Making Medical Bills Hurt Less

Patients Will Reward Providers with Loyalty When Offered Same in Return

2011-02-10T09:59:00.001-05:00

Almost all hospitals and doctors today affirm that patient-pay revenue is a larger part of their billable accounts receivable. According to Visa, it represents 25% of every revenue dollar booked. However, for every eleven (11) patients billed, only one (1) patient will pay the provider within the first billing cycle. This performance (or lack thereof) applies to patient accounts of all shapes and sizes. In fact, whether uninsured, Medicare or balances after private insurance, more than ½ of balances less than $100 are headed to bad debt status and more than 90% of patient accounts greater than $500 are still unpaid after 90 days. And once an account is sent to collections, pennies on the dollar are the best result providers can expect. All in all, 50% or more of all patient-pay revenue goes uncollected.

So, what should healthcare providers do? Hospitals and doctors provide exceptional healthcare, save lives, cure disease, fix injuries, and yet, when they send a bill to patient for their services, many patients won’t pay it, and they may actually hate them for it.

We’ve talked to hundreds of hospitals and doctors, and researched the issue of patient medical bill payments in-depth, and here’s how we see it. To begin, the problem is getting worse, and will continue to worsen. Patient bad debt is growing on practically all healthcare provider balance sheets. And at the same time, we will continue to see a greater percentage of healthcare costs being shifted to the patient even with the launch of healthcare reform. So let’s start to dig a little deeper and try to uncover what works and what doesn’t when it comes to patient medical bills, and how and when they pay.

It is important to first recognize that the use of the Internet to remit payment for household bills is a widely-accepted practice. According to Checkfree, 75% of consumers pay their bills online, and the average household pays 11 out of 16 bills online on a monthly basis. But there seems to be an obvious disconnect within healthcare, as only about 25% of doctors, and about 40% of hospitals, accept online payments from patients. Quite simply, when hospitals and doctors bill patients and do not take online payments, they are already handicapping performance, because from a consumer’s perspective, online patient-payment options are virtually mandatory.

We also know that Americans LOVE a good money-saving deal, and that the majority of us are influenced by sales and discounts. An interesting growth trend to follow closely is the broader practice of patients successfully negotiating the price of a medical bill. This practice is rapidly becoming more mainstream. Popular websites with millions of users like Angie’s List now rate medical providers and their willingness to negotiate with their patients. It’s even being used to advance political ambitions, and patient bill negotiations were actually a point of focus in the senatorial race in Nevada.

And what other consumer industries have shown is that increasing the volume of revenues and payments can impact the bottom-line the most. Priceline’s Jay Walker taught the hotel industry that it’s not about selling rooms at a lower price, but rather filling up all the empty ones. In a consumer-driven marketplace, the cost of a product or service has to be correlated to what the market will bear and what consumers can and will pay. Technology and the Internet have armed the consumer with more information, transparency and the ability to be empowered. And as more costs have been shifted directly to the patient, many hospitals and doctors are now looking at a lot of empty hotel rooms in the form of unpaid medical bills.

Many healthcare providers look at this challenge and see their patients as debtors, not consumers, and are tempted to step-up more aggressive collection practices. But healthcare providers can’t afford that risk in today’s consumer-driven environment. Traditional debt collection practices may be necessary in some cases, but these are not strategies to increase patient satisfaction and loyalty. It is very expensive to recover a dissatisfied patient, and it costs lots of money to attract new patients, versus just keeping existing patients happy. More importantly, should a healthcare provider find themselves battling a negative perception of their hospital or practice locally or in social media, it can take a LONG time to change that image. In today’s age of social media and instant information, you may find yourself fighting a losing battle.

Let’s face it, patients are consumers. They are smart, savvy, informed and there are certain rules that need to be followed. Hospitals and doctors must find a way to apply these consumer-driven rules or face worsening financial performance. Consumers want to be rewarded for their loyalty and payment – it’s that simple. It’s not enough to just provide your service and get paid. You have to provide your service, then offer as much value as you can on the price, and then more will pay. Providers must take online payments. And above all, consumers want control of their price. They now know that insurance companies and government reimbursement programs have a seat at the negotiation table, and they want one too and will not pay you if they don’t get that seat. The price of healthcare charged to consumers cannot just be a cost plus margin formula. The price is only what the market will bear determined by what patients will pay. That’s the new financial reality for hospitals and doctors when working with patients today.

Growing Medical Bills Threaten Patients in 2011 and Beyond

2011-01-20T15:55:00.000-05:00

There are many reasons why medical bills are more expensive than ever. The year 2011 is no exception. Here are some important reasons why medical bills will continue to rise at the peril of millions of patients across the country.

Human life is extraordinarily precious
Humans have an inherent love for life and self-improvement, increasing demand for medical services to not just cure diseases but also for elective beauty procedures and to maintain a healthy well-being. Therefore, growing demand for medical services will always be there. And the demand for medical service is more than what the medical field can actually supply. And with the onset of baby boomer retirement, as this large group of Americans grows older, it will inherently increase demand for medical services.

Lack of Clear Information
Apparently, one of the driving forces behind higher medical bills is that there is not much information on the cost of services. Compared to other consumer services and products, like buying a car, you can go from one dealer to another and inquire on the cost of the car. You can even negotiate the price and payment for the car. However, with medical services, it is very difficult or impossible to determine pricing and negotiate prices. Sometimes, for example, a patient who underwent major heart surgery does not even know the cost of the surgery itself. Furthermore, assuming that the patient knows the cost of their heart surgery, it’s difficult to compare the different costs and procedures for one heart surgery patient with another patient.

Increased Rate of Life Expectancy
Due to the different medical services available, people are living longer. Centuries ago, a person could die from a small wound or flu. But now, these and many other ailments are no longer in most cases considered life-threatening situations. More people can reach old age and along with aging, are an increase in diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and the like. Geriatric and end-of-life services are some of the most costly medical bills that are only going to continue rising with the aging of America.

Don't let 2011 break your piggy-bank! If you need help in 2011, pay-off your medical bills and avoid collections on PaymentClinic.com.

Don’t Allow That Medical Bill Go to Collections

2011-01-14T13:02:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is quite unfortunate to be hospitalized and then receive a medical bill you cannot afford to pay. If you are like most, you have personal, home and family expenditures that you need to prioritize. So, what do you do? Should you just let that medical bill go to collections?

What is collections? Collections is the process where a third party collection agency has a business with the authority to collect the medical debt payments as the debt collector. The debt collections process may damage your credit, result in lawsuits, bankruptcy, and at best, result in harassing phone calls and letters from a third-party collection agency who will pursue this debt until repayment.

You may think that you really cannot afford to pay the medical debt that you owe; however, your healthcare provider will likely seek repayment. You have many other options to consider to help you afford to pay your medical debts, rather than have it referred to a collection agency.

Here are several reasons why to not let your medical bill go to collections:

Collection Agency Phone Calls - You will likely be called by a collection agency – One of the many reasons that people avoid collection agencies is because of the phone calls to their home or even workplace. Consider this: if you are not present when the collection agent calls, you may receive phone messages that don’t provide the actual purpose of the call.

Continued Conversations with the Collection Agency - when you answer the telephone call from the collection agency, you may be aggressively spoken to by the agent to pay the debt in a way you find offensive and impolite. You will have to go through this bothersome telephone call process by the collection agency until you have paid your debt. Collection agents were hired to collect debts, so it is a part of their job to be vigilant and follow-up. These agents will not stop calling you until they get what they are after—your medical debt payment.

Illegal, Improper Threats from a Collection Agent - As mentioned earlier, collection agency may not stop from communicating with you until they receive the payment owed on your medical bill. There are times when untrained, unethical collection agents threaten you. They could either threaten you legally with filing a lawsuit for the medical bill that you owe, or worse, engage in illegal threats to divulge your unpaid debts to your employer, family, friends and others.

Therefore, with the stress and challenges that medical debt collections can cause you, it is only logical that you should not let your medical bill go to collections as an unpaid bill and do everything you can proactively to get it paid or work out payment arrangements. Medical bill collections adds stress to what may be already a bad health situation.

One of the best ways to pay-off your medical bills and avoid collections is to use a website like PaymentClinic.com to save money on your medical bills by getting a discount on your bill or negotiating your bill in real-time. PaymentClinic.com is a free online service that works with health care providers and patients to offer money-saving promotions on medical bills. Websites like PaymentClinic.com work well, because you can pay your debt anytime, anonymously, in the privacy of your own home.

Why to Negotiate Medical Bills

2011-01-12T08:12:00.001-05:00

The cost of hospitalization is increasing. Add to that the different factors such as: the rising virulence of diseases and unhealthy lifestyle—you have the perfect formula for a person to be ill. And not all of us have the extra money to pay our medical bills in full, especially with the hospital rates and professional fees spiraling upward.

In the present day, going to the hospital does not necessarily mean that you need to be cured of a disease or recover from an injury. Sometimes, perfectly healthy people are hospitalized because they want to undergo a thorough medical checkup or for beautification purposes.

So, you see practically all of us get to visit the hospital or the doctor at least once a year and not one of us is exempted from that. No one is spared from being hospitalized and eventually receiving medical bills not even a child, mother, father or grandparent.

Negotiating to decrease your medical bill may be unheard of to you and to a lot of people because you and others are intimidated by talking to your doctors and to the health care system, as a whole. Most people are willing to pay any price just to save the life of a loved one and somehow this has been a rule of thumb. Further, though individuals have not voiced this out, but it seems that negotiating with your medical bill is tantamount to negotiating with your life on the line.

However, this should not be the case. Individuals should not be intimidated by their doctors and by the hospital into negotiating to lower the cost of their medical bills. Negotiation here, should be as normal as negotiating the purchase of a car or house. Especially when the cost of some medical bills can be more than a house!

7 out of 10 patients that negotiate their medical bills save. So, why don’t you negotiate too?

Here is a list of some of the benefits from negotiating your medical bills:

You get to save money – Instead of paying the full amount stated in your medical bill, you may get to save a few hundred to thousands of dollars. Now, isn't that great? What if you are the breadwinner of the family and in a year two members of your family were hospitalized? The accumulated savings you made from negotiating to lower the fees could sum up to a huge amount.

You get to make use of your savings – The savings you have made from the reduced medical bill can be used for that family vacation that you were planning or to pay for other life necessities. You could pay down credit card debt or save for future purchases.

You were able to lessen the amount of borrowed money – If you are really strapped of cash and you had to borrow money to pay for your medical bill, wouldn’t it be great to be paying a reduced medical bill instead of paying for the full amount? Then, you wouldn’t have to worry about interest rates, especially if you used your credit card.

One of the best ways to lowering your medical bill is to use a website like PaymentClinic.com to negotiate your bill in real time. PaymentClinic.com is a free service that works with health care providers to offer money-saving promotions to their patients. Websites like PaymentClinic.com work great because they already have the experience and knowledge in negotiating your medical bill to help you cut costs.

5 Ways to Lower Your Next Medical Bill

2011-01-06T09:53:00.002-05:00

Paying a hefty sum out of pocket for your medical bill is no joke. Especially for the average income earner, seeing a staggering amount owed on a medical bill will really give you a headache. You may add to that scenario your limited funds, other bills to be paid, life necessities to be bought or perhaps worse, the uncertainty of when you can get back to work. I know why you are here because you are pulling yourself up, and are finding ways to reduce your medical bills. Is it possible? Yes, of course, and it has been done by many individuals. So here are 5 ways that you can make use of in order to lower that future medical bill.

Do your Medical Homework

The first step in achieving a lower medical bill is to do some investigation. You have to do some medical homework by knowing the procedures that you need to undergo and its corresponding costs. You can try calling hospitals and checking out how much each procedure cost, better yet if there is an alternative procedure which is much cheaper, ask about that too. The goal here is to have as much information on your hands regarding the costs of the procedure and maybe an alternate choice. In so doing, you just may be able to find the hospital that offers the cheapest procedure. Further, you can also make use of this knowledge when you try to haggle with your medical bill, which will be further discussed below.

Haggle on a lower medical bill with the right people at your healthcare provider

You can discuss payment options with your doctor. Usually in a certain procedure, you may be using the services of at least two different doctors who have different specialties. Talking to each of them and negotiating their professional fees down could lower your medical bill. Further, you can also approach the staff of the billing department because these people likely have authority to lower the cost of your medical bill. Plus, once you know the rates for the procedure, you will have better leverage in haggling.

Pay in Cash

If you offer the hospital or your doctor to pay in cash and in return, ask for a discount. Doctors and hospitals alike are more than willing to accept cash for payment with discounts.. is the healthcare provider is able to pass on these medical bill savings because you are helping them reduce patient bills sent to collections and reducing the time and cost of medical billing for them.

Go for Medical Procedures during its ‘Off-Peak’ Time

There are some medical procedures that have peak and off-peak seasons, just like in travelling. So, if you are planning to avail of a medical procedure such as plastic surgery, then go for the off-peak time like after the summer in order to avail of an ‘off-season’ deal.

Use an Online Medical Bill Marketplace

One of the best ways to lowering your medical bill is to use a website like PaymentClinic.com to negotiate your bill in real time. PaymentClinic.com is a free service that works with your health care provider to offer money-saving promotions to their patients. Websites like PaymentClinic.com work great because they already have the experience and knowledge in negotiating your medical bill to help you cut costs.

Don’t Overlook These Important Reasons Why Medical Bill Costs are Rising in America Today

2011-01-02T20:18:00.001-05:00

In 2008, America spent $2.4 trillion on healthcare, equivalent to 16.5% of the country’s GDP, a 6% increase over the previous year. Bureau of Labor and Statistics data from Sept. 2009 reveals another 2.3% increase in consumer prices for prescription drugs, physician and other healthcare services. Hospital prices rose even faster, increasing 7.1% during that same time. These cost increases are threatening the financial health of millions of Americans today who are under siege from rising medical debt.

What are some of the often overlooked reasons fueling the rapid increase in healthcare costs and medical bills?

Americans Are Getting Older, and Too Many of Us Are Obese
As we get older, we get sicker and require more healthcare from our doctors and hospitals, and when the aging of America is combined with high levels of obesity, these factors help rapidly increase the cost of healthcare. In 2004, 12 percent of all Americans were 65 and over. By 2050, people 65 and over will comprise about 21 percent of the U.S. population, according to the US Census Bureau. In 2007-2008, 33% of the adult population of the US fell into the obese category. Many healthcare industry observers take note that aging and obesity are a major factor driving rising medical bills for Americans today with more sickness as they get older, compounded by an unhealthy, obese lifestyle.

Medical Innovations Drive Medical Costs Higher for Patients
Recent advancements and innovations in healthcare also continue to fuel rising costs in healthcare today. With more government regulatory scrutiny, and increasing research and development costs for new and existing drugs and devices, the cost of bringing a drug or device to market can cost a billion dollars or more, and span many years of work. Patients today are bearing the cost of paying for these new innovations in drugs, medical devices and other products that make our lives better, but definitely cost more year after year and drive up medical bills.

High Healthcare Overhead Costs = High Medical Bills
Did you know that hospitals and physicians spend $487 and $561 per person in America, respectively, each year, just on billing and administration? Also, the number of hospital administrators since 1970 has grown more than 2500%, while the number of physicians has only grown around 100%. Healthcare bureaucracy is exploding at a rate much faster than the number of clinical practitioners, further driving up the cost of hospitals bills for patients across the country today.

Reference:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/HealthCare/health-care-costs-biggest-drivers/story?id=10044091&page=2
http://mises.org/daily/2285
US Census Bureau
http://masscare.org

Help on How to Save Money on Your Medical Bills During the Holiday Season

2010-12-06T12:03:00.004-05:00

Millions of Americans are struggling this holiday season in tough economic times, and trying to find financial help so that their children can celebrate with gifts from Santa. It’s also the time of year when many patients are sending in letters to charities and hospitals, explaining how many medical bills they have and how their health issues have caused them to go into so much debt they cannot afford. However, many charities and hospitals are stating that they are receiving so many requests this year that they will only be able to help a fraction of the people that have sent in letters for assistance.

For many people, opening the mailbox can be scary and stressful, especially during the holiday season, when expenses are at their peak for most consumers.

At Payment Clinic, we want to help when it comes to medical bill costs so it's one less expense item that you have to pay full-price. Doctors and hospitals are accustomed to accepting less than what they want from insurance companies, and now are realizing that it’s easier to give a patient-pay discount to receive a rapid payment without further efforts, than it is waiting for the full balance to be paid, or sending the account to collections.

Here are a couple of ways that you can save money on your medical bills:

1. Ask For a Discount. Ideally, the best time to ask for a discount is before you have a procedure done. If you have time before visiting your hospital or doctor, call the medical facility and ask them for all the projected cost estimates. Next, if you have insurance, contact your insurance company and ask how much of these costs they will cover. After you have this information, contact your medical facility again and ask for the billing department and ask for a prompt-pay discount. If you offer to pay cash quickly, you could possibly save up to 50% or more off your bill.

We understand, though, that a lot of procedures are unexpected and you end up in the emergency room. If this happens, you should also negotiate a discount. Here's how: When you receive your statement, look it over carefully. If it’s not detailed contact your hospital or provider and ask for a detailed statement. Many patients have saved thousands by finding errors on their statements and it happens more than providers want to admit. It’s surprising actually how often billing errors happen. If there are not any errors, contact your provider and ask if this is your total balance or if there are insurance payments pending or more charges still to be added. Once you receive your final bill offer to pay the bill in full for a discount. A growing number of providers will give you a prompt-pay discount of at least 25%. However, start off asking for a larger discount; you never know what your provider will accept until you ask. But remember, the most effective way to receive a discount is to ask and not demand and to follow-thru with your payment. Most billing offices will tend to want to help when someone is asking for help and understand that they are having problems affording their medical bills. If your provider is not willing to provide a prompt-payment discount, you may want to look at other providers who will help you save money.

2. Set-up a Payment Plan. If you can’t pay the balance up front, ask for a payment plan. The best way to set-up a payment plan is to still ask for a discount. If you can pay the balance in full within the first 6 months, ask for a higher discount. Providers will be willing to give a higher discount if the payments made each month are larger. However, even if you can’t afford to pay off the balance in 6 months, patients should still ask for a discount with explanation. If your provider won't help with flexible options, then you also may wish to go elsewhere for your medical care.

3. Don’t pay by a patient loan or medical credit card. Many providers are offering loans and/or healthcare credit cards now to their patients. Be warned that these are not a great optionto pay your balance. Some programs will advertise that they are interest-free for up to 24 months. However, what they may not tell you in plain language is that if you do not pay off your balance in-full by the time the term is up, you will be charged interest going back on the balance that was initially added to the card, and your interest rate will also go up. Some medical credit cards are at interest rates as high as 26% APR or more under these scenarios. Remember, most providers will allow you to set-up a payment plan interest-free, and more will also allow a negotiated discount in return for paying quickly. Do not feel like you have to use more debt in order to pay your medical bills. In addition, as we have written on this blog, there may be healthcare providers that are getting revenue from the lenders for each patient that uses one of these medical credit cards so they are pushing their patients to use them for more revenue.

4. Tell your Provider About PaymentClinic.com. We want to help everyone save money on their medical bills. Tell your provider you want to save money and time on your bill by paying on PaymentClinic.com. At Payment Clinic, we understand that calling the billing offices and insurance companies can take a lot of time that you may not have, in order to receive a discount on your medical bills. When a provider is registered with Payment Clinic, there are no phone calls to make, and no checks to mail-in. In less than 3 minutes, you can enter your provider, your account balance, bid on the price that you are willing to pay and save up to 40% or more by paying your bill at the reduced negotiated price.

Payment Clinic has saved patients all over the US thousands of dollars on their medical bills. What are you waiting for? Tell your healthcare provider today that you want to save money on your medical bills too! Tell them to join PaymentClinic.com to help their patients save money and time.

Are Pharmacy’s Being Effected by Rising Healthcare Costs?

2010-12-06T11:51:00.001-05:00

More and more Americans every day are walking away from the pharmacy without their prescriptions because of the high cost. According to a Wolters Kluwer report, the rate of prescriptions being abandoned at the pharmacy rose 55% in the second quarter of this year, compared to just four years earlier. Many healthcare providers thought that prescriptions and doctor visits would not be effected by the economy because people are still going to end up getting sick and needing to see a doctor; however, research is showing just the opposite. An article in the Wall Street Journal recently reported that one pharmacy in Tennessee currently puts back more than 100 abandoned prescriptions each week.

Every year, healthcare costs and health insurance keep rising for Americans, and many people now enroll in high-deductible insurance plans that require them to pay more for healthcare out-of-pocket costs. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly three times as many people enrolled in high-deductible insurance plans compared to four years earlier.

The high cost of healthcare is causing many families to decide if their medical problems and prescriptions are absolutely necessary, and according to research, this may even cost them more for not staying on top of their health issues with regular medical check-ups, or taking their prescriptions when prescribed. According to the Wolters Kluwer report, the most expensive name brand drugs are deserted the most often. The data showed that 1 in 10 (up 88%) new prescriptions for brand-name drugs were left by people with commercial health plans in the quarter. Generic drug prescription abandonment was also higher. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, some prescription co-pays increased 87% over the last few years, and could be as high as $100 per prescription today.

Because families are spending more for healthcare out-of-pocket, more people are now turning to help from various assistance programs and prescription saving programs that have been set-up to help families that no longer can afford the cost of healthcare.

Patients are facing all-time high prescription costs and medical bills today. At Payment Clinic, we understand the growing financial challenges facing patients with medical bills. Our team (we are patients, too!) built an online platform to help us all save money when we pay medical bills.

Payment Clinic is free, and helps you save money and time when you pay your medical bills. Tell your provider you want to save money using Payment Clinic, like thousands of patients already do today.

Health Plans Expected to Rise Again in 2011

2010-11-17T16:17:00.001-05:00

Chances are you’ll soon be learning from your employer that your health insurance rates are increasing again for 2011. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an employee’s share of premiums for a family plan is up an average of 14%, to $3,997, vs. just a 3% rise in the total bill. And it’s not just the premiums that are increasing that insurance companies and employers are passing on to consumers. Kaiser states that families will more than likely be paying higher deductibles and out-of-pocket maximums as well as higher bills for office visits and prescriptions as companies continue to shift the burden of healthcare costs to their employees.

With the increasing cost shift to the employee, families need to not just think about the monthly premium costs, but should be thinking about the total cost of their insurance plan. A recent article by CNN Money titled “Cost of Your Health Plan to Rise 14%” lists the following tips to consider when selecting a plan for your family:

1. Start by adding the premium and deductible for each option that your employer provides. Premiums for PPO and HMO options probably won’t differ by a lot. But deductibles and coverage amounts will vary widely.
2. Filter out plans that don’t include your favorite doctors in network.
3. Under the remaining choices, estimate how much you might pay for care you use regularly.
4. Check the plans for prescription tiers against the prescriptions you are currently taking.
5. Last, check the plans for out-of-pocket maximums, which is the most you will pay for the year if you or someone in your family gets sick.

In addition, the article talks about how to possibly save money on your medical bills:

1. Ask your provider what the charges for their services will be upfront. If they are below your deductible, tell your provider and ask for a deal.
2. Ask for a discount if you pay at the time of your visit. According to Mark Rukavina of Access Project, many providers will discount your bill 20-40% if you pay at that time.
3. Lastly, bring a copy of your prescription tiers to your doctor visit. If your plan does not cover the name brand prescription, review the list with your doctor and ask for a generic or a good substitute that is covered by your insurance.

Are Rising Healthcare Costs Keeping More Americans from Seeking Medical Care?

2010-10-22T15:04:00.001-04:00

According to a survey of 4,000 Americans by Deloitte Center for Health Solutions, one in five Americans chose not to seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, with four out of 10 survey respondents citing medical costs as the primary factor. In addition, the survey reports that visits to a physician or healthcare professional in the past year have decreased from 85% of respondents in 2009 to 79% in 2010.

As unemployment rates climb and the burden for healthcare costs continue to shift to families and individuals paying out-of-pocket costs, away from third-party insurance companies or employers, costs as a problem issue will likely continue to worsen. According to the survey, Americans are exploring new options, including:

15% of consumers reported visiting a retail clinic and 34% said they would do so if it cost 50% or less than the cost of a doctor’s appointment.
More consumers are seeking alternative or natural remedies before seeing a physician (17% chose this option in 2010 compared to 12% in 2009).
More consumers are supplementing their current regimes with alternative remedies (20% are pursuing this route in 2010 compared to 16% in 2009).
Consumers are also receptive to medical tourism, but only 7% sought healthcare services outside their local community in the last 12 months.

Healthcare organizations across the US have reported the following reasons as to why they have reported a decline in services in the past quarter:

They have received fewer hospital admissions;
They have received fewer visits to the doctors;
They have seen a decline in medical tests; and
They have seen a decline in prescription refills.

“As consumers increasingly begin to shop for their care, they are seeking new options – price and convenience are key drivers,” according to Paul Keckley, Executive Director of the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions.

Overall the healthcare industry seems optimistic that in 2014, when individuals and families are required to have health insurance, that visits will increase and everything will normalize. However, is healthcare reform the answer, or will costs continue to skyrocket? With families having to pay more for their health insurance, they may have less money to spend on out-of-pocket expenses like rising co-pays and patient-pay balances.

Being Obese May Be Costing You More in Medical Bills and Cost of Living

2010-10-14T21:19:00.001-04:00

In a recent study by The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, they found that day-to-day living costs, as well as medical bills, are higher for those that are overweight. Costs are even worse for those that are considered obese.

In the report titled “ A Heavy Burden: The Individual Costs of Being Overweight and Obese in the United States”, they state that more than 60% of the United States population is overweight or obese, and if trends continue, 50% of the population will be obese by 2030.

So what are the costs of being overweight? The research showed that items like employee sick days, lost productivity, lower wages and using more gasoline can add up to $4,879 for a woman annually and $2,646 for a man.

However, adding the value of reduced life expectancy to these annual costs produced even more dramatic results. The average annualized costs, including the value of dying younger, are $8,365 for obese women and $6,518 for obese men. The main cost drivers are direct medical costs, which are 66% of the extra costs for women and 80% for men. In addition, the study estimates that healthcare costs for an overweight person are $346 higher per year than the health care costs for a normal-weight person, but that the healthcare costs for a morbidly obese person are $2,845 higher per year than the healthcare costs for a normal-weight person. These costs are eight times the incremental costs of overweight individuals.

Healthcare costs and work may not be the only place people are paying more for being overweight. The study calculated that nearly 1 billion additional gallons of gasoline are used every year because of the weight increase since 1960.

These are just a few of the items included in the interesting study. To see the full report go to: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/departments/healthpolicy/pdf/HeavyBurdenReport.pdf

It’s Acceptable (and Smart Business) for Patients, Hospitals and Doctors to Negotiate Medical Bills

2010-08-26T11:32:00.001-04:00

More hospitals, doctors and patients are finding it acceptable and smart-business to allow negotiating over medical bills. In a May poll of 1,237 members on Angie’s List, 74% of respondents who negotiated medical bills did so successfully. 40% of patients who bargained with their medical provider said they did so because their insurance didn’t cover as much of their bill as they had expected. Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List, states, “The health care community has been negotiating with insurance companies forever. Negotiation is not foreign to them at all. The difference here is that consumers are sitting in the pay seat more today than they used to be, so it is just changing who is doing the negotiating. Consumers should feel comfortable asking these questions”. We could not agree more.

With high deductible plans and unemployment rates at an all-time high, 1 in 5 Americans chose not to seek medical care for a recent illness or injury, according to a survey by Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. 4 out of 10 Americans cited cost as a primary factor as to why they did not seek medical care. Even those that are covered by health insurance are facing rising out-of-pocket expenses or uncovered procedures.

More must be done to help the American consumer and patients who are struggling with rising medical bill costs. We are working on new solutions that help patients and medical providers work together via online negotiations on medical bills to help everybody save more time and money. Medical bills no longer need to be a win-lose proposition. Everybody should be able to win when patients as savvy consumers can save time and money negotiating lower medical bills, in return for paying their healthcare providers faster and at far higher payment rates than hospitals and doctors receive from millions of patients sent to collections.

Visit PaymentClinic.com to learn more on how patients, hospitals and doctors are working together to help everybody win, saving time and money on medical bill payments.

Questions about Patient Loan Programs: Who Benefits Most?

2010-08-11T15:58:00.001-04:00

Last week New York’s Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo issued subpoenas to many brand-name companies regarding potential financial kickbacks for the healthcare industry. New York issued subpoenas to GE Money, Citigroup, JPMorgan Chase, Visa and 10 healthcare providers that offer a patient healthcare credit card, including CareCredit.

Cuomo sent these subpoenas to investigate whether these patient loans/credit cards are driving patients, including the elderly and lower-income patients, deeper into debt they cannot afford, just to receive the healthcare that they need.

Cuomo stated that some providers are even pressuring patients to use these loan programs by “fast-talking sales pitches and deceit”. In addition, he states that CareCredit may pay the provider that uses the service more revenue when patients use their credit card.

Furthermore, cases were cited by Cuomo about patients with CareCredit agreements that were charged high balances for work that wasn’t even done at all, or done improperly.

“People are being tricked by misleading offers that have them paying for services they never received as well as interest charges they never knew about, and they are ignored, and given the runaround when they try to get their money back,” stated Cuomo.

Cuomo is looking into other financial and membership groups that offer CareCredit or a healthcare credit card to patients. Cuomo is asking 14 national and state medical groups, including the American Dental Association, why they endorse CareCredit, and if they receive revenue for patient referrals.

Patients taking on debt to pay medical bills is probably not the best solution for them or the medical provider. High interest rates, and the possible involvement of associations, hospitals and doctors in marketing and selling loans (and profiting) is not what healthcare is about either. Medical bills are high and patients may have to take on interest-bearing debt to pay bills, or in many cases they are sent to collections. Are there better ways to allow that patient to negotiate and bid on a lower medical bill, and pay their hospital or doctor immediately, saving time and money? It's one reason why we founded Payment Clinic, to help patients gain more control over their medical bills with opportunities to save money by paying their bills timely. Now that's a better alternative.

Physicians Ask Patients: What Is This Visit Worth?

2010-08-02T13:09:00.000-04:00

In a recent article in American Medical News (http://www.amednews.com/), Victoria Stagg Elliot wrote an interesting article about family physicians in Southern California, who thought it would be compelling to ask their patients “How Much Are You Willing to Pay Me?” These physicians chose a day in their practice where they would offer a program to ask patients to pay what they are willing (and can afford) for healthcare services. These doctors spread the news about the program thru various media outlets in their communities to see what kind of interest they would get.

On the day of the program, the physicians only booked appointments for the uninsured, who were asked to pay what they were willing and able to pay.

The physicians said that they learned a lot from the patients they saw in this program. Dr. Jean Antonucci discovered many of the patients she saw already had a primary care physician but were too embarrassed to admit that they no longer had insurance, so they would not schedule an appointment with that provider. Dr. Antonucci stated, “They think it’s bad and shameful to not have insurance. They don’t understand that doctors despise insurance, and doctors will still see people who don’t have it.” She explained to these patients that they needed to call their doctors and explain what they are going through and to work financial terms with them. They even made their patients aware of special financial arrangements for those having trouble paying their medical bills.

Overall, the physicians received a payment range on this experiment from $0 to $100 per visit. One doctor had a college student that was a waitress pay $100; however, he gave her $20 back. None of the doctors made enough in revenue to hold this on a day-to-day basis, but some of the doctors agreed that they would hold these types of "pay what the visit is worth" days in the future to help the uninsured. In addition, they received a lot of positive public relations benefits and media coverage, which in the end, brought more new patients to their practice. That’s good business too.

What Will You Do When Health Insurance Premiums and Medical Bills Rise Even More Next Year?

2010-07-16T15:13:00.000-04:00

At the beginning of 2010, 14 million people who buy their health insurance on the individual market opened their mail to find surprising and painful premium hikes were coming. One of the highest reported increases was Anthem Blue Cross of California, reporting an increase of up to 39% for its individual policyholders.

Anthem was not alone among other insurers in raising prices, however. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, 77% of the 1,038 individual policyholders surveyed faced at least one premium increase last year. Out of these policyholders, the average premium increase imposed was 20%. The majority of consumers in the study said they paid the increase, but some of them decided to switch to a cheaper plan, which means they will end up paying more out-of-pocket costs for medical bills, leaving them at a greater financial risk. However, some consumers decided to switch carriers to save money, which brought the average rate increase down to 13%.

Among these individuals purchasing individual insurance, high deductibles are common. About 1 in 4 had an annual deductible of at least $5,000, and 6% said that they had a deductible of at least $10,000.

In addition, 40% said they are not confident that they can pay their routine medical bills - twice the share of those consumers with employer-based coverage in a separate Kaiser survey.

However, companies that offer employee health insurance benefits expect another steep jump in medical costs next year, forcing them to ask their employees to share even more of the expense, according to a PriceWaterhouseCoopers report. For the first time, the American workforce is expected to see average health insurance deductible of $400 or more.

Two years ago, only 25% of the companies that participated in the PriceWaterhouseCoopers report said they asked employees to pay deductibles of $400 or more. The number of companies with $400 deductibles grew to 43% in 2010, and is expected to pass 50% in 2011.

PriceWaterhouseCoopers found that medical costs are expected to rise 9% next year. Employers may soften the increasing costs by absorbing some of the higher prices, or by shopping insurance plans, or asking employees to pay higher deductibles or a larger coinsurance percentage.

The 9% medical cost increase projected for 2011 is lower than the 9.5% increase for 2010. Several top-selling drugs will lose patent protection next year exposing them to generic competition and lowering costs. But 9% price increases are still up to 3x the historical rate of broad consumer price inflation. Endlessly, consumer wallets are going to be lighter, unless more is done to bring these annual price increases down.

With $1 in $4 from Patients, Can Flexible Payment Options and Online Bill-Pay Help Solve the Medical Bill Crisis? Yes they can.

2010-06-25T13:49:00.001-04:00

Average annual patient out-of-pocket costs are up 34% in three years, and nearly 25% of Americans recently said that they are having trouble paying medical bills.

Traditional billing and collection practices are not working in healthcare today for patients, hospitals and doctors. Too many patients end up in collections with damaged credit, bruised reputations and a fractured relationship with their healthcare provider. When an account is sent to collections, healthcare providers can only expect to see about 16 cents on the dollar – hardly worth the effort and damage. There has to be a better way to resolve rising unpaid medical bills.

Well, those better ways are already here for patients and healthcare providers. A large health system drove innovation and implemented new patient payment services to help patients save time and money on medical bills with flexible pay options. Learn more about these programs and how they help patients and providers work together to resolve medical bills and save time, money and hassle for all. This white paper provides valuable information on new ways to revolutionize the medical bill payments process. https://www.paymentclinic.com/files/PaymentClinicWhitePaper.pdf.

The Most Common Mistakes People Make With Medical Bills That Can Cost Big $$$

2010-06-15T14:30:00.000-04:00

According to Sheri Samotin, in “Avoid Common Mistakes When Dealing with Medical Bills”, the following are the most common errors people make with high cost medical bills:

#1 – Not understanding your coverage may cost you lots of $$$
This is the most common mistake that Samotin sees from patients that are shocked on how much they owe on their medical bills after the service/procedure is completed. Even though it may take a lot of time to review the paperwork that you receive from your healthcare insurance company, it’s your responsibility to know what and who is covered. In addition, make sure you know the fine print. For example, if you need a referral from your primary care physician first or maybe even a pre-authorization from your insurance before a procedure can take place, make sure that the doctor is in-network with your insurance carrier.

#2 – Read before you sign and don’t sign for another using your name
Everyone knows not to sign something that you haven’t read, but sometimes when you’re rushed and the paperwork is given to you in a hurry, you just sign instead of taking the time to read and understand the documents. By doing this, you may make yourself unknowingly financially responsible. The most important item to remember that if you are not the patient, do not sign your name! Even if it’s for your spouse, make sure that they sign the paperwork. If the patient cannot sign the paperwork, sign their name and then sign your name with “representative” next to your name so you are not financially on the hook. In addition, if you have a power of attorney, do the same thing, and execute it with your name with “power of attorney” next to it.

#3 – Ask About what Insurance Covers
Some insurance plans have a limit for the amount of health services you can receive or the types of medicine that they will cover. Again, it’s your responsibility to know what your insurance will cover. For example, most insurance will limit physical therapy or chiropractic visits that you can take in a year. If your limit is almost up and you need more visits ask your doctor to write your insurance company to expand the allowable coverage. The same logic applies for prescriptions. You are responsible to know what your insurance will and will not cover.   If your doctor feels that a certain prescription is necessary and your insurance doesn’t cover it, ask them to write a letter or contact your insurance carrier for you. This process may not always work, but it does succeed more frequently when your doctor contacts the insurance company for you. You can also ask for a generic version that your insurance may cover.

#4 – Receiving and Reviewing Itemized Statements from Your Doctor
Since medical terminology is confusing to most people, request that your medical provider send you a detailed itemized statement. Some bill advocates say that up to 80% of bills are wrong. With a detailed statement, you can review what you are being billed for and understand the charges. Remember to check the amounts and billing explanations listed.   For example, if you have 2 blood tests, make sure you are only charged for 2 and not 22 blood tests due to a typographical error. These kinds of errors are common mistakes on medical bills. In addition, if you see a service or medicine that you do not remember receiving, ask for a copy of your medical record to see if it is listed. And always ask questions if the bill does not make sense to you so that it is resolved immediately before the time limit to appeal is up.

#5 – Open your Bills and Review Them
According to Samotin, the most common responses she receives when she asks a client why they do not open a medical bill are:
   •    The paperwork intimidates me;
   •    I don’t understand what I’m looking at;
   •    I have insurance, so I don’t need to review the bill; and
   •    I can’t pay it anyway, so why open it and stress out about it.

Even if you have insurance you must review the bills, because when billing mistakes happen you are responsible, not your insurance company. And billing mistakes happen a lot. Plus, if you cannot pay the bill, it is better to contact your doctor and set-up a payment plan, or ask about charity help and/or even a determination that the bill can be discounted or forgiven. If you simply do not open the mail or don’t call anyone, you may end up in collections. Ask for help and most hospitals and doctors will work with you on billing disputes.

Medical billing mistakes happen frequently, and you will be held responsible for any errors as a patient and consumer. Be proactive, and review your insurance coverage and itemized bills, and ask many questions before and after your visit or procedure. Taking the time to do this work could save you a lot of money, time and hassle.

Will 60% of Doctors Negotiate Their Fees?

2010-05-27T15:15:00.000-04:00

Many people cannot afford the medical bills that they receive, and often find themselves going deeper into debt trying to pay-off medical bills, putting them on credit cards or taking out loans with high interest rates. On WalletPop, Lisa Epstein recently wrote “How to Negotiate Your Medical Bills,” where she told the story of Bert Martinez, a father struggling with medical bills. Bert found that about 60% of doctors will give a discount when asked. He also found that he could barter for his family’s healthcare needs by offering his services for website work in exchange for medical care.

In the article, Mark Rukavina, executive director of The Access Project, advised that the most important thing to do is communicate with the medical provider. Patients should not ignore bills or phone calls, because they will not go away and often will lead to collections that may affect your credit as well as possibly costing you more in the end, because the collection fees will often be added to your debt. Rukavina also states that insurance companies get discounts of 30 - 40% or more, and you should ask for the same discount. If you don’t have insurance you are likely being billed at a higher rate than insurance companies, so you have a lot of room to negotiate.

Martinez found that the key to success in negotiating is talking to the decision maker and know your costs up-front. With pricing information, you will know what the prices are and what type of discount to ask for. In addition, know your budget and what you can afford to pay before asking for the discount. But remember to always start low to give yourself some negotiating room. For example, if you can afford to pay $75 a month, offer $50 a month so you have some room left in case something else happens in the future you have some room in your budget.

If you don’t feel comfortable doing the negotiating yourself, there are medical advocate services that will do this for you like Health Advocates or Medical Cost Advocates, but remember to ask about their fees because some services will bill you either hourly or a percentage of what they save you. We’ll also be launching Payment Clinic soon to help you negotiate your medical bills for less at no cost to you.

So remember, be proactive on your medical bills to negotiate lower rates, and it could save you lots of money!

How Staying Healthy Now Will Cost You When You Retire

2010-05-19T13:04:00.000-04:00

Most people think that staying healthy and in shape will save them money in healthcare costs. Not necessarily so. According to Boston College’s Center of Retirement Research, over a lifetime, healthy retirees may pay as much as $105,000 more than those retirees that are in poor health. The reason? Healthy individuals face higher lifetime health care costs because they will live longer than those that are not in good health. The report stated that “At age 80, people in healthy households have a remaining life expectancy that is 29% longer than people in unhealthy households, and, therefore, are at risk of incurring health care costs over more years.” They further reported the following reasons that health care costs are higher:

Individuals who are free of any chronic disease at age 80 can expect to spend one-third of their remaining life suffering from one or more such diseases.
With longer life comes a higher lifetime risks of needing nursing-home care.

So what to do now to avoid higher healthcare costs? Don’t procrastinate if you are a healthy individual now. According to the Boston College report, the currently healthy individual can expect to eventually suffer from one or more chronic diseases. They also reported that the households that delayed purchasing insurance until their health declined, not only ran the risk of higher premiums, but they may be even denied insurance coverage altogether.

The Boston College report also stated that the expected present value of lifetime health-care costs for a couple turning 65 in 2009, in which one or both spouses suffer from a chronic disease, is $220,000, which includes insurance premiums and nursing home care. However, there is a 5% chance they will pay more than $465,000 in costs. For couples that are free of chronic disease, they may pay $260,000 and $570,000, respectively.

Therefore, if you’re healthy now, think of your future and look into long-term care insurance now. It might save you money in the future. But be careful with what long-term care coverage you purchase. Make sure that the policy you purchase has inflation protection and a monthly instead of daily benefit amount. In addition, the best policies provide a maximum lifetime benefit. If you can’t find that or can’t afford that type of coverage, make sure it at least has a 3 or 5 year benefit. Last, check the home-care coverage that is offered with the policy. Some will not cover first-day home-care coverage.

The most important item to remember is that buying this coverage and staying healthy might cost you more money now, but the quality of life you live by staying healthy long-term is worth it.

Will Our Children Today Live Shorter Lives Than Their Parents?

2010-05-13T13:49:00.000-04:00

According to some leading public health experts, if we don’t get control of childhood obesity, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and other lifestyle factors, children today may live shorter lives than their parents.

A recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that one of three children in the United States is overweight or obese. Overweight children today are at a high risk of developing serious health problems that mostly adults used to have to worry about, like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and liver problems.

For overweight children, quick action must be taken before expensive, chronic illnesses develop. With more and more families today having both parents working full time jobs, and single parent families on the rise, the consumption of fast food, frozen meals and “meals in a box” are growing problems. Advertising is also influencing younger people to choose these fattening meals, as they see ads for these food choices everywhere - on TV, in schools and on billboards. Children probably don’t understand how bad these foods are for them, and what it is doing to their health, so it is crucial for parents to help their families make healthy food choices.

The age of computers, iPods, cell phones, the internet and TV is not helping make children healthier either. With children spending on average 7 hours and 38 minutes (Kaiser Foundation study) each day in front of electronics, lack of exercise also is a big threat to their waist line. Kids today are less likely to engage in playing outside than ever before. In order to get your children to spend less time inside and on their computer, make it fun for your children to be positive about the change to more exercise and time outside. Remember that it is harder for a child to change their habits if the rest of the family does not follow suit and alter their behavior also. It’s hard to be on a diet and eating well if your family is still eating junk food, whether you are an adult or a child. The most important item to remember is to help children always maintain a positive self-esteem throughout any lifestyle changes.

First, get started by putting a time limit on how long your child can be inside watching TV or on their computer. Consider signing your children up for sporting events, youth groups (brownies, boy scouts or 4H), a youth gym or local YMCA. If you live in an apartment or condo where your children don’t have an area to play, be creative. Consider setting-up an exercise routine to their favorite music or come up with a dance to perform to their favorite music. In addition, to save time, get your children involved in cooking. Teach them how to cook from fresh ingredients. This will be fun for the entire family and the kids will want to eat because they helped prepare their meal. You will save money by not eating out, and you’ll also save money on medical bills by living healthier lives!

Are Medical Bills Making People Sick?

2010-05-06T13:33:00.000-04:00

According to the article Medical bills are a driving force behind many personal bankruptcies by the Grand Rapids Press, a nationwide survey by Physicians for a National Health Program found medical debt figured into more than 62 percent of all personal bankruptcies filed in 2007.

In the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Medicine, Dr. Steffie Woolhandler of Harvard Medical School stated that three out of four bankrupt debtors had health insurance, and that hospital bills were the biggest expense, followed by prescription costs, doctor bills and insurance premiums.

In the article, Dr. Woolhandler also stated that out of the 1.4 million bankruptcies forecasted for 2009, 866,000 would be driven by medical debt. She went on to say that “private health insurance is a defective product, akin to an umbrella that melts in the rain.”

In today's economy, hospitals and doctors are seeing fewer people with private insurance, along with a steady increase of Medicaid and Medicare patients. With the higher costs and increasing health insurance deductibles, people are starting to rethink or search the internet for health information, such as whether they should really go to the hospital or doctor for the symptoms they are experiencing.

In a recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey, they found that consumers are cutting back in the following ways:
• 34 percent postponed care.
• 30 percent skipped a doctor’s appointment or treatment.
• 27 percent chose not to fill a prescription.
• 21 percent skipped doses or cut pills in half.

So what other options are there for people with medical debt? First, be sure to check that your bills are correct. Then, talk to your hospital or doctor about your financial situation and meet with one of their financial advisors. Do this before you put your bills on your credit cards or assume other debt to pay medical bills (i.e. taking out a second mortgage on your house). Most hospitals and doctors will set-up a payment plan with you that will be interest free, unlike your credit cards or mortgage.

In addition, most hospitals have a charity policy of some kind. Ask your hospital or healthcare provider whether you meet the charity guidelines to help you save additional money.

Medical Bills Are Confusing - How to Cope!

2010-04-30T12:32:00.000-04:00

We’ve had some recent questions on what is the best way for patients to understand the great confusion with medical bills, and we found a good summary on StarTribune.com (http://ow.ly/1FbKd). The article gives a play-by-play on explanation of benefits (aka EOBs - which are not a bill), but which you receive to explain what the insurance company is going to pay and what your out-of-pocket costs are going to be. Your medical bills that you are expected to pay will come days, weeks or months later after the service has been rendered. Be sure to check your bills for accuracy as to dates of service and that what you are billed for is actually what occurred. Many doctor and hospital bills have errors, and if you have questions or believe there is an error please call your healthcare provider’s billing office and your insurance company.

Finally, you should also do your research online as to your best insurance options, flexible spending accounts (FSAs-where you can deduct a portion of your wages pre-tax to pay for qualified medical bills). There is also a growing amount of healthcare pricing information now available online (http://www.newchoicehealth.com/ is one website option) where you can compare costs among healthcare providers.

Patient-Pay Revenue Survey Results Affirm Patients Desire for More Affordability and Control

2010-04-23T15:16:00.001-04:00

As part of our work helping patients save money on their medical bills at Payment Clinic, we wanted to get more insight from hospitals and healthcare providers on what they are experiencing with their patients and overall financial challenges.

We all know that healthcare costs for patients are more unaffordable every day, and that patients want more control and flexibility since they are shouldering more of their healthcare costs through increased taxes, higher insurance premiums and rising out-of-pocket costs.

The preliminary results from a national healthcare executive survey we recently conducted continues to reaffirm the work we are doing at Payment Clinic. Here are some interesting facts to share on the state of patients and medical bills in healthcare today – it’s not a pretty picture for the hospital and healthcare industry today!

• 79% of hospital respondents stated that their patient-pay revenue as a percentage of total revenues increased in the last year.
• 93% reported patient-pay revenue increases of up to 20%.
• 33% said that of their patient-pay balances, 20% or less is paid in full within the first billing cycle.
• 73% determined that up to 20% of their patient-pay revenue goes uncollected.
• 87% of hospitals stated that less than 50% of their patient-pay balances are collected where a balance remains after point of service payments are applied.

Payment Clinic will continue to provide a service to help patients save money and control their own healthcare costs to help solve the crisis in rising medical bills for patients and their providers.

If you have any questions or comments on this healthcare survey, please let us know.

Five Ways to Save Money and Improve Your Health

2010-04-15T15:11:00.000-04:00

Even with healthcare reform, there are some simple ways to save money and improve the quality of your life that many people overlook.

Get healthy. Eating well, exercise and drinking lots of water help drive a better life. Losing weight and quitting smoking are two major lifestyle improvements that will improve your finances and your health. Your health insurance plan may offer gym discounts, weight loss programs, and stop-smoking programs to encourage wellness. Check to see what’s available to you.

Question your healthcare, check for billing errors and ask for a bill discount. Be sure to ask questions of your provider. Do you need to come in for an office visit? Ask why you need medication or tests and procedures. Pay close attention to your medical bills and insurance claims to make sure they are accurate. Many bills have errors – look for them. And ask for a discount on your medical bills to save more money.

Save on prescriptions. Buy generic medications whenever possible. Use mail order prescriptions to get bulk prescription savings.

Start a flexible spending account. Flexible spending accounts through your employee benefits allow you to use pre-tax dollars to pay for health-related expenses like deductibles, co--pays, eye care and other healthcare expenses. You have to spend your entire account each year or you lose it, so budget well for healthcare costs.

Research your healthcare needs online and use email. The internet has lots of healthcare resources you can use to find information about medical conditions, prescriptions, costs and other needs. Search engines are a great place to start. You may be able to send your doctor an email for questions or to an office nurse, saving time and money on office visits for non-emergency matters.

Live Well!
Brian

The Who’s Who of the “Medically Bankrupt”

2010-04-02T09:54:00.000-04:00

We came across important statistics and demographics about people who are medically bankrupt from surveys and research we’ve been doing on why healthcare costs are so unaffordable and out of control for patients. The reasons why people are bankrupt due to high medical costs are plenty, like skyrocketing healthcare costs, increased insurance premiums, higher out-of-pocket costs, and fewer covered services.

Are you medically bankrupt like the groups of people below?

75 percent had health insurance
60 percent attended college
66.4 percent owned a home
20 percent were veterans or on active duty
80 percent had health insurance when illness started
38 percent lost income due to health
2.3 million individuals in medically bankrupt families

These depressing statistics (Families USA, from http://www.mlive.com/) are why we are going to continue to work hard to help patients make medical bills more affordable, to gain more control over healthcare costs, and to ease the pain everybody is experiencing when it comes to medical bills so fewer people have to declare bankruptcy and see their financial lives destroyed.

P.S. On a brighter note, on this sunny, rare 80 degree day in West Michigan, we FINALLY completed the move to our new office (here is an “action” shot http://twitpic.com/1cihzk) – same building, just one floor up to give us more space for growth.

It's Time You, the Consumer (and Patient), Choose How Much You’ll Pay On Your Healthcare Bills….Now That’s Reform We Can Believe In!

2010-03-24T08:20:00.011-04:00

Why is it that you, the patient (and a consumer), get ordered how much you’ll be paying for your own out of pocket healthcare costs by insurance companies, hospital, doctors and “healthcare revenue cycle managers” aka collection agencies?

But did you know that insurance companies, on average, pay only 40 cents on the dollar for their share of the healthcare bill, when as a patient, if you were billed for the same procedure on your own, you’d still have to pay the full dollar? With hospitals and doctors willing to accept so much less in payments from insurance companies, why are patients not saving more money as well? That’s about to change.

While many uninsured patients are going to receive insurance coverage under the new healthcare bill, it is unclear how the bill will help insured patients drive down spiraling out-of-pocket costs, and several important parts of the bill to help patients don’t take effect until 2014 or later. What’s a patient facing higher medical bills do now? Plenty. Take action and ask for a discount on your bill. Here’s how! According to McLean, patients should be able to get a 30%discount on their bill by offering to pay up-front or creating a payment plan. Given increasing patient-pay bad debt, hospitals and doctors are looking for ways to avoid sending patients to collections and to improve their own financials.

With many patients uncomfortable asking for a discount on their bill from a doctor or their hospital, and many others not wanting to deal with the painful hassle of hospital or doctor billing offices and procedures, there are new ways to lower your medical bills and quickly and simply save money online in a Priceline/eBay-like way. More affordable medical bills are in your reach now. Ask us how today. And we are giving away FREE coupons on medical bills to patients as part of our own healthcare “reform” bill! Get started saving money today on your medical bills.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! And a quick update....

2010-03-17T10:11:00.005-04:00

First off, on a personal favorite holiday, Happy St. Patrick's Day - enjoy whatever merriment you can today!

Thanks to all of you that have given us some great input and feedback on PaymentClinic.com, a brand new service to help people save money on medical bills. With the strong response, we are launching new referral programs to help you save even more money by referring your friends, hospitals and doctors to Payment Clinic. We are also bringing out new and easier ways to pay your medical bills, saving even MORE time and money for all who are using Payment Clinic, as more and more patients, hospitals and doctors save money. Your input helps us make PaymentClinic.com better every day, so keep the feedback coming, we appreciate it. Together we all can save more money on medical bills.

Our office is moving upstairs in the same building here in Kalamazoo - it's better space to fit our growing needs and team. Plus, there is a rooftop deck which we'll use constantly as summertime in Michigan arrives.

And don't forget to tell your friends and family, we are still giving away instant savings coupons on www.iousos.com so you can save more money on medical bills.

We'll keep you posted and don't hesitate to contact me directly with any feedback: bmullally@paymentclinic.com. A St. Patrick's Day Cheers to all, Brian Mullally