By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Do You Understand Your Medical Bills? I Don’t
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Business > Finance > Do You Understand Your Medical Bills? I Don’t
BusinessFinanceHospital Administration

Do You Understand Your Medical Bills? I Don’t

DavidEWilliams
DavidEWilliams
Share
3 Min Read
SHARE

Piling up the bills

Piling up the bills

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has issued a report that indicates that at least 43 million people in the US have unpaid medical bills. That has consequences since unpaid medical bills hurt credit scores, often substantially. Tellingly, many of these ‘debtors’ don’t have issues with any other creditor.

The report concludes that many non-payers simply don’t understand their medical bills.

More Read

Add Interactivity to Your YouTube Channel: Annotate!
Beyond the C-Suite: 3 Ways to Build Customer Focus
Kaiser Permanente Medical Center Allows Patients to View Charts and Info in Real Time
5 Ways Health Pros Can Benefit From Healthcare Email Marketing
A Framework for Collaborative Peer Review

I have a confession to make: Even though I’ve been working as a healthcare business consultant for more than 20 years, I don’t understand my bills either. Here are a few of the problems I face –and I know I’m not unique:

  • Providers send bills while insurance claims are still pending, so I don’t understand whether I’m being asked to pay the right amounts
  • Explanations of benefits from my health plan aren’t timely and aren’t informative. The services described sound completely generic and are hard to trace back to the provider bill
  • We now have a high-deductible plan and are being asked to pay more by our providers, but I’m not confident that providers are correctly taking into account our out-of-pocket maximums on an individual and family basis
  • Providers aren’t coding claims in line with the Affordable Care Act or insurance company rules, resulting in incorrect out-of-pocket amounts. (See my recent piece on the on again, off again co-pay for a routine physical)
  • Few providers (at least around here) allow online payments. I have to either call the office during work hours or mail in a check –both a hassle

I’ve said before that unpaid medical bills shouldn’t be counted for credit scoring purposes. And it appears that FICO has also come around to that way of thinking. Still the big problem is that the whole payment system is way too complex, expensive and confusing.

I understand that providers need to get paid, and increasingly that means collecting from patients. There are companies out there, like PatientPay and Simplee, that try to make this process easier. But we’ve got a long way to go.

photo credit: urbanbohemian via photopin cc

Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

Epidemiological Health Benefits
Personal and Epidemiological Health Benefits of Blood Pressure Management
Health
October 13, 2025
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Understanding Traumatic Brain Injuries: What Families Need to Know
Policy & Law
October 10, 2025
Remote Monitoring touchpoints
Remote Monitoring Touchpoints Patients Will Actually Follow
Technology
October 9, 2025
dental care
Importance of Good Dental Care for Health and Confidence
Dental health Specialties
October 2, 2025

You Might also Like

How Healthcare Marketers Can Maximize Twitter’s New Features

February 17, 2015

mHealth on The Colbert Report: Dr. Eric Topol [VIDEO]

March 28, 2013

Unlocking a Patient’s Comprehensive “Clinical Narrative” Is Critical to ACO Enablement

February 16, 2013

Best Hospital Lists: Rating the Rankers

September 29, 2012
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?