Honed Proof
Exactly what to say on the phone.
Pick your situation, get a word-for-word phone script plus a short email template. Fill in the bracketed bits with your details and call with confidence.
How to use these: pick the situation that matches yours. The phone script is what to say, line by line — the rep’s replies are noted so you know what to listen for. The email template covers the same ground in writing. Replace everything in [BRACKETS] with your details before you use them. General negotiation language — not legal or financial advice.
Phone script
Email template
Five rules for every call
Call the number on the bill — not the hospital’s main line.The billing department is the team that can actually adjust your account. The front desk usually can’t.
Write down names, dates, and reference numbers.Every call: who you spoke with, the date and time, and any confirmation or reference number. This turns “they said” into a record.
Get it in writing before you pay.A discount or plan isn’t real until it’s documented — an email, a portal message, or a letter. Pay after you have it, not before.
Polite and persistent beats angry.Reps help calm callers more. And the first “no” often isn’t final — asking “is there anything else available?” or calling back another day works more often than you’d expect.
Never give payment details until there’s an agreement.Discuss the terms first, get them confirmed in writing, then pay. Card numbers are leverage — don’t hand them over while you’re still negotiating.
Related: the Hospital Financial Assistance Guide walks through charity-care applications, the Charity Care Eligibility Explainer shows where your income lands, and the Medical Debt Payoff Planner maps the rest.