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Be Alert When Facing Medical Debt

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@tampatrib.com

Published: March 14, 2009

In 2007, there were 79 million Americans who reported medical debt or problems paying medical bills. Of that number, 25 percent faced medical debt of $5,000 or more.

Here are some tips from experts:

•Promptly review your bills. Make sure you're not being billed twice for the same thing or paying a charge that should be covered by insurance.

•Make sure you've exhausted all payment sources, including insurance from current or former employers or a former spouse's policy. If your income is low, you may be eligible for charity care. Some hospital patients are not told they qualify until they ask.

•If you don't qualify, request a discount, such as the fee Medicare or Medicaid pays. This may be 50 percent lower than the "sticker" price uninsured patients are charged.

•Avoid using a credit card and do not mortgage your house to pay medical bills. Charging expenses to a credit card means you lose the ability to negotiate with a provider.

•Never ignore medical bills or assume they will go away.

The Washington Post

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