(NEWSnet/AP) — An enormous medical bill can trigger a wave of panic.

But that startling dollar amount on the invoice may not be what have to pay. Errors or slow insurance compensation may have inflated the total. Even if it’s accurate, financial aid or other assistance might help to reduce it.

Sometimes, a phone call clears up a problem. Other times, reinforcements are necessary.

Debt experts say patients should attack medical bills with a plan. Here are key steps to take.

Check the numbers

Don’t set aside a bill and hope it will vanish, but don’t rush to pay it without understanding the amount.

“Especially if it’s a really high bill, consider it like an opening offer,” says Caitlin Donovan, a spokesperson for the nonprofit Patient Advocate Foundation.

Medical bills can contain errors. They also may have been sent before insurance coverage was sorted out. Donovan recommends comparing the bill with your insurer’s explanation of benefits. That’s a document from the insurer explaining how your coverage will apply. If something looks odd, call both the insurer and hospital for an explanation.

Someone at the hospital may have mistakenly entered the wrong code for the care you received or duplicated it. Request an itemized bill from the hospital to see if that happened.

But be aware that those bills also can be hard to interpret or contain errors that have little to do with the charge, Donovan said.

Know the law

No Surprises Act debuted in 2022 and offers a layer of protection. Patients should check to make sure their care provider is following that law. It prevents doctors or hospitals in many situations from billing insured patients higher rates when the care providers are not in their insurer’s coverage network.

The act offers protection for most emergency care by requiring that patients receive in-network coverage with no additional billing from the provider. It also protects patients from high cost for lab work or an out-of-network anesthesiologist when the patient was treated at an in-network hospital.

Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has established a “No Surprises Help Desk.” Call (800) 985-3059 or submit a complaint at www.cms.gov/medical-bill-rights.

Seek outside help

Organizations are available to help navigate medical bills. Patient Advocate Foundation, www.patientadvocate.org, offers a directory potential resources for medical or prescription bill help.

You also may contact a state attorney general’s office, which may have a health advocacy unit or a consumer protection division.

Be wary of a medical credit card a provider may offer, said John McNamara, a principal assistant director with the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Those cards may come with high interest rates or terms that can hurt the patient financially if the debt isn’t fully paid in a specific time frame.

Financial assistance

Some hospital systems provide help for people with income levels as high as six figures. Patients should be persistent in asking for help or learning why an application was denied. That may have happened due to a mistake. Applications often ask for a significant amount of supporting documentation.

If no financial assistance is available, ask for a discount.

Bargain and budget

You’ve checked for errors and asked about discounts and financial assistance. Now, you may have to confront a final invoice.

Ask about a payment plan. Many hospitals will offer options with no interest or a low rate. But before committing, review your budget to establish what sort of payment you can handle. Consider looking for income-based programs that may be able to help with rent, mortgage or utility bills.

Copyright 2023 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.