Your Medical Bills: Do You Really Owe All that Money?

The cost of medical care in this nation is astounding. Skyrocketing medical insurance premiums, high patient deductibles, and rising co-payments and co-insurance means a large out of pocket expense for the consumer. Consumers often do not know how to determine if the amount they are being billed is the amount they really owe. Then there is the ugly specter called medical fraud. Sadly, most consumers cannot recognize that it is happening to them. They just struggle to pay the bills and go on, some go bankrupt.

As a consumer you need to be aware of the variable ways that your medical practitioner can commit fraud. The consumer needs to know what they are looking at when they see their bill for medical services and be able to spot unfounded charges, upcoding, unbundling, and overcharging for co-payments.

As a consumer you have a right to your medical information, including itemized billing information. You will have to sign a release of information to obtain copies of your chart, and transcripts. Some offices will charge you for the copies, but usually they are given as a courtesy. If your physician's office balks on you accessing your own medical records you should really wonder about his or her ethical standards and what they may be trying to hide. It may be the charges on your bill and the charges to your insurance carrier. When you get a copy of your chart, look at it and compare what is in there on a specific date of service with what is listed on your itemized bill. If in doubt, note any discrepancies and discuss them with the billing office. You are paying that office for a service and you have a right to accurate billing for services.