I hope im posting in the right place. I went to the ER a week ago and Im currently unemployed and uninsured. I got the bill today and I found I had over $2K discount labeled that way because I dont have insurance. I owe about $400 now. I set up a 3 month payment plan because thats what I can afford, but I am afraid that they would for some reason decide to remove the discount and have me pay in full.
Is there any reason I should think that and if I found the money to pay in full would they ever retroactively charge me more?
I received a hospital bill with a $2000 discount. Is there any reason for me to believe they would change it for any reason?
byu/TheMagicalMark inpersonalfinance
Posted by TheMagicalMark
9 Comments
No. Hospitals give uninsured discounts all the time. You’re fine.
I think there’s next to no chance they’ll retroactively remove the discount.
The entire reason the self-pay discount exists is because hospitals don’t actually expect anyone to pay the full price. That’s not the *real* price; it’s the price they start out with when negotiating with insurance companies, and then each insurance company negotiates down to the price they will pay.
Quick edit: I’ve heard good things about people who ask for an itemized bill from the ER. It may be too late for your current bill since you’re on the payment plan, but next time — ask for the itemized invoice. It’ll probably knock the cost down even further.
Edit again: Don’t bother for an itemized bill
If I had to guess I would say the hospital did some sort of analysis and found that people were more likely to make regular payments when the bill was lower.
A very high bill may spook the patient into avoiding it forever. With a big discount now the hospital is the “good guy”.
No. If they send you a bill for $2500, you are less likely to pay it. If they charge you 400, you are compliant and set up a payment plan. They want something rather than nothing. Just print off a PDF documenting the discount if you’re scared
It’s typical to reduce a bill when someone is paying without insurance.
I’m sorry for your troubles.
I work in hospital revenue cycle and it’s called a self-pay discount, usually about 40% of the bill (sometimes more/less) will be discounted. Some hospitals offer an additional prompt pay discount if you are able to pay the remaining balance right away. They won’t remove the discount. It’s similar to how insurance companies get a contractual discount.
Hospital lawyer here. No, you’re fine. It’s standard to offer a self-pay rate to uninsured patients. They just want to collect what they can and move on. As far as I know, once we put you on a payment plan, the rest is automated unless you miss a payment or two. Even then, we won’t ask for documents unless you apply for charitable care.
If you keep up with your payment plan, you will be fine.
If you don’t, they could go back to the original payment.
It’s possible someone donated money to the hospital to help with the bills of patients. I know of someone who had a $300 bill, and her next notice stated the balance as $0. Someone paid it off! Paying off medical bills for people – that’s what I would do if I came into a ton of money.