"Medical bill professionals often negotiate bills down $10,000, $20,000 or $30,000,” says Christina LaMontagne, vice president of NerdWallet Health. You typically don’t negotiate a bill or charge with your doctor after the service has been performed. Tips to negotiate your medical bill 02:03. Effectively disputing a hospital bill requires that you know exactly what you are being charged for. First, offering a reduced lump sum payment is a common … … By providing the tax returns of a low-income client, she was able to negotiate the client’s $16,000 bill down to zero. Also hang onto bills from medical centers, labs, and the doctor’s office. However, don’t call your doctor directly to discuss charges. Don’t drag it out and let it hang over your head. She tried to negotiate down her bill, but she says the hospital, the ambulance company, and the ER doctors did not give her a discount. https://www.foxnews.com/health/how-to-negotiate-your-hospital-bills Try to find a way to pay the bill down without accruing any more fees. How do you negotiate medical bills in collections and settle for less than the full amount owed? Preserve every bill that you receive from the hospital. If you are thinking about negotiating a hospital bill, however, consider hiring a professional advocate, since hospital bills are considerably more complex, Johnson adds. Get a leg up with these seven ways to negotiate your medical bills. "You can almost always negotiate, but you must act quickly," explains financial and investments expert Wes Moss in an email interview, adding, "Burying your head in the sand as it relates to your hospital bills won't help. The most obvious and common practice to pay off medical bills is by using a credit card which however may turn out to be a drastically poor decision in the end. 5. Learn to Spot Common Medical Billing Errors. A physician and financial planner shares seven strategies that anyone can use to negotiate a medical or hospital bill that they can't afford to pay. Now you’re ready to start talking in the hopes of whittling down your medical bill. Adopt three sets of tactics that may compel a creditor to grant partial forgiveness. She paid in full, not wanting the bills to affect her credit. When a hospital bills for medical care, the bills are often incredibly vague and wordy. If you can’t afford the cost of the bill now, you definitely can’t afford to start tacking on high interest fees to lower a monthly payment. Sometimes all you have to do is ask. 1. Fortunately, it's often possible to bring a daunting dollar amount down. The best way to deal with your medical bills is to be on top of them. Whether you negotiate bills down before treatment or after treatment, you can get your hospital and medical bills lowered. Your best chance to start the process happens in the first 90 days." The experts also corroborate with the need to make a good plan in advance to repay your medical bills.