Vox: “..About half of American adults report difficulties affording health care costs, according to KFF polling conducted in 2022, and about 41 percent carry some form of medical debt. A 2021 Census Bureau analysis found that about 14 million people owed more than $1,000 in medical debt, while 3 million Americans owed more than $10,000. KFF surveys also show that excessive medical debt disproportionately affects those who are uninsured, Black and Hispanic adults, and people with lower incomes. The expense of medical care in the US, paired with a lack of transparency around how much these services will cost and why, can add to the shock and terror that comes with a medical bill; one in four adults said they skipped or delayed medical care in the last 12 months because of the cost, according to the KFF survey. Moreover, a staggeringly high bill at the start of a new year, when health insurance deductibles reset, can add insult to injury. Because new deductibles are often higher than the previous year’s, you might not be prepared to shoulder more out-of-pocket costs.  However, patients have tools and negotiating power to reduce these costs both before services are rendered and after they receive a bill. While many patients may resign themselves to paying the bill, there are a bevy of other cost-cutting options to exhaust first. “You should never ever pay any medical bill right away,” says Caitlin Donovan, the senior director of the Patient Advocate Foundation. Unfortunately, the responsibility is solely on the patient or their guardian to advocate for themselves; hospitals and medical providers will often not readily offer cost-reducing alternatives. And despite the No Surprises Act’s relatively recent protections for emergency care, many people are unaware they’ve been inappropriately billed, while some providers flout the legislation’s rules. Knowing the right questions to ask can help patients reduce or even avoid huge medical bills…”