How to Manage Unpaid Medical Bills

Unpaid medical bills can complicate your financial life if you struggle to pay them. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an estimated 1 in 10 adults – or 23 million people – have medical debt. Collectively, they owe hundreds of billions of dollars in outstanding medical bills. 

If you have medical debt, you can't just ignore it, tempting as that may be. The good news is that you can make medical bills less burdensome.

What Happens if You Don't Pay Medical Bills?

Unpaid medical bills are a form of debt. As with other types of debt, including credit cards, student loans, or personal loans, there are consequences when you don't pay. 

If your healthcare providers cannot collect payment from you directly, they may send your account to collections. The collection agency can contact you by phone or mail to request payment for the past-due debt. 

What happens if you don't pay medical bills once they've been sent to collections? The debt collector could take things a step further and file a civil lawsuit against you. If the court issues a judgment against you, the collection agency can take action to force payment. 

Depending on which state you live in and what the debt collection laws allow, the debt collector might be able to garnish your wages or seize money in your bank account. 

Aside from that, a judgment for medical debt shows up on your credit reports. Judgments, delinquencies, and collection accounts are serious derogatory items that significantly damage credit scores. That could make future borrowing difficult and expensive.

What to Do if You Have Unpaid Medical Bills

How you handle medical debt depends on your health insurance coverage (or lack of coverage). The first step is reviewing what your policy covers. Your insurance company may provide an Explanation of Benefits or Statement of Benefits after you receive medical care. This document should explain:

• What health care costs does your insurance cover
• Cost of care received
• What you'll be responsible for paying out-of-pocket

The Explanation of Benefits is not a bill. Your doctor or healthcare providers should send you an invoice for services by mail or electronically. If you get a statement that only has an amount due showing, follow up with a request for an itemized bill. 

Once you receive your medical bills, you must review each to understand what you've been charged for and why. You can also look for errors or mistakes, including:

• Duplicate charges
• Numerical errors
• Charges for services you didn't receive
• Charges for services you've already paid for

If you see any errors, you can contact your healthcare provider to have them corrected. You can also contact your doctors and insurance company if you have questions about items on your medical bills or your Explanation of Benefits. 

You have a few options for dealing with unpaid medical bills, whether you have medical insurance or not. According to Census Bureau data, an estimated 8.6% of the population, or 28 million people, has no health insurance. Hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers are often willing to work with uninsured patients to keep medical debt out of collections. 

Ask for a discount or try to negotiate the amount owed down. Your doctor or hospital might be willing to offer a discount if you agree to make a lump sum payment toward the balance by a specific date.

You can also ask about a payment plan. Healthcare providers often offer payment plans that let you pay something toward your medical bills each month. Your minimum payment is usually based on what you can afford. 

Setting up a payment plan adds a new expense to your monthly budget. But it can also help you avoid having unpaid medical bills land in collections. 

How to Get Help With Medical Bills When You Can't Pay

What happens if you can't afford to make the payments on your medical bills? If you absolutely can't afford to pay anything toward your medical bills, it's important to know your options.

Depending on your financial situation, you may be eligible for Medicaid or Medicare. Medicaid is a government program that offers health insurance to low-income individuals and families. The state determines eligibility for Medicaid, but it generally depends on your household size, income, and financial resources.

Medicare is government-sponsored health insurance for seniors aged 65 and up, though it's possible to qualify if you're younger and have a disability. Both Medicare and Medicaid could help pay some or all of your medical bills if you cannot do so financially. 

You can also check with your healthcare provider to see if they offer any income-eligible care or hardship program. Charity care provides free or low-cost health care for eligible patients. Like Medicaid and Medicare, your ability to qualify for charity care can hinge on your income and financial resources. 

Nonprofit organizations that offer financial assistance with medical bills are one more possibility. Organizations like the HealthWell Foundation, the Patient Access Network (PAN) Foundation, and the Patient Advocate Foundation offer programs to help people in need afford their medical care. 

Should You Pay Medical Bills With a Credit Card or Loan?

Credit cards and personal loans are two options for paying medical bills if you don't have enough cash to cover them. You might consider either if you've exhausted all other possibilities for getting help with medical bills. 

There are some things to keep in mind, however. Both credit cards and personal loans can charge interest. That can make paying medical bills more expensive in the long run unless you use a credit card offering a 0% APR on purchases. However, remember that a 0% APR doesn't last forever. 

Opening credit card or loan accounts can also impact your credit scores. New inquiries can appear on your credit reports, knocking a few points off your score. Charging a large amount of medical debt to a credit card can also negatively affect your credit utilization ratio, which has an even more significant impact on your score. 

It's also important to think about what's realistic for your budget. Falling behind on your credit card or loan payments could hurt your score further. And those accounts could end up in collections as well. 

If you're behind on medical bills, seeking debt relief could be better than charging up credit cards or loans. Debt relief companies can work with you and your creditors to help negotiate a debt settlement for medical bills. 

Debt settlement allows you to pay off debts for less than what's owed. While it isn't a perfect solution, as your credit score takes a significant hit, settling unpaid medical bills could keep you from having to file for bankruptcy. 

A bankruptcy filing can wipe out medical bills and other debts. But it can do lasting damage to your credit scores and creates a public record. If you prefer to keep your debt problems private, bankruptcy is not your best solution.