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A guide to handling major medical bills
Just because you have health insurance doesn’t mean you won’t have major medical bills. We sat down with Consumers’ Checkbook for some advice on how to handle them.
GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — Here’s an interesting financial fact: Two-thirds of all people who file for bankruptcy in the U.S. cite medical issues as the reason — either the bills themselves or the loss of work because of their medical conditions.
It’s also true that more people than ever have access to health insurance thanks to the Affordable Care Act, but what that doesn’t mean, is that more people can suddenly afford medical bills.
“A lot of people have insurance that is basically catastrophic coverage, so the first $3,000 or $4,000 each year, they have to pay out of pocket, and a lot of people just can’t afford to do that,” says Kevin Brasler with Consumers’ Checkbook.
Some 66% of all bankruptcies are linked to medical issues, according to CNBC. That’s more than 530,000 families a year who feel they have no way out. But there are some things you can do to combat high bills, including one that may seem counterintuitive.
“We spoke to a number of experts who advised, ‘Look, never pay the first bill when it comes to medical care,’” says Brasler.
That’s right — don’t pay it right away. And there’s good reason for that.
The first bill isn’t always accurate.
“Because often the system just takes a little bit of time to catch up right? It takes a while for the provider to bill the health insurance plan, and for the health insurance plan to approve the claim and pay the provider back,” he says.
Brasler says mistakes get made, too. Sometimes providers don’t code things properly, which can result in the insurance company denying your claim. Or they simply didn’t submit the claim to your insurance at all. It doesn’t mean you owe the whole amount; it just means you need to make a few calls to get it sorted out.
“What patients need to know is that you can often negotiate these bills down,” he says.
“A lot of hospitals, even though people get these enormous bills, have programs in place where they basically act as charities. They are willing to write off a certain amount of debt if you can prove you have a need, and we found that with a lot of these hospitals, the cut-off is if your family makes six figures, you can still qualify,” says Brasler.
And finally, if a bill is too big to pay all at once, don’t be afraid to ask if you can pay in installments. Providers know getting their money over time is better than not getting it at all.
You can read more about medical bills from Consumers’ Checkbook here.
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While the school building was impacted, police say no students or staffers were hurt in the incident.
DULUTH, Minn. — Students and staffers at a Duluth elementary school encountered a bit of unexpected – and unwanted – excitement Friday morning when a vehicle smashed through a wall of their gym.
Northern News Now/KBJR reports that the incident unfolded at Myers-Wilkins Elementary on N. 8th Ave. E. just before 8:30 a.m. Duluth police told the station that two people were inside the vehicle when it ran a stop sign, went through the intersection and down an embankment, then careened through the gym wall.
No one inside the school was hurt, but the two people in the car were taken to the hospital for treatment.
The Duluth Public School District tells Northern News Now the gymnasium will be closed for an undetermined time while engineers examine its structural integrity.
Meanwhile the school is on a secure protocol, meaning access to the building is limited while students go about their day.
The child was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs.
BREMERTON, Wash. — A child and their mother were attacked by a river otter at the Bremerton Marina Thursday morning.
According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), a woman and her young child were walking on a dock around 9:30 a.m. when the river otter pulled the child into the water. The woman said the child was underwater for a few moments before resurfacing.
WDFW officials say the otter kept attacking the woman while she pulled the child out of the water.
The child was treated at a hospital in Silverdale for scratches and bite wounds to the head, face and legs. The woman was bit on the arm.
“We are grateful the victim only sustained minor injuries due to the mother’s quick actions and child’s resiliency,” said WDFW Sergeant Ken Balazs said in a prepared statement. “We would also like to thank the Port of Bremerton for their quick coordination and communication to their marina tenants.”
According to WDFW, the otters in the marina will be “trapped and lethally removed” by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, then tested for rabies.
River otter attacks are rare, and WDFW officials advise against instigating any close encounters. There have been six documented human-river otter incidents in Washington state in the last decade.
“When we do see this on the rare occasion that it does occur, it’s for territoriality or protecting its pups. If it’s a female, protecting its pups,” said Matt Blankenship with the WDFW.
And while many think of them as cute, curious creatures. They can cause serious injuries.
Jen Royce, who lives in Bozeman, Montana, was attacked by a river otter last summer. The damage was extensive.
“I had really large bite wounds on each cheek. A really big gash on this left side of my eye here.. luckily it didn’t get my eye.. it bit through my nose,” Royce said.
She wants to urge others to be cautious around the animal.
“My main goal is to spread awareness. I don’t want people to go out and kill otters. That’s not what this is about. It’s about trying to be more prepared in nature,” Royce said. “Not to let your guard down and hopefully, if someone learns something from my story. I feel like that’s why I’m still here.”
Medtronic’s latest Deep Brain Stimulation device allows Bruce Lunde to control his tremors remotely, with a cell phone, and that’s not all.
MERRIFIELD, Minn. — Bruce Lunde has never let his age stop him from staying active, so when Parkinson’s Disease threatened to slow him down at the age of 81, he decided to take action.
Lunde recently underwent surgery in order to become the first patient in the upper Midwest to receive Medtronic’s latest Deep Brain Stimulation device.
“Within seconds my tremor was gone,” Lunde said, recalling the moment doctors activated the device, which was implanted via surgery. “It’s amazing what they can do.”
A Very Active Octogenarian
After teaching in Edina for 35 years, Bruce and his wife, Gail Lunde, retired to the woods of central Minnesota, where they remain today.
“I enjoy cutting wood and I enjoy splitting wood,” said Lunde, who relies on a wood-burning stove to heat their home. “I like to have enough on hand to stay a year ahead, so I don’t sit around too much.”
Lunde is also active in his church choir and enjoys running and boxing, so it didn’t take long for his tremors to begin to impact his life.
“The tremor was bothering me more, particularly when I was singing,” he recalled. “I couldn’t hold my sheet music. I tried medication but I felt like my tremor didn’t improve.”
When doctors first diagnosed Bruce with Parkinson’s Disease a few years ago, they told him he might be a good candidate for deep brain stimulation.
“It’s changing the way that the brain networks work, enhancing the pathways that help you move,” said Dr. Robert McGovern, a neurosurgeon at M Health Fairview.
But brain surgery is required in order to make that possible.
“It’s one long kind of wire that gets sent into the brain,” Dr. McGovern said. “We implant two tiny electrodes and calibrate them. They are connected to that wire which then connects to the device.”
Though Brain Stimulation Devices have been around for many years, Dr. McGovern says early batteries often didn’t last beyond just 2-3 years and required additional surgeries to replace.
When Medtronic began introducing wireless charging capabilities in recent years, it was a game changer for many patients, including Bruce.
“It’s charging right now and I just sit like this,” Bruce said, showing off the charging pad draped over his shoulder that indicated that it was connected to the DBS device implanted in the upper part of his chest.
“I wasn’t interested in undergoing multiple surgeries,” he said. “This battery is expected to last more than 10 years.”
In addition to the wireless charging, Bruce can also calibrate his own device with nothing more than a few taps on a cell phone. That means he can consult his doctors from his home and dial in his treatment around his lifestyle.
“The tremor isn’t 100% gone,” he said. “But what a blessing it has been. I feel normal again.”
Dr. McGovern said the most exciting aspect of the device may be yet to come. It features Medtronic’s new BrainSense Technology.
Dr. McGovern: “One of the cool things about it is it actually records the brain signals on the device to individualize the therapy.”
Kent Erdahl: “So, in a sense, the device is getting smarter?”
Dr. McGovern: “Yeah. One, we can learn more about what’s happening in the brain throughout the course of the disease. Two, we know that it works already, but this is potentially a way to make it a lot better.”
Despite all of that promise, Dr. McGovern said he is grateful for Bruce’s courage to embrace the new technology at his age, something even Gail struggled with initially.
“It’s something I have a hard time thinking about,” Gail said, recalling the first time she learned about the surgery. “I didn’t want it to be done, but Bruce was ready for it. So we did it.”
They are both grateful they did.
“I don’t worry too much about it,” Bruce said. “I feel confident that I’m going to be able to function for a long time.”
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