KTRH Local Houston and Texas News

KTRH Local Houston and Texas News

KTRH-AM covering local news from Houston and across Texas.

 

It's Worth It to Address Possible Errors in Your Medical Bills

Double check your medical bills of any human errors.

According to a study put out recently by the JAMA Health Forum, over 70% of respondents for the survey said they've seen mistakes made on their medical bills and they were then corrected.

Over 1,000 adults in the U.S. participated in the survey during the Fall last year. It also found that about 62% of people said they got the price of their bill to drop to something more affordable and and another 76% said they were able to get financial help or had their bill canceled completely.

David Balat, CEO of Health Care Finance Specialists, said people should be cautious of all their bills, not just medical ones.

"They're such complex organizations that there's more than likely going to be a mistake that if it's there you should get it corrected," Balat said.

A report from KFF, an independent health research source, found that Americans owe over $220 billion in medical debt. Balat said it's more than worth it to check for human error so you're not paying more than you should.

"There's a lot of human involvement and interaction," he said. "It's always good to keep your eyes on things because if you're a healthy young man and there's a pregnancy test on your bill, you know that that's probably inaccurate."

Another way someone can make sure their medical bills are correct is to request an itemized statement. Balat also suggests getting a copy of your medical records.

"Before paying your bill, request that," said Balat. "I want a line by line itemized statement of what was done that represents what you're saying I owe on this bill."


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