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Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win Hardcover – June 22, 2021

by Marshall Allen (Author)

4.6 435 ratings

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From award-winning ProPublica reporter Marshall Allen, a primer for anyone who wants to fight the predatory health care system--and win.

Every year, millions of Americans are overcharged and underserved while the health care industry makes record profits. We know something is wrong, but the layers of bureaucracy designed to discourage complaints make pushing back seem impossible. At least, this is what the health care power players want you to think.

Never Pay the First Bill is the guerilla guide to health care the American people and employers need. Drawing on 15 years of investigating the health care industry, reporter Marshall Allen shows how companies and individuals have managed to force medical providers to play fair, and shows how you can, too. He reveals the industry's pressure points and how companies and individuals have fought overbilling, price gouging, insurance denials, and more to get the care they deserve. Laying out a practical plan for protecting yourself against the system's predatory practices, Allen offers the inspiration you need and tried-and-true strategies such as:

Analyze and contest your medical bills, so you don't pay more than you should
Obtain the billing codes for a procedure in advance
Write in an appropriate treatment clause before signing financial documents
Get your way by suing in small claims court

Few politicians and CEOs have been willing to stand up to the medical industry. It is up to the American people to equip ourselves to fight back for the sake of our families--and everyone else.

Print length

288 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Portfolio
Publication date

June 22, 2021
Dimensions

5.7 x 1 x 8.55 inches
ISBN-10

0593190009
ISBN-13

978-0593190005
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Marshall Allen is a reporter for ProPublica, where he covers the health care industry. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist and recipient of the Harvard Kennedy School's Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. He teaches investigative reporting at the Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, and has spoken at various conferences across the country. Prior to journalism, he spent five years in full-time ministry, including three years in Kenya.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Portfolio (June 22, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593190009
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593190005
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 13.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.7 x 1 x 8.55 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #25,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6 in Health Policy (Books)
- #7 in Consumer Guides (Books)
- #9 in Family Practice Medicine

Customer Reviews:
4.6 435 ratings

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Marshall Allen

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Marshall Allen Is a journalist who investigates why we pay so much for health care in the United States and get so little in return. He is the author of “Never Pay the First Bill: And Other Ways to Fight the Health Care System and Win.” He is also the founder of Allen Health Academy, which produces a curriculum of short on-demand videos to equip and empower employees to navigate the health care system. Marshall has investigated the health care industry for 15 years, including a decade at ProPublica. And he’s spent a decade as an educator at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. His work has been honored with many journalism awards, including some of the top business reporting honors, the Harvard Kennedy School's 2011 Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and twice as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. Before he was in journalism, Allen spent five years in full-time ministry, including three years in Nairobi, Kenya. He has a master's degree in Theology. For more info, go to marshallallen.com.

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4.6 out of 5

435 global ratings

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Shawn L. Raymond

Step-by-Step Guide to Level the Playing Field with the Health Care Insurance Industry

Reviewed in the United States on June 22, 2021

Verified Purchase

When a Pulitzer Prize finalist for investigative reporting devotes the bulk of his journalism career to uncovering waste, fraud, and manipulation in the American health care system, it’s fitting that he converts what he has learned and exposed into an interestingly readable book. Marshall Allen has done just that in Never Pay the First Bill. He explains in easy-to-understand terms the morass that is health care billing and pricing (not to mention the conflicts of interest with health care brokers he exposes!), and then uniquely equips readers with simple yet effective tools to help ensure they don’t end up bilked, defrauded, or otherwise taken advantage of. Marshall’s crisp and relatable writing style offers a “how to” for anybody facing undecipherable medical bills and ever-rising health care premiums. At the end of each chapter, he includes a helpful list of questions to ask brokers, employers, and health care insurance companies. It’s the ultimate cheat-sheet. By offering empowering and inspiring examples of regular folks leveling the playing field, this book teaches all of us how to stand up to the US health care establishment in the most time- and cost-effective manner possible.

45 people found this helpful

Helpful

Jeffrey R. Wilson

Some Good Information

Reviewed in the United States on April 20, 2022

Verified Purchase

I’m just starting my journey through the health provider/insurance maze after a 4 day stay in the ICU and 5 weeks of follow up treatment. It has become more like a job managing my care and the billing for treatment. I wish I had heard about this book before I started having to deal with the nonsense from my insurance company and providers. Some very valuable information and resources in this book. Well worth the price. I anticipate it will save me some money. One important thing I learned on my own and is covered in this book is this is not going to be a quick process! I was expecting the insurance company to cover what they should and the providers to bill fairly for services. And I would pay the bills as they came in. That was very naïve of me. I took great care to make sure I went to a “In-Network” hospital. I literally drove past 2 out of network emergency rooms WHILE having a heart attack. Now the insurance company is denying bills from specialists working in my in network hospital. I guess I should have ripped the IV’s out of my arm and gone to ask each doctor if they were in my network. ALWAYS negotiate the outrageous bills down. I already have been successful with one provider. Don’t be in a rush. Be persistent!

37 people found this helpful

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James Anderson

Reading this book is a small investment of time but could save you a lot of money

Reviewed in the United States on December 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

(Review by Catriona Anderson). If you have ever received a medical bill which seemed to high, or found that your insurance company is refusing to cover a procedure that you thought they would cover, then this book is essential reading. I moved to the USA from Europe several years ago and navigating the health care system here has at times felt like a full time job, even though I have a medical background. This book lays out the various ways that patients can be caught out receiving over-inflated bills for procedures they may not have needed or may not even have had. It also gives good advice about how we as consumers can take charge of our healthcare costs and push back on the system, finding the best value option and not just going along with what the provider or insurer tells us to, and picking up the tab. Since reading this book we have started asking what the cash price for procedures would be - last month we saved $80 on a CT scan by paying cash rather than putting it through insurance. Well worth the read!

12 people found this helpful

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Vivian

Useful info

Reviewed in the United States on June 15, 2022

Verified Purchase

Not always clearly written, but still contains quite a bit of useful information.

5 people found this helpful

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Elbert Chu

Finally!!! Don't be held hostage ... for the price of a few coffees...

Reviewed in the United States on June 25, 2021

Verified Purchase

...bust down the healthcare industrial complex bullies! Worth every penny. For the price of a few coffees I now feel empowered to take on any threatening and inflated medical bills. I once thought healthcare insurance was just the passive painful price of staying healthy and taking care of my family. But we have a choice and WE ARE paying! This book pulls back the curtain on all the tactics the insurance industry has to take our hard earned dollars out of our pockets and fool us into thinking they are providing actual care for Americans... and then shows you how to STAND UP TO the bullies!

As a small business owner, I only hope that other companies and employers will implement the tactics clearly provided here, to do the right thing, pay attention to how they're being fleeced, and recognize that it's good business to take care of their people, and they'll save money while they're at it! I know of one company that negotiated based on some of these principles and saved $1 million a year on health benefits. Pro-tip: Buy an extra copy and give it to your head of HR or CFO — they'll thank you! It's well written, easy to follow with clear action steps, and could easily save you thousands and thousands of dollars.

30 people found this helpful

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stingray

Is a good book to fight insurances but tips on fighting any big business.

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2021

Verified Purchase

I like his writing style -reader friendly and is hell of a book on how to armed yourself against as Allen calls them the big bully.
Tips: Read through every bill, the author say 80% of bills contained errors. Get an itemized list of the bill if you don’t agree with it, get codes. That is the language of medical Billings and so much more. He gives great examples of people fighting some becoming experts on fighting insurance.. if the dispute is about thousands of dollar consider hiring an expert patient advocate.
The weak part for me was on what an employer should do, I am not an employer so I skip that part. He has great sample letters at the end to get you started. A really good book on getting educated and being your own advocate. Highly recommend this book. Keep it handy in case you get a bill and you get hundreds or thousands of dollars and you go into shock for the surprise.

11 people found this helpful

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JayWalker2020

not well written

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2021

Verified Purchase

I got the impression the author did not have enough examples to offer, and quit reading after a
few chapters.

3 people found this helpful

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