Understand your options for reducing personal injury medical bills in New Jersey

Understand your options for reducing personal injury medical bills in New Jersey

Do you have substantial bills from New Jersey medical facilities because of your personal injury? Learn ways to lower your costs during your ongoing case. Your recent injury left you with substantial medical bills, ones that you must take care of while your legal advocate in New Jersey builds your personal injury case. Even though another’s negligence led to your current medical condition, you must tend to the resulting medical costs while you wait to see how your case concludes. To help ease your financial burden, learn how to lower your medical bills.

Look for medical errors

Closely inspect all bills you receive, as they may have errors on them that increase the cost. For instance, medical facilities bundle some services together for one medical diagnosis. Your bill may contain unbundled services, which may increase the final cost. You could notice that the facility charged you for the wrong treatment or one that is more expensive than the correct one, or you could have a bill with multiple charges for the same treatment.

Ask about discounts

Medical facility billing departments rarely let patients know about discounts; you have to ask about them. Before paying a bill, see if you qualify for a discount. For instance, you could get a lower price just for settling your bill over the phone, or you may qualify for a charity care program. Depending on the severity of your personal injury and your current capabilities, you may need to enlist help to reach out to health care facilities.

Know how much procedures cost

Speak with a hospital administrator to ask about the prices of your procedures and treatments, comparing the responses with the costs on your bill. Besides administrators, you can also check prices online. Whatever site you use, look over the credentials to ensure that you get accurate and up-to-date information. Also, find out whether specific treatments or procedures come with fees that increase the overall cost. For example, you may notice a radiologist or anesthesiologist fee on your bill.

Consider working with a negotiator

You may want to hand your bills over to a negotiator company to see if they can lower your final costs. This is a good idea if you have substantial medical bills, because the negotiator company takes a percentage of whatever money you recover, usually ranging from 20 to 30%. If the company ultimately fails, you do not have to pay them. True, you can try to negotiate your bill on your own so you keep all the money you save, but negotiator companies have more experience with such matters. Talk with a legal representative in New Jersey about how to handle your medical bills during your ongoing personal injury case. Being proactive could help ease your frustration and better your short- and long-term financial health.