[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-280212-105":3,"doc-detail-280212-en":81,"detail-sidebar-cat-1-en-105":97},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","diy-for-negotiating-medical-debt-tips-to-avoid-or-reduce-medical-bills","DIY For Negotiating Medical Debt - Tips to Avoid or Reduce Medical Bills","","DIY guidance for handling medical billing and reducing or avoiding medical debt. The material explains how to confirm whether a bill is real or an insurance explanation of benefits (EOB), how to review the service date and whether insurance should have paid, and how to identify the bill source (hospital versus private doctor or debt collector). It provides steps for requesting hospital financial assistance (charity care), negotiating with doctors using fair market pricing and hardship documentation, and negotiating with debt collectors through verification, low initial offers, lump-sum strategies, and written settlements.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/","Template",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/letters/","Letters",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/template/diy-for-negotiating-medical-debt-tips-to-avoid-or-reduce-medical-bills/280212/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/diy-for-negotiating-medical-debt-tips-to-avoid-or-reduce-medical-bills/280212.png","ImageObject",442,249,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Bill Black","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-26","2026-09-16",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",10,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"How can I tell whether I received a real medical bill or just insurance information?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Check whether you were actually billed or whether you only received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Insurance companies do not directly bill you, so the next step is to confirm the bill source.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"What should I do if my bill seems like it should have been covered by insurance?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Review the Explanation of Benefits for the reason insurance did not pay. If you believe the insurance decision was incorrect, you can appeal, but you must follow strict appeal timelines.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"What are the key steps before negotiating with a debt collector?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"Ask who you owe the money to and whether the debt was purchased from a third party. Request verification of the debt, then review the documentation to confirm whether it is actually yours and deny the debt if it cannot be verified.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},280212,1790207430,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",{"doc_id":79,"user_id":84,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":85,"doc_module":22,"category_id":86,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":87,"file_id":88,"file_url":89,"file_type":90,"file_size":91,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":33,"language":92,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":93,"faqs":94,"seo_title":95,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":96,"read_time":26},24189269381491,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/avatar/160000cf11732dd8392?x-image-process=image/resize,m_fixed,w_180,h_180&k=1788146458752108895",18,"DIY For Negotiating Medical Debt  \nHere are some tips to avoid or reduce your medical debt:  \n1. Is there a bill?  \nIt is important to identify whether you are actually being billed or you received an explanation of benefits (EOB) from your insurance company. An insurance company does not bill you. Once you determine that you have a bill, you should next identify whether it is from a debt collector or directly from the hospital, lab or doctors’ office.  \n2. What is the Bill For?  \nLook at the date of service and the type of services provided. Did you receive this service? Do you think it should have been paid by your insurance? If you receive a bill from your doctor but believe that your health insurance plan should pay, look at your Explanation of Benefits for the reason your insurance did not pay. If you think that your insurance company was incorrect, you have the right to appeal. Be aware of strict appeal timelines.  \n3. Who is the bill from?  \nOnce you determine that the debt is valid (that you owe the amount billed), identify who the bill is from. If the bill is from a hospital and you have limited income, you may be eligible for Hospital Financial Assistance, under New York State law. If your income is less than 300% of the Federal Poverty level (in 2017 that is $35,640 for an individual, $72,900 for a family of four), you should ask to apply Hospital Financial Assistance. If you were eligible for Medicaid at the time of your hospitalization you should not owe anything. Request an application for financial assistance (commonly referred to as “Charity Care”) from the Hospital billing department immediately.  \nNote: The Hospital Financial Assistance Law only apply to hospital bills, not bills from private doctors. See negotiation below, for negotiating with doctors.  \n4. Negotiating with a Doctor/Lab/Hospital (if not eligible for Hospital Financial  \nAssistance): Once you have determined that you are responsible for the debt, follow these negotiation tactics below. Many providers are willing to negotiate the debt.  \nIf a doctor is billing you:  \n• Look up the “fair market price” for the service you received. This is the amount that doctors regularly charge in your area. You can find the fair market price [at:](at: Fairhealthconsumer.org)[ ](at: Fairhealthconsumer.org)[Fairhealthconsumer.org](at: Fairhealthconsumer.org).  \n• With that information, you can call your doctor or their billing department about the cost of care you received, to explain your financial situation, and ask for a discount. If you are living on a fixed income or a low income, or if there are other factors that make it difficult to pay, you should ask the doctor if you can write  \n633 Thiird Avenue, 10th Floor • New York, NY 10017 • PH 888-614-5400 • FAX 212-614-5378 • [www.communityhealthadvocates.org](www.communityhealthadvocates.org)  \nCommunity Health Advocates is a program of the Community Service Society of New York.  \na letter offinancial hardship. An example is enclosed. You may want to include copies of the following financial information:  \no Your most recent tax returns or proof of income. If your most recent tax returns do not appropriately reflect your income, also include your four mostrecent pay stubs.  \no Bank statements: checking and savings accounts  \no Credit cards statements  \no Personal/student loans that you owe  \no Proof of other outstanding financial obligations  \n• Tell your doctor or the billing representative how much you can pay and how often you can pay it. If they ask for more money or more frequent payments, explain that you are unable to do it. Ask them to write up a payment agreement that you can afford. Make sure that you make your payments on time.  \n• You can also offer a lump sum payment, for a much lower settlement amount. For example, if your bill is $1000, and they ask you to pay $100 per month, consider whether you can pay one large amount, like $500, to settle the full debt.  \n5. Negotiating with a Debt Collect","cbCaiczVY7Jmv39x","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaiczVY7Jmv39x","pdf",106519,"English","# DIY For Negotiating Medical Debt\n## Is There a Bill?\n## What Is the Bill For?\n## Who Is the Bill From?\n## Negotiating With a Doctor/Lab/Hospital\n## Negotiating With a Debt Collector\n## Negotiating Your Debt","[{\"question\":\"How can I tell whether I received a real medical bill or just insurance information?\",\"answer\":\"Check whether you were actually billed or whether you only received an Explanation of Benefits (EOB). Insurance companies do not directly bill you, so the next step is to confirm the bill source.\"},{\"question\":\"What should I do if my bill seems like it should have been covered by insurance?\",\"answer\":\"Review the Explanation of Benefits for the reason insurance did not pay. If you believe the insurance decision was incorrect, you can appeal, but you must follow strict appeal timelines.\"},{\"question\":\"What are the key steps before negotiating with a debt collector?\",\"answer\":\"Ask who you owe the money to and whether the debt was purchased from a third party. 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