‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Negotiate for Lower Medical Bills

Can’t see the audio player?

Negotiating medical bills is often possible. It sounds hard — and it can be — but what if we got it down to a science? Mapped out all the moves ahead of time? Jared Walker and his team at the nonprofit are running a big experiment to see whether they can do just that.

The folks at Dollar For went superviral on TikTok in early 2021 with by accessing charity care, financial assistance that most U.S. hospitals are legally required to offer.

Next, a group of whip-smart to help people apply for that assistance. Dollar For also started holding lessons on Zoom, teaching people . The group says its work has helped erase more than $18 million in medical debt.

But lots of people who can’t afford their medical bills don’t qualify for charity care. So Dollar For is trying something new: what they’re calling a “negotiation lab” for gaming out the best way to negotiate with hospitals and debt collectors.

In this episode, we listen in on one of Dollar For’s real-life negotiations with a debt collector.

“An Arm and a Leg” is a co-production of KHN and Public Road Productions.

To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” . You can also follow the show on ��Ի��. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers .

To hear all KHN podcasts,��click here.

And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on , , ,��,��or wherever you listen to podcasts.

�鶹Ů�� Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at �鶹Ů��—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .

<h2>‘An Arm and a Leg’: How to Negotiate for Lower Medical Bills</h2>
<div>	Dan Weissmann
		<time class="posted-on" datetime="2022-08-24T05:00:00-04:00">
			August 24, 2022		</time>
		</div>
Can’t see the audio player? 	Negotiating medical bills is often possible. It sounds hard — and it can be — but what if we got it down to a science? Mapped out all the moves ahead of time? Jared Walker and his team at the nonprofit  are running a big experiment to see whether they can do just that.  The folks at Dollar For went superviral on TikTok in early 2021 with  by accessing charity care, financial assistance that most U.S. hospitals are legally required to offer. Next, a group of whip-smart  to help people apply for that assistance. Dollar For also started holding lessons on Zoom, teaching people . The group says its work has helped erase more than $18 million in medical debt. But lots of people who can’t afford their medical bills don’t qualify for charity care. So Dollar For is trying something new: what they’re calling a “negotiation lab” for gaming out the best way to negotiate with hospitals and debt collectors. In this episode, we listen in on one of Dollar For’s real-life negotiations with a debt collector. “An Arm and a Leg” is a co-production of KHN and Public Road Productions.To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” . You can also follow the show on �����Ի���. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers .To hear all KHN podcasts,��<a href="/news/tag/podcast/">click here</a>.And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on , , ,��,��or wherever you listen to podcasts.<ul><li><a href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/?share=x">				Share on X (Opens in new window)				X			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/?share=facebook">				Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)				Facebook			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/?share=linkedin">				Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)				LinkedIn			</a></li><li><a href="mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20%E2%80%98An%20Arm%20and%20a%20Leg%E2%80%99%3A%20How%20to%20Negotiate%20for%20Lower%20%20Medical%20Bills&body=https%3A%2F%2Fkffhealthnews.org%2FMTIxMDg2NQ&share=email">				Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)				Email			</a></li><li><a href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/">				Print (Opens in new window)				Print			</a></li><li>				<a href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/view/republish/">					Republish This Story				</a>			</li></ul><a href="/about-us">�鶹Ů�� Health News</a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at �鶹Ů��—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about .<a href="/morning-briefing/">Subscribe</a> to �鶹Ů�� Health News' free Morning Briefing.This <a target="_blank" href="/news/article/an-arm-and-a-leg-how-to-negotiate-for-lower-medical-bills/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="">�鶹Ů�� Health News</a> and is republished here under a <a target="_blank" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License</a>.<img src="/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/04/kffhealthnews-icon.png?w=150" style="width:1em;height:1em;margin-left:10px;">
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