In the spirit of my “Just Ask!” negotiations challenge, I requested an additional $300 discount for an upcoming medical procedure. In my email, I asked if they could reduce this procedure so that the total is a nice round number (i.e. $2,000 instead of $2,300). It felt so strange to haggle over medical procedures in the same tone I would use haggling over rug prices in a Turkish bazaar.
Ahh, the sorry state of our U.S. healthcare system…
What a bargain? You wonder if they have the same procedures for the astute bargain person in the hospital as they do in the rug shop.
Rule #1. Keep your eye on the rug to avoid a switch.
Rule #2. Keep an eye on the doctor while counting backwards with the mask on.
Asking, and not just going along with the current numbers, is always a good idea.
Thanks for a good one.
David Gillaspie (I always ask)
I love your Rule #2! As I count backwards, I will remember that. The anesthesiologist fee alone is $500 — no wonder they were listed in Money magazine as one of the top-paid professionals!
The US health care system is horrible… Universal health care now!