Cover -- Copyright -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1) Things to know if you have insurance -- a. Health Insurance 101 -- i. Deductibles -- ii. Copays -- iii. Coinsurance -- b. Understanding in-network and out-of-network -- c. Why insurance may not pay and what to do about it -- i. Incorrect policy number, enrollee number, or patient birth date -- ii. Service not provided during enrollment period -- iii. Service not a benefit in the enrollee's benefit plan -- iv. Pre-existing medical conditions -- v. Not medically necessary -- vi. Experimental treatment -- 2) Things to know if you don't have insurance -- a. Overview -- b. Public Health Programs -- i. Medicare -- ii. Medicaid -- iii. SCHIP -- iv. COBRA: Did you lose your job? -- i. Minnesota -- ii. California -- iii. Illinois -- 3) Getting organized -- a. How to develop a system for tracking bills and payments and EOBs -- b. How to use bills and EOBs to get control of your situation -- c. How to read a medical bill -- d. What "charges" really mean in healthcare -- e. What "insurance discount" or "contractual allowance" means -- f. Itemized vs. unitemized -- g. Deductibles, copays, and coinsurance -- h. Days delinquent, last payment, new charges -- i. How to read an EOB -- j. Putting it together -- 4) How to talk to billers productively -- a. The difference between billers and collection agencies -- b. Why you want to stay out of collections -- c. Who billers are -- d. Five things not to say to a biller -- e. Inability to pay vs. unwillingness to pay -- f. Five things billers look for -- g. How to talk to a biller -- h. Five things that every biller will consider -- i. Payment plans -- ii. Poverty -- iii. Catastrophic medical episode -- iv. Employment status -- v. Uninsured -- i. Legal Implication of Financial Aid and Insured Patients -- j. How to get out of collections -- 5) Other Issues.

a. Elective vs. non-elective care -- b. Escalating -- c. Balance billing -- d. Physicians -- 6) Other Resources -- a. Online insurance portal -- b. Patient financing companies -- c. The Foundation for Health Coverage Education -- d. The author's website and community forum -- 7) Appendix -- a. Medicaid & SCHIP eligibility -- Back Cover.