About Hospital Bills

As if being admitted to the hospital wasn't enough stress, you must contend with the hefty bills that follow once you're well enough to go home. Though most people realize that these unfortunate fees will accompany hospital stays, those who were not expecting the illness, emergency or sudden malady that befell them, may face expenses much larger than they would expect.

Features

• Hospital bills consist of many types of fees that usually rise and fall depending on the severity of your ailment and your level of health insurance coverage. These bills tend to rise if a procedure is elective, could be done in an outpatient clinic, is not an emergency or scheduled procedure, or if your stay is extended due to poor healing or other complications. Adding other amenities to your stay, such as a private room, upgraded dining menu or certain dietary restrictions, or even checking in on a weekend or major holiday can also cause your bill to rise.

Time Frame

• A copy of your hospital bill will usually be printed out and handed to you upon your release. If this does not happen, the hospital will mail you a copy of your billing statement in the next few weeks. Typically, this statement will say "This is not a bill," and will be just a summary of the charges you incurred. Your insurance company will be the one to send you your bill. This bill should arrive via snail mail approximately a month or two after your hospitalization. You will then have 30 to 60 days to begin making payments. Like a credit card, these payments can usually be made in monthly installments if it is a sizable debt. If you fail to pay your medical bills--either directly to the hospital or to your insurance provider--your delinquency can remain on your credit for 7 years or more.

Geography

• Being one of the only wealthy, civilized countries without any type of universal healthcare, it is likely that your hospital bills will be much higher in the United States than they would be abroad. Most European and South American countries have universal healthcare, which is why many Americans opt to travel abroad for elective procedures. If you're traveling abroad for business or pleasure and become ill, chances are that your insurance carrier will not cover the hospital stay. The bills, however, may be significantly less than they would be if you were caught uninsured here. Some carriers, however, do offer limited coverage in foreign countries. Check with your provider and be sure to understand how the healthcare system works in the country you plan to visit before you travel.

Warning

• The billing system at many hospitals is less than sophisticated, so it is up to the patients to conduct the due diligence necessary to ensure that they're not being overcharged or incorrectly charged for services that were not rendered. Some common additional and/or erroneous fees include being charged an extra night's stay, being charged for medicine you never received and being charged two or three times for a procedure, such as X-rays, that were needed because of a technical error. To prevent this from happening you should not only double check your bill, but also ask for an itemized bill, including any medications that were ordered from the pharmacy, as well as your medical chart. This will allow you or a family member to cross reference the information that the doctors gave you against the charges on the hospital bill.

Misconceptions

• Many people believe that the uninsured get a full ride when it comes to hospital stays. This is incorrect. In fact, the uninsured are charged more, or a hospital's "full list price," for any services rendered, as opposed to those who are insured or receive Medicare or Medicaid assistance, who pay a fixed price rate that is less than the full list price. You can also be sure you're getting the best price you can on hospital stays and procedures by checking with your insurance company before you visit an emergency room. Simply check your insurance plan before an emergency arises to see what facilities and procedures are covered. That way you'll know exactly what you're up against should an emergency arise.