The Medical Bill Survival Guide: Easy, Effective Strategies for People Experiencing Financial Hardship

Copyright......Page 3
Contents......Page 6
Introduction......Page 8
a. Health Insurance 101......Page 12
i. Deductibles......Page 13
b. Understanding in-network and out-of-network......Page 14
c. Why insurance may not pay and what to do about it......Page 15
iii. Service not a benefit in the enrollee’s benefit plan......Page 16
iv. Pre-existing medical conditions......Page 18
vi. Experimental treatment......Page 20
b. Public Health Programs......Page 22
i. Medicare......Page 25
ii. Medicaid......Page 30
iii. SCHIP......Page 34
iv. COBRA: Did you lose your job?......Page 35
c. Charity Care: What type of provider did you see?......Page 36
ii. California......Page 38
iii. Illinois......Page 39
a. How to develop a system for tracking bills and payments and EOBs......Page 42
b. How to use bills and EOBs to get control of your situation......Page 43
c. How to read a medical bill......Page 45
d. What “charges” really mean in healthcare......Page 47
g. Deductibles, copays, and coinsurance......Page 48
i. How to read an EOB......Page 49
j. Putting it together......Page 51
a. The difference between billers and collection agencies......Page 52
c. Who billers are......Page 53
d. Five things not to say to a biller......Page 55
f. Five things billers look for......Page 57
g. How to talk to a biller......Page 59
i. Payment plans......Page 60
ii. Poverty......Page 62
j. How to get out of collections......Page 69
v. Uninsured......Page 67
i. Legal Implication of Financial Aid and Insured Patients......Page 68
a. Elective vs. non-elective care......Page 72
b. Escalating......Page 74
c. Balance billing......Page 76
d. Physicians......Page 78
b. Patient financing companies......Page 82
c. The Foundation for Health Coverage Education......Page 83
d. The author’s website and community forum......Page 84
a. Medicaid & SCHIP eligibility......Page 86
Back Cover......Page 113