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Americans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized Receipt
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Americans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized Receipt

Americans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized Receipt, Say It’s A Total ScamAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptWoman's Hospital Bill Goes From $4,000 To $950 After She Asked For It To Be Itemized, Other People Share Their StoriesAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized ReceiptAmericans Share How Much Their Hospital Bills Have Gone Down Just Because They Asked For An Itemized Receipt
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Professional medical care in the United States is weird. Why? Because your hospital fees can be wildly expensive or, well, normal—and it depends a lot on whether or not you ask for an itemized bill.

Twitter user Yolanda posted about how her hospital bill shrunk by three quarters just because she asked for a receipt and a list of everything that she was charged for. Others pitched in and shared their own stories about how itemized bills protected their wallets, while some people spoke about other ways that their huge hospital bills shrunk or even disappeared.

Getting a discount on your bill can be an uphill battle. Professional patient advocate at Systemedic, Sue Null, explained to Vox that you need to find two things before you challenge any medical bill: the right info and the right person.

Yolanda gave people advice about how asking for an itemized bill can greatly reduce hospital fees

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Twitter users then shared their own stories about how their hospital bills shrank after asking for a receipt

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When you manage to get your hands on an itemized bill, you need to carefully check it for any mistakes and inconsistencies. You might find double-fees, extortionate prices for simple things, and charges for procedures that never even happened.

Luckily, there are databases like Fair Health, Healthcare Bluebook, and others where you can check what the prices should typically be. Some emergency rooms also charge far more money if they think your case is extremely complicated (the operative word here being think).

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In general, American hospitals are willing to give you a discount if you’re prepared to pay the bill immediately, so this can be a great way to save money. After all, no hospital wants the headache of chasing down a bill that somebody might not ever pay in the future. So always ask about a discount. You might be surprised! Even if you don’t get one, at least you tried. It’s not like they can bump up your bill just for asking.

According to patient advocate Null, if you’re getting nowhere with your bill, you should ask to speak to a supervisor, and then their boss if you’re still stuck. Going up the chain of command can work wonders, but you shouldn’t expect it to magically make all of your financial worries disappear.

If you’re stuck with a huge medical bill and you’re out of options, you can always go public with your story. Just be sure to have all the supporting documents and evidence ready for nitpicking. When journalists start digging deep in a story, sometimes the bills vanish into thin air. For instance, Vox’s Sarah Kliff had more than 100k dollars worth of bills reversed during her report about emergency rooms.

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Other people shared how they fought back against extortionate bills and posted their own hospital stories

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Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

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Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

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Jonas Grinevičius

Jonas Grinevičius

Writer, BoredPanda staff

Storytelling, journalism, and art are a core part of who I am. I've been writing and drawing ever since I could walk—there is nothing else I'd rather do. My formal education, however, is focused on politics, philosophy, and economics because I've always been curious about the gap between the ideal and the real. At work, I'm a Senior Writer and I cover a broad range of topics that I'm passionate about: from psychology and changes in work culture to healthy living, relationships, and design. In my spare time, I'm an avid hiker and reader, enjoy writing short stories, and love to doodle. I thrive when I'm outdoors, going on small adventures in nature. However, you can also find me enjoying a big mug of coffee with a good book (or ten) and entertaining friends with fantasy tabletop games and sci-fi movies.

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

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I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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Ilona Baliūnaitė

Ilona Baliūnaitė

Author, BoredPanda staff

I'm a Visual Editor at Bored Panda since 2017. I've searched through a multitude of images to create over 2000 diverse posts on a wide range of topics. I love memes, funny, and cute stuff, but I'm also into social issues topics. Despite my background in communication, my heart belongs to visual media, especially photography. When I'm not at my desk, you're likely to find me in the streets with my camera, checking out cool exhibitions, watching a movie at the cinema or just chilling with a coffee in a cozy place

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E.T. Blackfyre
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm likely not the only non-American thinking this, but: Boy am I glad to live in a country where health expenses are covered by my insurance and I never have to worry about how to pay for a neccesarry medical procedure. I never have to worry when I call an ambulance when I'm in pain or if I can afford my medication. Friends you are being scammed. Those people who tell you universal health care is not affordable are profiting from the status quo and you are suffering because of it. Public health care is socialism in the same way public schools are. They are necessary for everyone and should therefore be accesible to everyone.

Karmadillo
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm from the UK and we get our health care from the awesome NHS. Its funded from taxes. USA health care system is b******t for billing insane amounts of money. You guys need need a system where healthcare is accessible for everyone; one where you dont have to choose finance over health.

Lucas
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's just be clear - it's free at the point of delivery. We do pay for our NHS and I am more than happy to do so. It's a wonderful and precious resource.

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E.T. Blackfyre
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm likely not the only non-American thinking this, but: Boy am I glad to live in a country where health expenses are covered by my insurance and I never have to worry about how to pay for a neccesarry medical procedure. I never have to worry when I call an ambulance when I'm in pain or if I can afford my medication. Friends you are being scammed. Those people who tell you universal health care is not affordable are profiting from the status quo and you are suffering because of it. Public health care is socialism in the same way public schools are. They are necessary for everyone and should therefore be accesible to everyone.

Karmadillo
Community Member
4 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm from the UK and we get our health care from the awesome NHS. Its funded from taxes. USA health care system is b******t for billing insane amounts of money. You guys need need a system where healthcare is accessible for everyone; one where you dont have to choose finance over health.

Lucas
Community Member
4 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let's just be clear - it's free at the point of delivery. We do pay for our NHS and I am more than happy to do so. It's a wonderful and precious resource.

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