Show 110 - High Hospital Bills Relief with Jared Walker

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We’ve all experienced the desperate need for medical help and the rush to the hospital to get it. Unfortunately, we’ve also experienced the sticker shock bill that comes after that. No matter what happens at the hospital, the price to pay always seems outrageously high, especially for teachers who are working hard just to set some money aside for the future. So if you don’t want your entire emergency fund to go toward one hospital bill, you’ll need some tools in your toolbelt to handle them. One of those tools is charity care, and that’s where DollarFor.org comes in. In this episode I talk about this and other strategies with the founder of DollarFor Jared Walker.

Show Notes

dollarfor.org
healthcarebluebook.com
fairhealth.org

Recommended Books (Amazon Affiliate Links)
Never Pay the First Bill

Key Ideas

• Hospital charity care is a hidden way to lower your bill

• Nonprofit hospitals are required by law to reduce or forgive medical bills

• The income guidelines that may qualify teachers for medical bill relief are surprisingly generous

• We give step-by-step actions to take when you receive a large medical bill

• Requesting an itemized bill can uncover errors and lower costs

• You can negotiate a medical bill with the hospital

• There is a 1-year window before medical debt can impact your credit

• Hardship letters can help—even if you don’t initially qualify

• DollarFor.org has free tools and resources to get help with medical debt

Bonus Tip

Here is a bonus tip I didn't get to in the episode.

• If you’re going to pay a bill out of pocket but you aren’t currently maxing out your HSA, consider increasing your contribution to your HSA for the next month by the amount of your bill then using the HSA to pay. The net result is you don’t lose money from your HSA and you pay less in taxes. You shouldn’t pay medical bills with after tax dollars until you’re maxing out your HSA as an investment.

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