Tips for sorting out medical bills
1. Find a medical billing specialistLook in the Yellow Pages under "Insurance Claims Processing-Medical" or ask a social worker for a referral. Expect to pay $20 to $50 an hour, depending on where you live.
2. Ask a friend or relative for helpYou may know someone who has the right skill set to take this on. Bookkeeping, patience, and persistence are the required talents. Choose someone who can give you several hours a week, at least in the beginning.
3. Expect to find errors According to Money magazine, as many as eight out of 10 medical bills contain errors, increasing the bill by an average of 25 percent. Don't pay any bill until you are sure it is correct.
4. Expect collection lettersSome cancer centers send these out more quickly than others. Some will send them out even if you are working to resolve a billing problem.Don't panic, but don't ignore the letter either.You have 30 days to dispute the bill. Do this by mail, not on the phone--you need to start a paper trail. Then you, or your billing specialist, gain some time to sort out the problem.
5. Focus on getting wellTry not to worry about the bills--I know it's hard, but try. Your job is to get well.
Read Jeanne's article about how she found a billing specialist to help her sort out her stack of bills.
Jeanne Sather is an outspoken advocate for the cancer patient's point of view and writes at The Assertive Cancer Patient.
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