got my $3,100 ER bill down to $280 and i had no idea this was even an option

got hit with a kidney stone back in february, ER visit, the whole thing. insurance covered a chunk but i still ended up with a $3,100 bill from the hospital. i just kind of accepted it, set up a payment plan and started paying it down slowly.

mentioned it to a coworker and she told me she always calls the billing department and asks about a hardship reduction or the self pay rate regardless of whether shes insured or not. i thought that was only a thing for people with no insurance so i never even considered it.

called the billing dept, got transferred twice, third person i talked to offered a 40% reduction without me even asking that hard. then i asked about a financial hardship form, they emailed it over, i sent in my last 2 pay stubs and a bank statement. they came back with $280.

i had a some money so i just paid it in full right then which i think helped speed the whole thing up.

the hospital has an entire department dedicated to this and they obviously dont advertise it. if you have any outstanding medical bills just call and ask, the worst they can do is say no. been telling everyone i know since this happened