Teaching employees how to check claims, and hospital bills

One of the best ways to save on health care costs today is teaching employees how to check claims and hospital bills. Hospital bills and insurance claims can be confusing and frustrating at times so learning on how to understand them is important.

Sometimes reading a hospital bill is like reading a foreign language; with medical jargon and code words, these bills and claims can be overwhelmingly difficult to understand which can lead to an even bigger problem, overcharging. It is estimated that nearly 90% of hospital bills and insurance claims contain errors, most of which have been put in the hospital or the health insurance companies favor. Here are some tips to teach your employees to help them understand and pay only what they should pay.

Tip #1: Request an itemized bill
You can request a daily itemized bill from the hospital or Health Insurance Company as often as you like. Make sure you review it carefully because you can't catch the errors if you don't know specifically what you're being charged for. You will know better than anyone else what charges you have accrued and what appointments you are responsible for. If there is something on the bill that doesn't make sense then highlight it and remember it.

Tip #2: Length of Stay
If it is a hospital bill then make sure you look at the dates on the bill and the length of time you were charged for staying. Hospitals have a tendency to charge for more days than you were actually there or for a room that you weren't in but actually cost more money. Most insurance companies do not allow com hospitals to charge for your discharge day but many will do so anyway.

Tip #3: Look for Double billing
Keep your eye out for double billing, which happens more times than you might think. You might get a bill in the mail or a claim from the insurance company for one price and then you will get another one a week or two later for exactly the same thing. Most people just assume that it's for something else but if you look closely you will be able to see that it is the exact same bill and you are being charged for the same service twice. This is an extremely common mistake for hospitals to make.

Tip #4: Look for overpriced extras
When you stay at the hospital there is generally a fee for staying in the room and that means that everything included in the room should be included in the fee for the room. Sometimes however extra supplies like towels or tissues are tacked on as extras and you end up paying for them.

Tip #5: Watch your deductibles
Sometimes insurance companies will mistakenly charge you long after you have already met your deductible. If you don't already know what your deductible is then call your insurance provider to ask. Watch and file your bills away to make sure that you're only paying up to your deductible and no more.

Employees can save a ton of money if they know what to look for in insurance claims and hospital bills and especially if they look over their bills carefully. Teaching employees how to check claims and hospital bills is just another part of keeping their health care costs down.

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