The State Health Insurance Assistance Program site may be able to help you find assistance available in your area.can connect you with government benefits you might be entitled to, including Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program and Medicare.But check online and with your health care provider to see whether there are other charities or nonprofits, either national or local, that could help you too. The following are just a few organizations you can start with. These groups might provide information or financial assistance with your medical bills or prescriptions. If you’re having trouble paying medical bills, there are public programs, private foundations and other organizations that may be able to help. Keep in mind, you might need to show tax returns and other documentation to prove your hardship. If you’re uninsured or experiencing hardship, ask whether your hospital has an assistance or “charity care” program that can cover or reduce your medical bills. Request medical bill forgiveness or assistance.Offering to pay the full amount within a set time frame, such as 30 or 60 days, could increase the likelihood of securing a discount. Some providers might also be willing to give you a discount if you’re able to pay a medical bill in full. If you’re uninsured, you could try inquiring what the fee would be if you were an insured patient-and then asking to pay that amount. If you’re being charged more, you can try requesting a price reduction. Educate yourself about how much other local providers charge for the same service by calling around, asking your insurer or comparing prices online. There are a number of ways you might be able to work with hospitals or health care providers to reduce your bill.

Work with the hospital or health care provider to get medical bills reduced If you have questions about the law, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has more information. Thankfully, there are some protections from this kind of billing thanks to the No Surprises Act. This is often called surprise medical billing. And you could be billed for the difference. If that’s the case, your insurance may not cover the costs and fees you might normally expect it to. In an emergency, you could unwittingly end up in a hospital or with a doctor outside your insurance network. Call your insurance company if you need anything explained or if you want to question any charges. You can also compare your medical bill against your insurer’s explanation of benefits statement and the record of your treatment to make sure it all matches up.

To check for mistakes, go through your bill line by line and look for any duplicate charges or other charges that do not appear to be correct. A good first step to receiving help with your medical payments is to take a close look at what your bill says you owe.

My medical payments