Negotiating Your Medical Bills with Justine Nelson of Debt Free Millennials

Medical bills can be expensive, and sometimes they can even devastate your finances if you weren't ready for them.

Justine Nelson from Debt Free Millennials joins Bethany on the show today to talk about how she received a 30% discount on her medical bill from giving birth and practical steps on how you can negotiate any medical bill. 

Why is it important to try to negotiate? Hospital services are heavily inflated. Hospital costs are not transparent. Insurance companies can negotiate what they'll pay with hospitals, why can't the consumer?

Here are a Justine's practical steps you can take to negotiate your bills: 

1. Review your bill - Ask for an itemized bill
2. Question anything that looks inaccurate or doesn't make sense - (two line items for vaginal delivery - one was for the midwife's care and the other was for the actual room)
3. Calculate out the discounted price ahead of time - Start with 40% discount, calculate for 35, 30, 25% so you can quickly negotiate a different cost
4. Use a script - "I'm calling about my outstanding balance and would like to take care of that today." - "If I pay $XX today, will my account be considered paid in full?"
5. Ask for a confirmation number - Ask how long it takes for your account balance to be cleared and paid in full

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Season 2 Episode 1: Mental Health for Mamas Episode and Show Notes

Chris Voss: The Art of Negotiation and Never Split the Difference

Bethany's Birth Story