5 People Share the Brilliant Ways They Slashed Their Medical Bills

May 14, 2019

Americans spent $3.65 trillion on healthcare in 2018, according to an Axios analysis of federal government data. That breaks down to an average of $11,121 per person — which is nearly $400 more than the average spent per person in 2017.

While healthcare spending has increased for many Americans, some have figured out savvy ways to keep down the cost of medical care. Learn from these real people who have employed creative strategies to reduce their medical bills.

Paul Moyer, founder of the blog SavingFreak.com, discovered a way to slash his medical costs when he heard a radio interview about less expensive healthcare. The doctor being interviewed was talking about direct primary care — a membership service that some physicians offer instead of accepting insurance.

Moyer decided to ditch his traditional health insurance and sign up for a direct primary care plan, which requires a monthly fee but provides his family with unlimited access to a primary care physician. “If I have a problem, I can call them, and if they are not available, they call me back in less than 30 minutes,” he said. “Also, many times they can diagnose me over the phone and call in the prescription.”

Moyer’s family of five had to pay close to $1,600 per month for a policy with a $12,000 deductible through the Affordable Care Act health insurance marketplace. Now, he pays $658 per month for the direct primary care plan and a healthcare sharing account from Medi-Share, and has a deductible of $5,500. So, by switching from an insurance policy to a direct primary care service, Moyer saved $942 per month on health insurance premiums and needs to spend $6,500 less to reach his deductible.

You can search for direct primary care providers near you on the Direct Primary Care Coalition’s website.

When Vivian Young’s husband had a colonoscopy, they were told by his doctor that it would be a free screening test under the Affordable Care Act. However, when the couple received an initial billing summary, the cost was $8,000 before insurance and their deductible kicked in. “Apparently he had polyps removed, which made the ‘screening test’ become a ‘diagnostic test,’” said Young, who is a senior content manager at Good Night’s Rest.

The couple thought the charge was unfair, so they decided to negotiate the medical bill. Young did research online before speaking with an insurance customer service representative. “I told her that according to the ACA, if a polyp is discovered and removed during a screening colonoscopy, it is considered part of the routine screening. Hence, no charge,” Young said.

The insurance representative had no answers for Young and gave her another number to call to contest the charges. “I had to call repeatedly for over three weeks until the charges were removed,” she said.

However, Young’s husband was sent another bill with a $1,250 facility usage charge from the doctor’s office. “Apparently patients get charged for the privilege of stepping foot into their facility and using their equipment,” she said. So, more calls were made to get this charge removed. In the end, the couple paid $0 — proving that contesting unfair medical bills can pay off.

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