Medical Bill Debt Forgiveness Resource

Medical Bill Debt Forgiveness Resource

In the US, even with insurance, you'll get bills for medical treatment. The structure of insurance and medical care in the US can sometimes lead to expensive medical bills, however, there are resources for lowering bills and forgiving debt. 

Dollar For: Hospital Bill Relief

“Dollar ForLinks to an external site.” is a non-profit organization that helps families pay overwhelming medical bills. They do this through researching the hospital's charity policies (which they must have in order to keep their nonprofit status), checking to see if the patient qualifies, and advocating for the patient until the hospital waives the debt that they are responsible for. 

Use this resource if you are experiencing overwhelming medical bills. On their website, you can fill out a quick, three-minute form to see if you might be eligible for debt forgiveness. Go to dollarfor.orgLinks to an external site. and click on “Get Help” to fill out the eligibility form. Based on eligibility, they will reach out about further assistance if they think you have a chance to have your debt waived by the hospital. 


Tips for Managing Medical Costs and Minimizing Medical Debt

  1. Don't pay until you investigate
  2. Get an itemized bill
  3. Cross-check bills with an ‘explanation of benefits’
  4. Review billing codes
  5. Verify a claim was submitted
  6. File an appeal
  7. If you do owe, negotiate for a lower bill 
  8. Request a payment plan
  9. Use HSA money
  10. Look into need-based assistance programs 
  11. Avoid paying with credit cards

While you may not be able to avoid medical bills altogether, there are many ways to save on medical bills. Below are a few key takeaways from Investopedia on the topic:
  1. Saving money on medical bills can be done by wisely choosing providers, such as using in-network care providers and asking for discounts.
  2. Other ways to cut costs include using generic prescriptions and getting mail-order drugs.
  3. Billing errors can increase your costs as well, thus, it pays to audit your medical bills and establishing a relationship with billing offices.
  4. Urgent care centers are often less expensive than going to the emergency room of a hospital.

To level up your knowledge about finances, consider joining our financial workshops!


    • Related Articles

    • Bill Shark: A Paid Resource to Help You Lower Your Monthly Bills

      Bill Shark is a website designed to help save you money on your monthly bills. They claim to lower the cost by 25%, while doIng all of the hard work for you. There are two avenues in which they help cut the cost of your bills: 1. Negotiate to lower ...

    • Relational Medical Help

      Seeking Medical Attention Reproductive health doctors are available in all 50 states. Obstetrics and gynecologyLinks to an external site. (ob/gyn) treats women and urologyLinks to an external site. treats men. It's important to see reproductive ...

    • Understanding and Building Credit in the US

      Building positive credit is important upon arriving in the U.S. For those of you who have never dealt with credit before, think of credit as a rating for a lender’s confidence level in trusting someone with money based on their history of paying back ...

    • Interstaff Awards Program

      Resource

    • Random Acts of Kindness Day

      Resource