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PATIENT FAIRNESS IN THE NEWS

Matt Ungs, founder of Patient Fairness, said he regularly receives calls from Floridians outraged by hospital bills exceeding six figures. “(Hospitals) are relying on people to shrug and pay the bill, but the more people who push back, the more likely hospitals will change their conduct,” said Ungs, whose company disputes medical bills for clients.

“Patients need to stick up for themselves,” he said. “Don’t give hospitals a pass because they are using complex billing systems that they choose to use.”

He recommends writing a letter to the hospital, and continuing to write to the hospital until you get a result.

“Perseverance is a big factor in success with this,” he said. “Patients have to stick with it. Those who do tend to get action.”

The challenges faced by Californians are not unique, but they are magnified by the state’s enormous and diverse population. Despite being home to some of the nation’s top healthcare institutions, California ranks 10th in the country for the highest average hospital charge levels—an astounding 506% of what it actually costs hospitals to provide the services. “That means that for every $100 it costs a hospital to render a service, it bills $506, of which $406 is profit,” Ungs explains.

How Patient Fairness is Using Technology to Challenge Medical Billing Injustice

"Through a blend of custom software, strategic use of AI, and deep industry insight, the platform helps patients push back against unfair charges and challenge the high costs too often passed onto them."

Make Money by Negotiating Your Medical Expenses

Matt Ungs, founder of Patient Fairness, joins the Travis Makes Money podcast to discuss his groundbreaking approach to empowering patients in the fight against unfair medical bills. With nearly 30 years of experience managing provider networks for major health insurance companies, Matt brings insider knowledge to help consumers challenge unjust charges and navigate the complexities of healthcare billing. His platform, Patient Fairness, is revolutionizing how Americans deal with surprise bills and overcharges.

Empowering Women to Fight Unfair Medical Bills with

Patient Fairness

Patient Fairness equips patients with the tools and knowledge to dispute bills themselves, ensuring they are negotiating from a position of strength. This is particularly important for women, who often feel powerless when dealing with medical billing departments and insurance companies. Many patients are unaware that they have the right to challenge a bill, and even when they do, they may lack the confidence to do so effectively. By providing structured support, Patient Fairness helps women take control of their financial well-being.

Host Cyrus Webb welcomes Matthew Ungs, founder and creator of Patient Fairness, to discuss helping individuals lower or eliminate unfair medical bills.

“Patients need to realize they are consumers. The hospitals, the physicians, are sellers. Both seller and buyer have a role in a transaction, and one doesn’t take precedent over the other. If there wasn’t a meeting of the minds, and [prices and other terms] weren’t disclosed [by the provider to patient in advance], don’t let the provider just dictate to you what’s going to happen [with the medical bill].”

Patient Fairness:

A Revolutionary Platform Leveraging Technology to Fight Unfair Medical Bills

“Simply asking a provider to negotiate a lower price is not likely to achieve the best outcome for a patient. We help the patient dispute the bill, and then provide guidance, tools, and insights for the patient to decide what outcome is fair for the dispute, and how to achieve that outcome.”

Patient Fairness Leads the Charge Against Unfair Medical Billing

"Patient Fairness is focused on helping our customers to get fair treatment in medical billing by offering tools, guidance, and support to patients to dispute problem medical bills so to reduce or eliminate what is owed.

Patients are consumers, but many providers treat them like piggy banks from which they can extract money through medical bills without getting patients’ advance agreement on specific services and prices."

Making Healthcare Billing More Fair for Patients in Tennessee and Beyond

"Ungs sees [Patient Fairness] as more than just a business; it’s a movement toward giving patients a voice. Patient Fairness was created to assist people in evaluating and disputing medical bills when they seem unjust. Patients are encouraged to question their bills and challenge what doesn’t seem fair."

Billing Backlash:

How Americans are Fighting Unfair Medical Charges

"With the help of services like Patient Fairness ... patients have an easier path to advocate for fair treatment... When patients stand up against inflated or incorrect charges, it sends a strong message to providers about the importance of billing integrity."

Patient Fairness:

Empowering Texas Patients to Fight Unfair Medical Bills

Patient Fairness

Founder Matt Ungs Shares How to

Lower or Eliminate Medical Bills

Making The Healthcare System Fair Again!

Patient Fairness:

Empowering Patients and Reforming Healthcare

US Business Company Spotlight:

Matthew Ungs and Patient Fairness

Disrupting Healthcare Billing: How Patient Fairness is Changing the Business of Medical Costs

MEDICAL BILLING NEWS

Keep abreast of news and information on medical billing and its impact on patients and consumers.

Current Month

Americans are buckling under medical bills. It could get worse.

Charities that help people pay for care say demand is way up. That’s before scheduled Medicaid and Obamacare cuts take effect.

- Politico

I got a surprise $500 medical bill in the mail—how I could have avoided the shock, according to a doctor

.- CNBC

Not Serious Enough To Turn on the Siren, Toddler’s 39-Mile Ambulance Ride Still Cost Over $9,000

Elisabeth Yoder was billed $9,250 for her son’s 39-mile ambulance transfer to a children’s hospital after the toddler, Darragh, contracted a serious bacterial infection called staphylococcal scalded skin syndrome.

- KFF Health News

Employers Urge More Transparency in Surprise Billing Disputes

Employers hope a forthcoming rule to improve surprise medical bill arbitration will strengthen their hand against doctors and improve transparency into insurers’ processes.

- Bloomberg

New Hampshire Insurance Department To Begin Ground Ambulance Cost Study

After New Hampshire banned surprise ambulance billing this year, the state is set to undergo a cost study on how much ambulance providers should charge for their services.

- New Hampshire Bulletin

State blames weak competition for high Monterey County hospital prices

Monterey County hospitals are facing scrutiny for having some of the highest rates in the country, with a state-commissioned study attributing these costs to a lack of competition among the major hospitals. The Office of Healthcare Affordability's study concluded that insurers consider Community Hospital, Salinas Valley Health, and Natividad as essential, giving them significant negotiating power to set prices.

- KSBW

AI vs. AI: Patients deploy bots to battle health insurers that deny care

New AI-powered programs offer help to patients stymied by insurance denials.

- Stateline

Inside the Legal Fight to Keep Medical Debt Off Your Credit Report

Fifteen states that restrict the reporting of medical debt on credit reports now find themselves at odds with a rule from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau aiming to stop these limitations.

- Money

Ohio law could change over medical debt collection as hospital sues thousands of patients

Ohio lawmakers could change the way how medical debt is collected in the state and ban some of the "extraordinary" practices now allowed by the Internal Revenue Service.

- WSYX

Ticked Off Over Preauthorization: Walk-In Patient Avoided Lyme Disease but Not a Surprise Bill

- KFF Health News

A Kansas hospital sued this family over a $230 medical bill. Some patients went to court for less

There have been thousands of lawsuits by Kansas hospitals in recent years, including many lawsuits for less than $500. One lawsuit was for just $104.

- High Plains Public Radio

Touch and go’: Raleigh family struggles despite NC medical debt relief

Randall Edge, an HVAC technician and the sole earner for a family of four, recently had about $1,800 in anesthesia charges from a 2022 colonoscopy erased through North Carolina’s medical debt relief program. He has since received another anesthesia bill of more than $1,000 for the same preventive procedure this year, a newer debt that likely will not qualify for relief.

- News and Observer

Michigan wants to keep medical debt off consumer reports

Michigan lawmakers have proposed a bill package that would attempt to make it easier for patients to get financial assistance from a hospital, and for medical debt to be kept off consumer reports.

- MLive

Denver doctor was hit by a car — and then a $63K bill after her insurer denied her coverage. Here’s why the No Surprises Act didn’t spare her

- Moneywise

Central Ohio hospital suing thousands of patients, garnishing wages for unpaid bills

Thousands of Ohio patients are facing lawsuits from Mary Rutan Hospital in Bellefontaine over outstanding medical debts, raising questions about the hospital's billing practices. In the past two years, court records reveal that the hospital has sued nearly 3,000 patients. Complaints from patients include surprise billing, double billing, and failures to bill insurance.

- WSYX

Ohio lawmakers propose bill to protect patients from medical debt collections and wage garnishment

The bill would prohibit medical debt from appearing on credit reports, ban wage garnishment and cap interest at 3%, down from the current 8%.

- WBMS

Hospitals cry wolf – banning facility fees won’t bankrupt them

Hospitals claim they need facility fees to stay afloat, but a new report says otherwise.

- PIRG

$100 flat fee proposed for ambulance rides as solution to big surprise bills [Texas]

- WOAI

As Health Companies Get Bigger, So Do the Bills. It’s Unclear if Trump’s Team Will Intervene.

A new national poll shows taxpayer support for an Ohio bill that could ease the burden of medical debt for people throughout the state.

- The Center Square

Voters Show Strong Bipartisan Support for Policies that Protect People from Medical Debt

A new study sponsored by Undue Medical Debt finds that 2024 voters across party ID (Republicans, Independents and Democrats) agree that healthcare is unaffordable and health insurance coverage is failing people.

- Undue Medical Debt

Medical provider sends patient the bill, not the insurance provider

Adrianna Gatlin is facing a $2,450 debt after Pediatrix Medical Group bills her directly for medical services. Why didn’t it send her the correct form to process her claim?

- Ink Free News

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PATIENT FAIRNESS IN THE NEWS

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MEDICAL BILLING NEWS