended questions to guide your negotiations:

What discounts do you offer for financial hardship?
Which of these fees can be waived?
Many hospitals have charity relief plans for patients having difficulty meeting their payments, can you tell me about yours?
Can you charge me what Medicare would pay for this service?
Can you lower some charges if I pay this off sooner?

Step 5: Create a payment plan or seek funding.

Once you have your final bill amount, you’ll need to choose to pay it now or work on creating a payment plan to make it more manageable.

If you’d rather not have a huge bill hanging over your head for awhile, or your doctor’s office insists on immediate payment – consider some other options. One way to help pay your bill is by applying for a personal loan from First Financial.* This method will provide you with the funds you need to pay your bill, along with a payback plan offering flexible terms and manageable monthly payments. Another option would be using your emergency savings fund, if it will help cover any expenses.

Step 6: Going forward.

To avoid an unexpectedly large medical bill in the future, you may want to consider switching your insurance plan to one that provides more robust coverage and less expensive co-pays and deductibles – if at all possible. Your premiums will likely increase, but the change may be financially worthwhile if you know you may have ongoing medical expenses.

Another long-term option to consider is setting up a Health Savings Account (HSA). The funds you contribute to this account are tax-deductible, grow tax-free and can be withdrawn to cover qualified medical expenses.

If you’d like to talk to us about personal or consolidation loan options, contact us! We’re here for you.

*APR = Annual Percentage Rate. Rates are subject to change. Maximum loan is $25K and maximum term is 60 months. Not all applicants qualify, subject to credit approval. A First Financial membership is required to obtain a personal loan, and is open to anyone who lives, works, worships, volunteers or attends school in Monmouth or Ocean Counties. A $5 deposit in a base savings account is required for credit union membership prior to opening any other account/loan. See credit union for details.

Article Source: CUContent.com

Medical expenses have gone crazy. You don’t have to do the same.

In the United States, healthcare has grown into a $3 trillion industry. That’s $3,000,000,000,000. That’s a lot of zeros—so many that for most of us, the number doesn’t even seem real. But if we break it down to a personal level, that means the average American spends more than $11,000 per year on healthcare costs. If that doesn’t sound troublesome, consider the fact that the annual cost of healthcare for a family of four tops $28,000. With the median household income coming in at $63,000 per year, that means the average U.S. family can wind up spending more than 40% of their annual income on medical-related expenses.

Even with employer-provided health insurance, which covers roughly 56% of the US population, the employee contribution and out-of-pocket deductibles can leave families buried under an avalanche of medical debt. It’s hard to understand how an industry responsible for personal care can seem so unconcerned when it comes to the financial state of its patients. But with a growing number of hospitals being operated as investor-owned, for-profit businesses, return on investment often seems more important than compassionate patient care.

Difficult Times Call for Creative Approaches

As medical bills continue to climb, the corresponding rise in medical collection agencies only perpetuates the healthcare industry’s callous reputation. In a conversation about the cold, impersonal nature of medical collections, Elizabeth Rosenthal, author of An American Sickness, observed, “…to them [collection agencies], a bill is a bill is a bill. They don’t care if it’s for somebody’s heart transplant…or if someone spent a lot more money on a Rolex watch that they couldn’t afford.”

Over the last few years, medical bills have become the number one cause of bankruptcy in the United States. With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that GoFundMe campaigns have become one of the most popular ways for consumers to cover their medical costs. According to GoFundMe statistics, approximately 250,000 fundraising campaigns are established on the platform every year just to pay for medical expenses. The $650,000 generated by those campaigns points to a significant problem in the healthcare system.

If you’re one of the thousands of Americans struggling to keep your head above water as medical bills flood in, you might feel helpless. And while there are no magic solutions that can make legitimate medical debt disappear, there are a few steps you can take to stay afloat.

3 Ways to Keep Your Medical Expenses in Check

1. Review Your Bill
When hospital or doctor bills show up, it’s natural to skip right to the “Total Due.” This is not necessarily the best way to approach the statement. Glancing at the amount due could leave you feeling helpless, confused, and overwhelmed. Before you send any money, take time to review every line item listed. Due to complex medical billing codes, it’s not uncommon for incorrect or duplicate charges to wind up on the bill. If you notice discrepancies or questionable entries, it is your right as a consumer to ask your insurance company or medical provider for an explanation. The dispute process may be lengthy, but it’s better than paying for medical services you never received.

2. Consider a High-Deductible HSA
If you and your family are in relatively good health, a Health Savings Account (HSA) can be an excellent way to secure medical coverage while keeping your insurance premium under control. Traditionally available through employers, insurance companies, and some financial institutions, HSAs allow you to set aside money from your paycheck to be used specifically for medical expenses. These accounts feature higher deductibles than traditional insurance plans, but they make up for that by allowing account holders to deposit funds on a pre-tax basis, which can provide some savings and stress relief.

3. Create an Emergency Fund
Setting aside $1,000 in a savings account is a smart way to protect yourself against life’s unpredictable twists and turns. Minor illness and occasional doctor’s visits certainly qualify as unexpected expenses, so an emergency fund can help you address sudden medical needs without derailing your budget. If you decide to follow the previous suggestion and secure a high-deductible Health Savings Account, you may want to boost your emergency fund to a level that would cover your deductible. While this adjustment will likely take more work to establish, knowing you’re able to cover your entire deductible in the event of a medical emergency provides enough peace of mind to make it worth the effort.

The steps we’ve outlined may not solve all your problems or eliminate all your medical debt, but they can go a long way toward helping you feel like you have a little more control. If you need a little help in between – check our Financial Helper Loan, small personal loans that can help cover the costs of life’s necessary expenses.