57% of Americans have been surprised to receive a medical bill.
These Americans assumed that the insurance would cover everything. If you find yourself in this situation, request the hospital itemized medical bill. Understand the hospital won’t offer an itemized bill unless you ask for one.
And many hospitals will not honor your request immediately, and you’ll be forced to push them.
So, why should you go through all this trouble when you can just pay the hospital bill and move on?
Keep reading to learn why you should always ask for an itemized medical bill.
Verify Medical Charges
Itemized hospital bills break down all charges making it easy to verify them. Don’t shy off from asking for clarification if you’re uncertain about a given hospital charge. Besides, carefully check the dates on each of the charges to ensure they’re correct.
Your objective is to ensure that your bill contains the right hospital charges.
Check for Medical Billing Errors
There is an 80% chance that your medical bill has errors, and the only way to know is by checking. That’s why you should insist on getting an itemized medical bill. You want a comprehensive breakdown that shows the billing for each hospital charge.
So, it’s easy to know when the hospital is overcharging you and take the appropriate action with this information. If you suspect hospital billing fraud, consider taking legal action. The idea is to sue the hospital for overbilling you and protect other patients from this fraud.
To know how to file a medical billing error lawsuit, reach out to the top fraud attorney. You want to get professional guidance on whether you have a case or not. Besides, this attorney will direct you on how to calculate damages.
Get Information to Help You Negotiate
If you feel that your medical bill is too high, you can negotiate with the hospital to lower it. It’s however challenging to negotiate without an itemized medical bill, so ask for one. The idea is to go through the charges on this bill and find the ones that the hospital can lower.
Understand, hospitals have the leeway to offer some services for free but only if the patients request. That’s why you need to go through your medical bill to check for these charges. If you negotiate right, you’ll enjoy a significant reduction in your hospital.
Avoid Overpaying by Asking for an Itemized Medical Bill
It’s unfortunate when you’ve to pay a portion of your medical bill from pocket despite being insured. So, to ensure the hospital isn’t overcharging, ask for an itemized medical bill. The idea is to verify the hospital charges and check for errors.
So, carefully go through the itemized medical bill and if you’re uncertain about any charge, ask for clarification. Also, if you suspect hospital billing fraud, reach out to an attorney for legal assistance.
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