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Reading a medical bill: the slides.

A 15-slide deck with speaker notes, for a 60-minute session. Present it from this page, or print it to PDF with one slide per page. The run sheet says when to show each slide.

While presenting: → or Space next, ← back, Home and End, S speaker notes, F full screen, Esc to stop.

Moraph for Good · Reach

Reading a medical bill

A Reach session from Moraph for Good

A free session kit · moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/reading-a-medical-bill

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Speaker notes

Welcome everyone. Introduce yourself and say this is a one-hour session on reading and questioning medical bills, invoices and charges.

Before we start

How today works

  • General information, not medical, legal or financial advice
  • We’ll use a made-up bill, so nobody shares their own
  • Questions welcome at any time
  • Take-home handout with the rules for where you live

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Speaker notes

Set the tone. If someone starts sharing details of their own bills or debts, thank them and steer back to the made-up example.

Worth remembering

Bills contain mistakes, and the first bill is not always the last word.

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Speaker notes

Pause here. Many people pay whatever arrives because questioning it feels impossible. Today is about making it feel possible.

Anatomy of a bill

What’s on a bill or invoice

  • Who it’s from, and an account or reference number
  • The date of each service
  • One line for each service, test, medicine or supply
  • Payments and adjustments already made
  • The amount due, the due date and who to call

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Speaker notes

Hospital bills, dentists’ invoices and pharmacy receipts all have these parts, though the layout varies.

Codes

The codes on the lines

  • Many bills use a code for each service
  • Some also show a code for the reason for the visit
  • You don’t need to learn the codes
  • Ask the billing office what any line means

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Speaker notes

Never interpret a code for someone. The billing office can explain what it stands for.

Itemized bills

Ask for every line, not just a total

  • An itemized bill lists every service, test, medicine and supply
  • With dates and a charge for each
  • Ask the billing office for one in writing
  • Keep it with any estimate or quote you were given

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Speaker notes

A summary bill or a single total makes errors impossible to spot.

Check it matches

Compare with what you were told

  • If an insurer or public program paid part, check its statement matches
  • If you had an estimate or quote, compare it with the bill
  • Check the dates against your diary or calendar
  • Check your name, address and any card or policy number

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Speaker notes

Not everyone will have a statement from an insurer. In a public system, the check may just be against what happened and any receipt.

Activity

Find the errors

  1. Work in pairs with the made-up bill on the worksheet
  2. The situation: one clinic visit on 3 May, with a blood test, nothing else
  3. Highlight anything that doesn’t match
  4. Write the question you would ask for each one

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Speaker notes

Eighteen minutes in all, including going through the answers. The errors: blood test charged twice, an X-ray that never happened, and the X-ray dated 4 May.

After the activity

Three lines, one phone call, and the total changes.

Work out the corrected total together.

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Speaker notes

The made-up bill totals 305; without the duplicate blood test (40) and the X-ray (90) it should be 175. Ask the debrief questions.

Questioning a charge

How to ask

  • Call or write to the billing office on the number on the bill
  • Say which lines you are questioning and why
  • Ask what happens to the amount while they check
  • Ask for any answer that matters in writing

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Speaker notes

Encourage polite, specific questions. “Line 3 looks like a repeat of line 2. Can you check it?” works better than “this bill is wrong”.

Keep notes

Write it down every time

  • The date and time of the call
  • The name of the person you spoke to
  • What they said they would do, and by when
  • Copies of every letter, bill and receipt

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Speaker notes

Notes are what make a complaint possible later, if one is needed.

Before you pay

Ask about help first

  • Financial assistance or reduced fees
  • A discount for paying yourself
  • An interest-free payment plan
  • Public schemes or refunds for people who qualify
  • Ask before using a high-interest card or loan

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Speaker notes

What exists depends on the country and the provider. The handout says what the official schemes are where you live.

Where you live

Here, in this country

  • The charges people commonly meet
  • Protections that exist in law
  • Help with costs and refunds
  • Where to complain

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Speaker notes

Now use the country block on the handout. Read the points aloud and keep to what it says; the sources are printed at the bottom.

Stay safe

Bills and scams

  • Check a bill is real by calling the number on the provider’s official website
  • Be wary of anyone demanding payment by gift card or payment app
  • Never give card details to someone who called you first

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Speaker notes

Fake bills and fake debt collectors exist. Hang up and call back on a number you found yourself.

Thank you

Questions?

  • Your handout has the official rules and complaint routes where you live
  • Ask for an itemized bill, check it, and ask about help before you pay
  • Other Reach sessions: how coverage works, and finding low-cost care

This kit, the worksheet and the handouts: moraph.org/commons/sessions/reach/reading-a-medical-bill

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Speaker notes

Take questions. For anything about someone’s own bill, point to the billing office and the official sources on the handout.