Marshall Allen explains why working Americans should negotiate hospital bills. Uninsured and privately insured patients often pay two to ten times what government-plan patients pay for the same care. Negotiating can save hundreds or even thousands per visit.
Yes, you can absolutely bargain for the best prices at hospitals. And if you're a working American, I'm going to tell you three reasons why that's the case. First, if you're not covered by a government health plan, there is a good chance that you are paying between two times, five times, even 10 times as much as someone covered by one of the government health plans would pay. So working people are being overcharged. Second, the the prices are kind of made up to begin with. They don't have a set price that applies to every patient. They come up with a falsely inflated number for the price. Then they apply discounts depending on the patient's insurance plan. So the prices are not set in stone and that gives you room to negotiate. And third, you should always bargain because you might be able to save hundreds or even thousands of dollars per healthcare encounter. So it is worth it to learn to do the negotiation on health care. This is an often overlooked area of personal finance. My resources, if you follow the links, have a lot of details about how to do this. Check them out if you have questions. I'm here to help.
Marshall Allen, "Never Pay the First Bill' Part 1 | The Ovation Show w/ Dan Labroad
