Organizing Medical Bills

If you have a lot of medical bills, it can become overwhelming to keep up with them all.  Below, are some tips that will help you get your medical bills organized.

1. Gather all of your medical bills in one place and separate them into categories.  The easiest way to categorize is by company. For example, bills from Dr. Hunt’s office go in one stack. Bills from the hospital go in a second stack.

2. Once completed, go through each stack and organize into chronological order. Highlight the date of each bill as well as the amount and telephone number to call for inquiries.

3. For each bill, there should be an explanation of benefits or a document that shows the amount Medicare paid. If you have supplemental insurance, you will see the amount that was paid by that plan. Staple all of these forms together.  From here, you will understand the amount that is your out-of-pocket responsibility. If the bill has been paid, write “PAID” and the paid date in bold print at the top of the bill. If the bill has not been paid, immediately write this in your calendar or organization device.

4. Next, create folders for each stack and label accordingly. Clearly write or adhere printed labels with the name of the company on each tab.  Place each folder in a separate hanging folder located in a filing cabinet.
Now that the files are organized, it is vital that, from now on, you file the bills immediately as you receive them.

5. If you find that bills are coming at various times of the month, you should call to negotiate alternative billing dates that correspond to when you receive your Social Security or other income.

I am confident these tips will get you well on your way to abating the medical bill chaos, and creating a more efficient system.

La Tron Brown