Saving Money On Your Hospital Stay

Even with health insurance,a trip to the hospital can be expensive. And if you don’t have insurance, you could pay a small fortune for hospital care.

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Even with a health insurance plan, a stay in the hospital can be expensive. It’s common to hear about bottles of Tylenol showing up on a hospital bill for over $100 — and, yes, that’s the same bottle of Tylenol that goes for about $3 at your local pharmacy.

What gives? Are hospitals just out to make a dollar? Do they assume no one looks at their bills?

Not really. Many hospitals actually lose money. Many people who visit hospitals have no way to pay for the services they receive — and those costs get spread out over everyone else’s hospital bill.

Even so, there’s no reason not to keep your hospital costs as low as possible.

Keeping Your Hospital Costs Down

There are some steps you can take to make sure your hospital bills are as low as possible. Here are a few:

• Review your health insurance plan before you’re admitted to the hospital. Carefully read the “exclusions” section of your policy, and make sure you know exactly what will be covered. And make sure you know how much of your plan’s deductible you’re responsible for. This can help prevent surprises later on.
• Contact your hospital’s billing department before you’re admitted; find out what you’ll be charged for your room, and just what that room charge will cover. If the Tylenol won’t be included, bring your own!
• Don’t forget that unless everyone who’ll be treating you (surgeons, anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists) participates in your health plan, you’ll be solely responsible for their fees.
• When your bill arrives, read it over carefully. Any items you don’t understand? Call your insurer and the hospital’s billing department, and get them to explain it. Don’t accept a bill using any term like “miscellaneous lab fees.” And don’t hesitate to appeal to your hospital’s administrator if the billing department fails to satisfy you.

What if you don’t have insurance to begin with? Talk with an agent. A professional insurance agent can help you compare policies and choose the best one.

And it’s a good idea to buy insurance before you need it. Most insurance companies won’t accept you into a plan after you get ill.

To start comparing plans, talk with our network of agents. Fill out our easy online form, and you’ll be contacted with free insurance quotes.