Hot take: I just paid off my last $450 medical bill from a ER trip last year

I was sitting in my car after work last Tuesday, dreading opening that final bill from when I sprained my ankle in Austin. Took me 8 months of paying $50 or $60 chunks here and there. Felt weirdly good to hit the pay button on my phone right there in the parking lot. Anybody else slowly chip away at surprise hospital costs or is it just me?

4 comments

4 Comments

parker_webb2d ago

Hold up, 8 months of small payments? That is some CRAZY dedication right there.

the_felix2d ago

Hang on, is paying off a medical bill really that deep though? @laura_wilson I get that it took 8 months, but you literally just paid money you owed - feels less like some big triumph and more like basic adult stuff to me.

jamesc792d ago

@parker_webb has a point though, 8 months of chipping away at it is no joke. Really feel for anyone stuck in that situation, it's rough having that hanging over you for that long.

laura_wilson2d ago

Were you able to set up any kind of payment plan with the hospital, or did they just send the full bill and hope for the best? I keep reading about how medical billing works differently depending on whether you ask for help or just pay what they send. Just curious if you had to negotiate at all or if they were reasonable about it.