How to successfully negotiate down a $3,000 ambulance bill

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

A few weeks ago, we were hit by an ambulance bill of about $1,800 when a local small hospital sent one of our family members to their larger, local hospital. A couple of days ago, we got another unexpected large bill of nearly $3,000 from the same outside ambulette company, from when they transferred her to a place about an hour away.

While I paid the first one in full, I am tempted to try to negotiate this one down. Anthem Blue Cross only paid 16%, leaving us to pay the other 84% on our own.

My understanding is that if they send it to collections, they will only get a small percentage of it when they sell the debt to a collector. Have any of you successfully 'negotiated down' a large medical bill like this? I am open to suggestions on strategy. Thanks!

 

[nakedfrog]

A few weeks ago, we were hit by an ambulance bill of about $1,800 when a local small hospital sent one of our family members to their larger, local hospital. A couple of days ago, we got another unexpected large bill of nearly $3,000 from the same outside ambulette company, from when they transferred her to a place about an hour away.

While I paid the first one in full, I am tempted to try to negotiate this one down. Anthem Blue Cross only paid 16%, leaving us to pay the other 84% on our own.

My understanding is that if they send it to collections, they will only get a small percentage of it when they sell the debt to a collector. Have any of you successfully 'negotiated down' a large medical bill like this? I am open to suggestions on strategy. Thanks!

Wait, you paid the first one? After this?

Page 2 - Ambulance company, $1,800 - says pay now with credit card, insurance company will pay you back.....

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I don't think you're going to have any luck negotiating it down if it hasn't been submitted to insurance. After it goes to collections, it's anybody's guess. $3k is a big enough chunk that they might go to court for a judgement, but they might also settle for some middle ground like $1200-2000.

 

[MrSquished]

How's that gun loving freedom working out for ya on the healthcare side of things?

 

[Torn Mind]

Each state comes with a particular system of operation with regards to debts.

Like all debts, you can indeed simply leave them hanging if negotiations fail. If it does land on your credit score, it is of lower priority than other debts.

How Does Medical Debt Affect Your Credit Score?

Outstanding medical bills can negatively affect your credit score. Follow these three tips to minimize the chance that your credit score will be lowered.

www.aarp.org

Take what the system gives you and make them work for their money.

 

[shortylickens]

Vote Democrat.

 

[UsandThem]

If we only had a P&N forum for users to shout about their political ideology instead of wondering into OT threads where most people don't want to see that shit.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

Wait, you paid the first one? After this?

Page 2 - Ambulance company, $1,800 - says pay now with credit card, insurance company will pay you back.....

Page 2 - Seeking answers? Join the AnandTech community: where nearly half-a-million members share solutions and discuss the latest tech.

forums.anandtech.com

I don't think you're going to have any luck negotiating it down if it hasn't been submitted to insurance. After it goes to collections, it's anybody's guess. $3k is a big enough chunk that they might go to court for a judgement, but they might also settle for some middle ground like $1200-2000.

It was submitted to insurance - the insurance company wrote us a check for 15% of it. That's very unusual - usually Anthem negotiates the price down, pays for 90% or more of it, and we are responsible for a small percentage.

 

[dullard]

It was submitted to insurance - the insurance company wrote us a check for 15% of it. That's very unusual - usually Anthem negotiates the price down, pays for 90% or more of it, and we are responsible for a small percentage.

Did you get prior approval for this transport? Even in an emergency situation, Anthem in Ohio requires preauthorization for medical transport for many policies (I don't know the details of your exact policy):

Provider News

"please remember that you are obligated when medically appropriate to refer Anthem members to in-network providers. This includes physicians and all provider types including, but not limited to, ambulance transport (ground and air)... As a reminder, call Anthem first for pre-certification if required by the member’s policy."

Without the prior approval phone call, your insurance company may be under no obligation to pay for the transport. I can't help you with negotiations, since luckily I have not yet experienced an issue like yours.

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

The hospital simply used their own subcontractor - we were never given a chance to decide who was used for the transport. Considering the cost, I would definitely have taken a day off of work and transported her myself if given the chance.

 

[PowerEngineer]

Did you get prior approval for this transport? Even in an emergency situation, Anthem in Ohio requires preauthorization for medical transport for many policies (I don't know the details of your exact policy):

Provider News

"please remember that you are obligated when medically appropriate to refer Anthem members to in-network providers. This includes physicians and all provider types including, but not limited to, ambulance transport (ground and air)... As a reminder, call Anthem first for pre-certification if required by the member’s policy."

Without the prior approval phone call, your insurance company may be under no obligation to pay for the transport. I can't help you with negotiations, since luckily I have not yet experienced an issue like yours.

No doubt you are right about what Anthem has decided is required, but just how reasonable is it to require "pre-certification" in an emergency situation? Might just as well require me to complete an orbit of the moon. 🙄

Not wanting to get a P&N warning, but we should all see this kind of silliness as a problem with the way that our health care system works.

 

[MrSquished]

Move to most European countries. Less guns, but more freedom to not get fucked by corporations, especially healthcare ones.

 

[bbhaag]

Move to most European countries. Less guns, but more freedom to not get fucked by corporations, especially healthcare ones.

Yeah in Europe you just get fucked by government ones instead of corporate ones. It's a different kind of "freedom" over their.

 

[MrSquished]

Yeah in Europe you just get fucked by government ones instead of cooperate. It's a different kind of "freedom" over their.

Pray do tell. A large amount, not all, of European countries have far more reasonable healthcare systems. In a big way.They also have more stringent right to repair laws, stricter privacy laws, more restrictions on things like advertising to children, generally better environmental protections, far better public transportation infrastructure.

Can you explain how those are worse kind of freedoms besides just your feels?

 

[bbhaag]

But I love my feels...especially regarding healthcare. It's the best.

 

[MrSquished]

But I love my feels...especially regarding healthcare. It's the best.

Just more proof mental health coverage is not really a thing on this country

 

[UsandThem]

One of my kids was born overseas, in a Western European hospital.

It fucking sucked.

My wife went into labor around 7 PM, and I drove her to the hospital (which we already pre-registered at and had previous appointments).

They didn't have a doctor in the wing, so my wife had to lay there until like 6 AM without any kind of pain medication because the sole night nurse decided it wasn't worth calling a doctor about. He even told us we were "spoiled Americans" because my wife was in pain and asked about any kind of medication that could have helped.

It might be free for their citizens, but fuck doing that shit ever again.

 

[bbhaag]

Just more proof mental health coverage is not really a thing on this country

Awww did I hurt your feels with my truth?

 

[Scarpozzi]

Next time, get an Uber.

 

[Torn Mind]

The hospital simply used their own subcontractor - we were never given a chance to decide who was used for the transport. Considering the cost, I would definitely have taken a day off of work and transported her myself if given the chance.

See if you can get a copy of the medical records filled out by the personnel of the ambulance. See if you can get information about what labor, materials, etc were used during the transport.

You might also want to make a threat that you or your wife might pursue a complaint with the attorney general, which I think is Ohio in your case.

 

[jameny5]

EmblemHealth pays my ambulance ride after I pay a hundred dollar copay. I'm thankful for that! That bill plus mobile life support ambulance charge could be a whopping two grand for both services.

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

 

[GunsMadeAmericaFree]

I'm going to go ahead and tell them that we would be willing to pay 40%? 50%? of the bill once they have sent us something in writing saying that such a payment would take care of the entirety of the bill. Otherwise, they can sell it to some collections agency.

Anyone know what % a company usually gets when selling a medical bill off to a collections agency?

 

[Torn Mind]

Does Insurance Pay the Bill for Ambulance Rides?

Ambulance rides are expensive. Learn the costs of an ambulance ride, what insurance covers, and when it is safe to drive yourself to the ER.

www.verywellhealth.com

 

[dullard]

No doubt you are right about what Anthem has decided is required, but just how reasonable is it to require "pre-certification" in an emergency situation? Might just as well require me to complete an orbit of the moon. 🙄

Not wanting to get a P&N warning, but we should all see this kind of silliness as a problem with the way that our health care system works.

I agree that it is unreasonable in many emergencies (how do you do that if you are unconscious). But, considering this is the second transport, there is a good chance that the OP knew this second transport was going to happen. If so, a phone call before the transport was probably quite doable to avoid all these hassles and expenses. At the very least, make a call now in case a third transport happens.

 

[nakedfrog]

EmblemHealth pays my ambulance ride after I pay a hundred dollar copay. I'm thankful for that! That bill plus mobile life support ambulance charge could be a whopping two grand for both services.

Sent from my moto g(7) using Tapatalk

Wow, it sounds like you have a pretty good plan.

 

[Captante]

Awww did I hurt your feels with my truth?

PARTIAL truth more like sorry.

The best healthcare on earth IS available in the USA BUT if you have to ask the price.... well I think you know the rest even if you won't openly admit it.

I was brought up to love America and believe we were on the side of "right" more often then not.... how in heck does the current healthcare situation here jibe with that?

Healthcare in America makes me ashamed to be an American.

Anyone know what % a company usually gets when selling a medical bill off to a collections agency?

Not sure about medical debt specifically but from what I've read collection agencies usually buy debt for 20-25 cents on the dollar. (20/25%)

I'd start negotiations around that point.