How to fight back: what the hospitals do NOT want you to know!

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Hospitals do not want you to know their actual cost when they deliver the bill to you.

A hospital mark-up is different for different services. But the hospital's average cost per dollar billed is known. We can give you access to this information. To get that information, contact us.

Most hospitals will tell you that Medicare pays too little causing the hospital to lose money on Medicare patients. That is not true. The law requires Medicare to pay on average 1% more than cost at an efficient hospital. What Medicare pays should be a starting point in determining a reasonable charge for you. In a recent deal the Minnesota Attorney General made with the seven-hospital Fairview Health Services, these hospitals would be required to charge self-pay patients no more than 5% above Medicare or Medicaid rates, whichever is greater. Generally speaking, Medicare pays more than Medicaid. If you follow the guidelines set by the Minnesota Attorney General, you would be paying your hospital Medicare plus 5%.

"What does Medicare pay for the same condition I had?" Once you are armed with this information, you may be able to negotiate with the hospital about what they have charged you. We believe that, in general, you should pay no more than Medicare plus 25%. That is a generous payment from you. Minnesota has required hospitals accept Medicare plus 5%. We suggest you offer Medicare plus 25%. Please feel free to contact us to see how close to that figure your hospital bill really is.

And what if you have already been sent to a Collection Agency?

Collection agencies must follow the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (the “Act”) when pursuing funds from you. The "Act" has guidlines regarding how they may contact you, and what you may ask of them. Try to keep all of your communication in writing; once you call them, you open the door to all kinds of harrassment techniques. The biggest thing to worry about is how they may report your hospital bill to consumer reporting agencies, primarily Experian, Equifax, and Trans Union.

The federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies.Your credit report contains information about where you live, how you pay your bills, and whether you’ve been sued, arrested, or filed for bankruptcy. Consumer reporting companies sell the information in your report to creditors, insurers, employers, and other businesses that use it to evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, or renting a home.

Contact us to get access to form letters and the organizations to send them to in order to protect yourself from financial distress due to your hospital bill.

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