How to Pay Medical Bills

If paying for medical bills is top of mind for you, you're not alone. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, just under half of U.S. adults struggled to pay for health care in the 12 months prior to their July 2025 survey.

To cope with the burden, some people put off other financial priorities. They may delay saving for retirement or paying credit card bills. In some cases, they even avoid going to the doctor, which could put their health at risk.

Managing your medical debt, though, doesn’t have to consume you. With the right knowledge and tools, you can start chipping away at your debt and gain some peace of mind.

The first step to paying your medical bills is to understand how to manage your medical debt. We have a four-step plan and some tips on how to manage your medical debt that may help put you back on the road to financial wellness.

1. Understand what you owe

Don’t assume that the bill you get from your provider is accurate. Medical bills may contain errors. These can include double billing, mistakes in medical billing codes, and charges for services not listed in your medical record.¹

Compare your medical bill to the explanation of benefits from your insurance to verify that the bill isn't different than what your insurance says is your responsibility. You may have several options for help in sorting through the bills and insurance. They can be quite complex.

Call your physician’s office

If you suspect an error, call your doctor’s office, not the billing company. Ask for an itemized bill, which can alert you to mistakes like double billing or inaccurate coding.

If you have insurance and a claim has been denied, your healthcare provider may be able to appeal the decision, or help you appeal, especially if the original claim was miscoded or insurance is denying a medically necessary treatment.

Check with your healthcare provider or employer

Some hospitals or clinics employ social workers to help. Your physician's office may have an insurance specialist. These professionals can help you interpret your medical bills and might be able to file claims with your insurance company. You should be able to access their services for free.

The Patient Advocate Foundation, for example, offers free one-on-one help sorting out medical bills and negotiating with providers for people undergoing treatment for serious medical conditions. In some cases, employers may be able to help you find a medical assistance program or billing advocate.

Contact a credit advisor

If you can’t make headway on your own, consider working with a medical billing advocate or other credit advisor. Nonprofits such as the National Federation for Credit Counseling may assist you with your overall debt. Those specializing in medical issues can help comb through your medical bills to find errors, duplicate charges, unreasonable charges, or even fraud. They may also help get denied claims reversed by your insurance company.

Consider a billing advocate

For big medical bills or complex issues, you might consider turning to an independent billing advocate. Be sure to understand how they charge and what the rates are. For example, is it an hourly rate or a percentage of what they save you? Hourly rates for such help can vary widely.

Check if your state has a Consumer Assistance Program (CAPs) which can help you resolve health insurance issues. Umbra Advocacy maintains a national directory of members of the Alliance of Professional Health Advocates.

2. Get help with your medical bills

Even a correct bill might be more than you can afford. Before you give up, look into ways to reduce or manage your medical bills.

Talk to your provider

Try negotiating a reduced amount directly with your healthcare provider. They may have flexibility and willingness to accept less than the amount billed. Uninsured patients are often charged higher rates, so providers may be willing to accept the negotiated rate they’d bill insured patients.

If they won't reduce the bill, ask if you can work out a payment plan. A medical payment plan allows you to split the larger bill into several smaller ones. Don’t forget to ask if the plan will charge interest or fees; the answer may depend on the source of the plan and the procedure you're paying for. Assess what you can afford and ask for a payment plan that is realistic for your budget.

Ask about financial assistance

In addition, ask about financial assistance or charitable care. Many hospitals and clinics have such programs but don’t advertise them. Some states require hospitals to screen eligible patients for this type of assistance. This takes the burden off patients to do the research. Programs vary by hospital and state, but patients earning up to two times the federal poverty level—which for a family of four in most of the U.S. was $32,150 in 2025²—may be eligible for financial assistance.

Get regular checkups

Staying on top of your regular checkups, like an annual exam with a primary care physician or dental cleanings, may help reduce costs by preventing problems, managing chronic conditions, avoiding more expensive emergency care, or catching health issues early. Plus, when you schedule appointments and tests, you can budget for knowable costs.

3. Plan ahead & budget for medical expenses

Managing any medical expenses you have now is important. No matter what your current situation is, though, it is also crucial to plan ahead.

Save for the future

Medical expenses are a fact of life. Healthcare ate up about 8% of the average family budget in 2023.³While your regular checkups and wellness tests may be knowable, it can be harder to budget for unexpected medical bills, say due to a sudden illness or accident. That’s why it’s important to build up an emergency savings fund to help you deal with unforeseen expenses.

A Health Savings Account (HSA) or Flexible Spending Account (FSA) may help you budget for medical bills. These accounts provide a way for you to build up a tax-advantaged pool of money for some out-of-pocket healthcare. While this doesn’t lower your expenses, it might make it easier for you to pay medical bills.

If your medical expenses are significant, you might also want to consult with a tax advisor. They can discuss whether you have options to pay off medical bills in a tax-advantaged way.

Pay your bills on time

Keep in mind that if you ignore medical bills long enough, some debt may go to collections and damage your credit score. This could make it difficult or more expensive to borrow in the future. Medical debt may also harm your credit score if it forces you to stop paying your other bills. If your medical bills are overwhelming, follow the tips above to get help.

4. Consider a personal loan

If you have multiple medical bills that add up, you might consider a personal loan. You could use the funds from a personal loan to help pay for a variety of medical and dental treatments and procedures not covered by insurance, or for your coinsurance bills that may have piled up.

A loan for medical expenses could be customizable for your situation--choose the amount you need and the repayment term from options offered and see which options fit your budget. By having one set regular monthly payment and knowing when your debt is due to be paid off, you may be able to gain greater financial control and lower your stress.

Dealing with mounting medical bills and debt can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re also managing an illness. But you can relieve some stress by making a concrete action plan.

Articles may contain information from third parties. The inclusion of such information does not imply an affiliation with the bank or bank sponsorship, endorsement, or verification regarding the third party or information.

The information provided herein is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be construed as professional advice. Nothing contained in this article shall give rise to, or be construed to give rise to, any obligation or liability whatsoever on the part of Discover, a division of Capital One, N.A., (Discover) or its affiliates.