Hospital bills

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Talk Down Hospital Bills
"Never take your bill at face value. If the charges don't make sense, call and ask for an itemization. People often get charged for medicine they never took because they were discharged or transferred before the prescription was dispensed. And don't feel bad about negotiating: I once got a 40 percent discount on a procedure by offering to pay the same day."

—Retired hospital-billing worker, 26 years in the business