Health Care: How To Save Money

Doctor's fees are not fixed. In order to reduce the amount you have to pay:

• Check fees for similar services in your area.
• If you have a co-payment or coinsurance, your doctor might be willing to waive your share of payment. This concept is so common that it even has a name: it is referred to as "accepting assignment of insurance."
• You can negotiate the charge itself with doctors. 
  • The more cash now you can pay, the more likely you are to get a lower bill. 
  • Installment payments to your doctor are better than running up credit card debt. You may not have to pay interest. If you do, it won't be as high as your credit card and the doctor is not as likely to report the situation to the credit bureaus. 
  • For more information, see our article about negotiating a doctor's fees.
  • If you would prefer,  you can hire a professional to negotiate the bill for you. Such professionals generally receive a percentage of your savings as their fee. To learn more, click here. 
• You can also ask the doctor if he or she has an arrangement with a lender who can provide a loan to pay medical bills. Many do.

If you owe money to a doctor you want to continue to use:

• Try to work out a modified payment schedule. 
• If money becomes a stumbling block and the doctor won't provide care without further payment, look for another doctor. At least this way you'll be starting fresh and your medical services won't be cut off. Try to get on a repayment schedule with your old providers.

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