2. Negotiate. According to a Harris Poll, in 2005, two thirds of the people who attempted to negotiate medical, dental, or hospital bills actually got reductions. (Of course, the likelihood of “getting a deal” on elective surgery is far less—as it should be.) You might ask your health insurance company (or, a friend’s) what they pay for a certain procedure.  Then personally ask your doctor if he’ll sell it to you for the same price.  After all, he wants to keep your business—it doesn’t hurt if he knows that you shop around and are price conscience.  (Note: Remember, insurance companies get discounts because they deliver a lot of volume to the providers. There may be contractual reasons that preclude your provider from giving you the same discounted pricing.)  If possible, pre-discuss and ask for a “cash in advance” discounted price.  Much of the wasted time in the medical profession is spent trying to collect bills. Look at it from their side of the fence. Which is better: To get 70 to 90 percent of the bill in advance; or have to try and collect 100 percent after the fact? The least you can do is ask. And the worst they can say is “no.”  But, what if they say “yes?” 

3. Ask lots of questions. When your doctor tells you to come back in 3 weeks, 6 months, or a year, ask, “Why?”  “A phone call may be suffice,” says Arthur Garson Jr., MD, Dean and Vice President of the University of Virginia School of Medicine and author of Health Care Half Truths:  Too Many Myths, Not Enough Reality.  When a specialist orders a test, like an MRI or an x-ray, ask your primary care physician if it’s necessary.  Seventeen percent of US adults say their doctors have ordered duplicate medical tests according to a survey by the Commonwealth Fund, a nonpartisan health care foundation in New York City.  If you’re going to get a second opinion, see if you can sign out your x-rays or MRI scans from your doctor and bring them with you. 

Of course, never do anything that jeopardizes the health care you need.  But always be a thoughtful and vigilant buyer of health care services.

A complete financial compendium, 19 chapters
• What you can do today to get out of debt and kill the Debt Monster
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• How mutual funds work
• How to stop fighting over money
• What to teach your kids about money
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• How to develop a budget that works -- forever!
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