Check the bill first, then make your offer in writing: the amount you can pay to settle the account. Fill in the letter below.
[Your name]
[Your mailing address]
[Today's date]
[Billing office name]
[Billing office address]
Re: Offer to settle. Patient: [Patient name]. Account: [Account number].
To the billing office:
The balance on this account is [balance]. I am offering to pay [your offer] to settle this account in full, [how and when you would pay].
If you accept, please send me a written agreement that states the amount, and that the account will be marked paid in full and closed once that amount is received.
I will pay after I receive the written agreement. If you cannot accept this amount, please tell me in writing what you can accept, and whether a prompt-pay discount or financial assistance policy applies.
While you consider this offer, please do not send this account to a collection agency.
Thank you,
[Your name]
The steps, in order
- Get the itemized bill and check it for errors. Errors come off before you negotiate.
- Work out what you can pay in one sum, or over a few months.
- Make the offer in writing with the letter above, and keep a copy.
- Pay only what the written agreement says, and keep the agreement.
The numbers, worked
On a $3,000 balance, an offer of $1,800 is 60% of the balance. If the office answers with $2,250 (75%), you can accept, offer again, or ask for a payment plan for that amount: $2,250 at $125 a month is 18 payments.
On the phone
Ask for the person's name, write down what they offer on a call log, and ask them to send it in writing.
Questions people ask next
Can you negotiate a hospital bill after insurance?
You can ask about the part you owe after insurance. Check first that the bill matches your insurer's explanation of benefits.
How much should I offer?
Only you can say what you can pay. Work it out from your budget, and remember that the office may answer with a different amount.
Why ask for the agreement in writing first?
So the amount, and the promise to mark the account paid in full, are on paper before money changes hands.
What if they say no?
Ask what they can accept, ask about a payment plan, or ask for the hospital's financial assistance policy.
For the phone calls
The Medical Bill Fight Kit
A 9-page PDF you print: the order of steps, word-for-word call scripts for the billing office, your insurer, financial assistance and a collection agency, five letters with blanks (the three free ones here, plus a financial assistance request and a payment agreement confirmation) and a call and mail log.
$9 Buy the kit
If the file doesn't work or isn't what this page describes, write to us within 14 days for a full refund.
Bill Pushback