Here's what you need to do when you get a surprise medical bill

This week's big headline: thousands of people living in Connecticut will soon have their medical debt forgiven.

But most Connecticut residents aren’t in that boat.

So what do you do if you get an unexpected medical bill?

Consumers’ Checkbook said surprise bills are an ongoing and growing problem.

The nonprofit helps consumers save money and make smarter choices.

Executive editor Kevin Brasler said many surprise bills result from coding errors or services that weren’t submitted to insurance.

This just happened to NBC CT Responds Consumer Reporter Caitlin Burchill. She was billed almost $1,300 for blood work. It didn’t seem right to her.

She made a lot of calls and learned the tests had been miscoded. The bill is now about $40.

Brazker said when you get a surprise bill, don’t immediately pay it. Do your homework first.

Check if it’s an explanation of benefits, rather than a bill.

And if it seems final, contact your provider and insurance company.

“If you get a surprise medical bill make sure the provider that you used was in-network. But another important thing is to make sure they actually billed the insurance company correctly. A lot of errors occur," Brasler said.

Medical billing is a very complicated matter, and often providers just screw up.

Kevin Brasler

It sounds obvious, but make sure the bill is for you and for the services you received.

Not sure? Ask for your medical file and any notes taken. Plus, do research on pricing.

Consumers’ Checkbook said don’t be afraid to ask for a price reduction.

“A big problem with health insurance and medical billing these days is that they charge different amounts to different contracts, and different insurance carriers, and cash patients. Sometimes you can go back to the provider and ask for them to charge you a lower amount,” Brasler said.

And if you do legitimately owe the pricey bill, see if the provider has a program to forgive some of the debt.

Since 2021, NBC CT Responds and Telemundo Responde teams from around the country have heard from more than 2,000 of you with medical bill issues. 380 of these were for denied claims.

In one-quarter of those denied cases, we found there was a communication breakdown between the medical and insurance providers.

If you have an issue that you haven’t been able to resolve on your own, NBC CT Responds is here ready to help.

Fill out our consumer complaint form here.