Disease-Free But In Debt? Ways to Pay Off Medical Debt After COVID-19 and Other Conditions

The COVID-19 crisis has affected every area of our lives--not only our health, but also our finances. If you’re someone who has gone through getting sick with COVID-19 or other illness that required hospitalization, your burden may even be heavier. NBC news reported that many patients received unexpected medical bills after recovering from the novel virus, as their documents state several out-of-pocket expenses not covered by their policies.

The case isn’t isolated with COVID-19 patients. With hundreds of thousands of insurance claims during this challenging time, a lot of companies are trying to keep up fulfilling these policies. Even after COVID-19 recovery, many families and individuals are faced with out-of-pocket medical debt, on top of unemployment, and other personal struggles related to the effects of the pandemic.

Thankfully, there are ways to be strategic in your finances when trying to pay off medical expenses. Below are some tips that could help.

Ensure mistake-free medical bill

Have you received a medical bill that made you fall off your chair, literally? Perhaps it is time to reassess the balance and confirm if the bill is accurate. Since there is a surge of patients for COVID-19 along with others being treated for non-related conditions, there may be cases where some of the input in people’s bills was a mistake.

Read through your balances and check the procedures and medications provided, and see if there is anything unclear. You can call the billing department of your hospital to ask for a re-calculation or clarification if there’s a particular matter to be settled.

Reconfirm your insurance coverage

If you have a health plan, it is ideal to read through your policy again and look for information about the coverage you have for the condition. Some insurance companies may need extra clarification about the treatments or medications you took, which turns out to be covered by your policy. The federal government is even asking insurance companies to be more transparent about the policies they offer to avoid confusion with clients.

To settle matters, you may call your insurance provider and ask about the non-covered items in your medical bill. Given the right information, they may consider to cover some of the expenses which are actually stated in your policy, but were missed when preparing your out-of-pocket bill.

Don’t use credit cards

Tempted to pay off your medical debt using credit cards? It may not be the best option. Many cases happen where people get into a never-ending cycle of credit card debt with high interest, and you don’t want to be in that situation.

What are some of the disadvantages of paying through credit card?

• High-interest payments: A lot of credit card companies have staggeringly high interest annually. If you cannot realistically pay the rates, do not give in settling for a credit card debt.

• Affects your credit score: Having unpaid credit card debt lowers your credit score, even making it more difficult to secure a low-interest payment plan.

• Other options for medical debt: Unlike other types of debt, medical bills are more negotiable and flexible by nature. You can use no interest or low-interest payment options, so it is ideal to explore more routes.

Choose no interest or low-interest payment plans

Having access to healthcare is a basic human right. Thus, it is justified that medical debt should be paid with no interest or low-interest rates as much as possible. There are several options you can choose from when looking for an affordable medical debt payment plan:

Hospital or healthcare facility offer

Your own hospital or healthcare facility may have payment options that are interest-free or longer terms that make monthly payments more realistic. An article published in Modern Healthcare revealed that some major hospital networks offer a wider level of financial assistance for patients that fit eligibility requirements.

If your medical bills overwhelm you, it is best to get in touch with your hospital or healthcare facility if they have any affordable payment plans.

Interest-free financing companies

There are also other financing companies that specialize in medical bills. They have payment plans which are interest-free for a period of time, making it possible for you to pay medical debt as affordably as possible.

In fact, you can use these financing options not just for COVID-19 hospitalizations, but for other healthcare facilities such as rehabs for alcoholics and urgent care centers.

Personal loans

Taking out a personal loan can be done for a variety of reasons, such as covering out-of-pocket medical expenses. The great thing about this type of financing is the flexibility and the amount of companies offering this option. If you have a good credit score, there is a higher chance that you’ll secure a low-interest personal loan plan.

However, if you have a less-than-stellar credit score, there are still ways to secure affordable personal loan options. You can compare rates and see which one fits your budget depending on your credit score.

Paying Off Medical Debt? You Can Do It!

Paying off out-of-pocket medical expenses may be challenging, but using these strategies can make this undertaking so much easier. Make sure to clarify your bill, negotiate with your insurance provider and explore affordable options to get the best payment plan.

Importance and Benefits of Cashless Policies

Earlier, insurance providers used to provide reimbursement for all the expenses borne by the insured. However, these days, most insurers offer the benefit of cashless settlement of claims. According to this arrangement, the insurance providers settle all the expenses with their network providers. You, therefore, do not have to make any out-of-pocket expenses towards the huge medical bills.

It is important to note that in order to avail of the benefit of cashless insurance, it is necessary to visit any of the providers in the insurer’s network. You may view the Third Party Administrator’s (TPAs) website to identify the comprehensive list of hospitals or garage networks, in the case of cashless car insurance.

Cashless policies entail a lot of importance. Following are the three major benefits of cashless policies.

1. Prevents financial strain

The major benefit of a cashless insurance policy is that it prevents financial burden. You do not have to bear any out-of-pocket expenses. This ensures that you do not have to run around arranging funds. Besides, there is no need to liquidate any long-term investments such as mutual funds. Additionally, you do not have to deplete your lifetime savings to meet your expenses. Since the insurance provider settles your bills you may enjoy a great degree of financial freedom.

2. Ensures that you receive quality treatment

In an event of a medical crisis, a cashless mediclaim policy helps you receive the best treatment. You may avail of excellent healthcare facilities without having to pay for any hospital-related expenses, such as domiciliary treatment costs, in-patient care expenses, alternative treatment cost, and ambulance charges, among others. All you have to do is display your health insurance card at the network hospital and fill in the pre-authorization form. The hospital will then forward the application to the TPA. Once the cashless health insurance application is approved successfully, you may receive treatment from the network hospital without making a single payment.

3. Provides value-added services

Greater the annual payouts by the insurance provider to the network companies, higher will be the negotiation power for discounts and offers. This benefit may be directly passed on to the customers. You may save a certain amount on your sum insured and utilize the same towards any subsequent event in the future.

The popularity of cashless insurance has indeed grown. You too may invest in such an insurance policy and avail of the numerous benefits it has to offer. In case you wish to opt for cashless benefit, you may buy insurance online or visit your local branch. By doing so, you may safeguard your financial well-being and have peace of mind knowing that you do not have to bear any financial burden.

Doomsayer Or Life Saver? The Value Of Considering The Worst Case Scenario

Thinking about illness, disability, and even death isn't something that most of us enjoy, especially when it relates to ourselves and our nearest and dearest. In fact, if we become too preoccupied with this we can easily be accused of being morbid, pessimistic, or a doomsayer. However, there is value in running the worst case seniors through your mind, as it can help to ensure that you and your family are financially protected if the worst does happen. Read on for more information.

Illness

We all get sick from time to time, whether it's the flu or a horrid cold. However, some folks suffer from medical conditions that are a little more serious than that, ones that can be painful, problematic, and even life-threatening. Of course, being sick in such a serious way is often a strain on your finances as you have to pay for treatments to improve your condition or minimize its effect on your day to day life. 

To prepare for this is pretty vital that you have private medical insurance available both for you and for your entire family. Yes, this is often very expensive, but it is still cheaper than medical bills that can run into hundreds of thousands if the worst does occur.

Remember too that as the different hospitals are allowed to charge whatever they like for treatments, not having medical insurance can put you in the vulnerable position of not being able to pay the bills. Even if you have some savings tucked away for a rainy day. Something that you don't want when it comes to yours or a loved one's health. 

Disability

For some folks, an illness may lead to disability, and them not being able to earn a wage from work. For others, it may be a condition that they have been born with. Although, whatever the reasons being without an income can make life extremely difficult. 

To assist with this, the Government have put in place a service known as social security disability (SSD), designed to financially assist those that cannot work to support themselves. Unfortunately, the system is under so much stain at the moment that less than half of all applicants are granted official aid on their first request. Something that makes it vital that you also take out private insurance against disability as well. This process like any insurance purchase can be complicated, and you can check out this post on disability insurance coverage options for some help in choosing the right policy. Remember picking the right policy is vital as it could mean the difference between being able to provide for your family or struggling financially. 

Death

Death, the only certainty in life, apart from taxes that is! It's not something we want to waste too much of our time thinking about. However, when we have debts and responsibility to our families to worry about members, it's vital that we risk being called doomsayers and ensure that we are covered financially for this eventuality.

The way to do this is of course by getting life insurance. Doing so can protect your assets and make sure that your family are able to continue to live in their home and be provided for, even if you're not there to be the main breadwinner. Something that makes life insurance a real lifesaver, even if you have to get a little morbid to consider it.

How To Pay For Massive Medical Bills

Medical bills can be a huge burden on your finances. Especially when they’re large, and you need to pay them ASAP. What do you do when you have massive medical bills that need paying? Well, here are some thoughts on the matter you may find helpful:

Use Your Insurance

Seeing as our public healthcare is a bit of a mess right now, it may be beneficial to take out a health insurance policy. Mainly, this is because your insurance provider can help with the costs of your massive medical bills. They may cover you up to a certain amount, which provides you with a nice little safety blanket. It may transpire that your provider covers the total cost of your bill, which completely takes any stress out of your hands. But, even if they only cover a portion, it should at least lighten the load on your personal finances. A massive medical bill is turned into a smaller, more manageable, medical bill thanks to your insurance.

See If You Can Claim Compensation

There are many cases where you might end up in the hospital with a serious injury as the result of an accident. Maybe you got injured at work or ended up in a car accident? The fact is, any personal injury lawyer will tell you that you can claim compensation if you’re injured, and the cause of the injury was someone else’s fault. If this applies to your situation, you need to find a lawyer and start working on a claim. Hopefully, you can gain compensation which will cover the cost of your massive medical bill, leaving you in a much more comfortable position.

Consider A Personal Loan

Personal loans are there to help you in times of need. If you feel as though you don’t have the funds to pay your medical bill in full, you may need a loan to help cover the costs. So, head on down to your bank and speak to someone there about getting a personal loan. They’ll ask all sorts of questions and do a credit check to ensure you’re eligible for a loan. In a situation like this, when you’re getting a loan to pay for medical bills, they will usually approve it quite quickly. Then, you have more freedom to pay the loan back, as the bank lets you pay in installments while the hospital demands the same amount of money all at one time. 

Ask Friends/Family For Help

Nobody likes asking others for help, particularly when the help you need comes in the form of money. However, if you’re struggling to pay your bills and need an extra bit of cash, it might be worth asking those closest to you. Your family may be willing to help you out without needing anything in return. After all, they care for you, and this is a medical bill, so it’s important. 

Any of these ideas could help you pay for your expensive medical bills. You’ve already suffered enough being in the hospital, don’t let your finances suffer as well.

Old Age And Illness: What It Means For Your Money

As we approach old age we need to think about our finances. Understandably, it’s often the last thing we think about. When we’re in good health we don’t worry about what will happen to our money. This means that our finances can be left in disarray when we pass away. Don’t wait until old age or illness are upon you, make the most of your savings before that point. There are a few things you can do to make sure your money is used how you want it to be once you're gone... 

Get Your Finances In Order

The first step is to get your finances in order. This seems like quite a general statement but what it actually means is organizing the remaining money that you have. You need to know how much money you have. Of course, you might know how much is in the bank, but what about money tied up in property or business? Managing your money when you are well and able is a good first step. It becomes increasingly difficult to make decisions once you are ill or considered unfit to handle your own account.

The good news is, organizing your finances needn’t be too difficult. Start by filing all of your financial documents in one place. This will make it easier to keep a record of things. The make a list of all your expenses and incomes. Work out which, if any, debts you have to pay, what you’ve invested and what is saved. Having all of this information will be incredibly useful if someone else has to take over and manage your affairs. Don’t be stuck in a situation where only you know your own financial situation.

Managing Your Estate

Planning what happens to your estate when you die is simple and straightforward, but too many of us don’t do it. The problem is, if we don’t have legal documents which outline who gets what, it can lead to messy legal proceedings. Probate lawyers from IRB Law will be able to give you more information about what’s involved in planning your estate. In essence, you will need to prepare documents which determine who inherits your money and property. You can even ensure that the amount of inheritance tax paid on your estate is minimized. So this is a very important step to take. 

Funding A Funeral

Unfortunately, loved ones are sometimes forced to make financial decisions about funerals in the midst of their grief. To avoid these kinds of situations and expenses, you can cover the costs before you become ill, or even before old age. Dedicated savings accounts are one way to save money. Alternatively, some life insurance companies cover the costs of a funeral.

Medical Bill Nightmares?

Unfortunately, not all countries offer universal health care to their citizens. That mean that it is often down to the people themselves to find the finances for their own medical problems and procedures. This can be a huge stress on top of an already difficult time. So it can help to know just what your options are in this sort of situation. Read on to find out more.

Insurance

The number one way of making sure that you and your family are provided for when they get sick is to insure everybody. This means paying a premium every month that will cover a certain amount of treatments, consultations, and tests.

However, before you enter into a medical insurance contract, you should do two things. The first is to shop around for the best deal. Remember you are looking for a policy that includes cover for the most items, or the one that you are most concerned, about at the lowest price.

The second is that you should make sure that your medical insurance is good for the state in which you live. You also need to do this when you move states as well. It is common for folks to be caught out in some states, as they charge separately for the medical team and the anesthetist. So be careful of this.

Free care

Then, there's always the option of going to a free clinic to get some help with a medical issue. But that will only work if you can find one, as they tend to be as rare as hen's teeth.

It is also worth bearing in mind that they may be able to help treat less serious conditions that don't need a lot of follow-ups or palliative care. But for serious and chronic issues, they often don't have the resources to be that helpful. So trusting in this service alone could be putting your life expectancy in danger.

Sue

Another way of finding the funds for medical treatment is to recruit the services of a personal injury lawyer. Of course, this is only appropriate in some situation. Such as when you have been involved in an auto accident or an incident at work that has contributed to your poor health.

However, it is worth doing. This is because a good lawyer can negotiate compensation from a winning case that will cover your medical bills. Sometimes they can even get a little extra for the inconvenience and suffering that you have been put through.

Loan

Some folks choose the option of getting a loan to pay medical bills. Obviously, this isn't an idea as you are getting into debt just for the chance to be well.

Remember too that, if you or a family member is in a seriously enough condition that you need to take a loan out to help them, it is likely to affect how the family functions. So could decrease your ability to earn enough to pay it back.

That is why a lot of cases end up going to debt collectors. That means if possible, only use this option as a last resort.

Need Help With Medical Expenses? Read This Now

Not everyone is able to get adequate health insurance. If you've found yourself in desperate need of help for covering medical expenses, you do have options open to you. These are some of the routes you may want to explore.

Medical bill advocates

If you’ve been given a hefty medical bill, then there are people out there you can hire to have your back. These people are called medical bill advocates. They’re experts when it comes to assessing everything on a medical bill and finding areas in which costs can be cut. They can help you dispute payments that aren’t actually necessary. (And yes, sadly, this does happen. Care providers may bill you for things unnecessarily just so they can get more profit.)

Getting a loan

For some people, this may seem like a bit of an extreme option. But sometimes it may be necessary to simply take out a loan. The fact is that medical bills piling up that aren’t being paid is extremely bad. Not only can they increase in price the longer you leave them, but they can affect your credit score. You might be better off looking into personal loans than finding yourself drowned by medical debts.

Compassionate crowdfunding

You’ve probably heard about online crowdfunding. For the most part, the famous crowdfunding successes are found in the entertainment industry. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of successes found in humanitarian causes. You can set up a crowdfunding page if you’re in urgent need of financial assistance for medical bills. One of the problems with this route is that, to get the most financial potential, you have to market your campaign a little. That can be a little too strange for some people!

Support groups

Are there any support groups out there for the problem you’re facing? Perhaps the most famous example here is that of cancer. There are support groups out there for pretty much any kind of cancer. Some of these support groups use donations and government funding to assist those struggling with medical bills. This isn’t guaranteed, of course, but it’s definitely worth looking into.

Government programs

Yes, the government are the ones responsible for allowing people to get into huge medical debt in the first place. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t turn to them if you’re in desperate need of help. In America, for example, you may be eligible for Medicaid, even if you’re not on a low salary. And no, Medicaid and Medicare are not the same thing. People who can’t get one may still be able to get the other!

Filing for bankruptcy?

This is, as you can imagine, the most extreme option available to you. (Well, unless you’re planning on breaking bad. But don’t do that.) More than half of all bankruptcy claims are tied to health care expenses, so you’re not the only one who may consider it. But if things are really bad, and you’re willing to take the hit on your credit score, it might be an option. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is likely to erase your medical debts.