Help with Medicare bills and appeals
Medicare has its own notices, rules, and appeal steps. These guides walk through them in plain words.
Understand your bill
- Facility fees: what they are and when to push backA facility fee is the hospital's charge for its part of an outpatient visit. Learn why it can raise your cost, how to ask first, and when to question it.
- How long can a hospital wait to bill you?Got a hospital bill months after your care? See which time limits apply, what happens when a claim is filed late, and what to check before you pay it.
- How to read a medical bill (and check it against your EOB)Learn each part of a medical bill and your EOB, what billing codes mean, and why 1 visit brings several bills. Then check what you owe before you pay.
- How to read a Medicare Summary NoticeYour Medicare Summary Notice isn't a bill. Learn what each column means, how to check it against your provider's bill, and how to appeal by the deadline.
- Managing a parent's medical bills as a caregiverHandling a parent's medical bills? Learn your rights, how to get permission to talk to Medicare and providers, and how to check each bill before you pay.
Lower your medical bill
- Hospital stay bills: ICU, heart attack, strokeA hospital stay brings a hospital bill plus bills from doctors you may not remember. Here's what each covers, your rights, and how to check every bill.
- How to get an itemized hospital bill (script and letter)Your hospital bill shows only totals? Here's how to get an itemized bill, with a phone script, a short letter, your rights, and what to check first.
- Medical bill advocates: what they do, what they costA medical bill advocate can check bills, call insurers, and negotiate for you. Learn how they charge, how to vet one, and the free help to try first.
Insurance claims and appeals
- Charged for a screening colonoscopy? Why and how to fix itA screening colonoscopy should usually cost $0. Learn what it costs, why it gets billed as diagnostic, and how to get your provider and plan to fix it.
- How to appeal a health insurance denialA denied claim isn't the final word. Learn how to appeal an insurance denial, from internal appeal to external review, with deadlines for each plan type.