With rising healthcare costs, a hospital bill can become a big headache during a medical emergency. The uncertainty and stress can leave you feeling overwhelmed and unsure of how to proceed.

Here are 5 ways to try if you find it hard to pay the hospital bill:

1. Get financial help from friends and family

Your friends and family can provide you with much-needed financial support to help cover medical expenses in these situations. If you choose this option, you can focus on other things instead of worrying about paperwork, etc. Even if you take it as a loan, you could repay it without interest, so this option, if available, would be the best way to get money to pay your hospital bills.

2. Avail Medical loan

Medical loan is a type of a personal loan where you can get the money you need to meet your medical expenditure. A personal loan usually requires minimal documentation when compared to other types of loans.

You can get instant loans for medical bills, of up to ₹5,00,000 from Zype in no time. Use our medical loan EMI calculator to figure out the most suitable EMI amount and tenure for you.

3. Try Crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is a way to raise money online from a large number of people. You can do this in India from platforms like Ketto, Milaap, and Impact Guru to pay your hospital bill.

You can create a fundraising campaign on these platforms, where you can share the story, pictures, and videos of the person in need of money.

The advantage of crowdfunding is that there is no loan amount that needs to be repaid.

On the flip side, as these platforms are known to charge some percentage of the funding as commission, and the funders would be having multiple cases like yours to choose from, there may not be a guarantee of raising the required money immediately in case of a medical emergency.

4. Take help from NGOs

You can reach out to NGOs that are known to provide financial help during medical emergencies. Make sure you explain the urgency of the situation and provide all necessary details to increase your chances of getting financial aid for paying the hospital charges.

5. Apply for government health schemes

There are many schemes run by national and state governments that provide financial assistance like low interest loans in medical situations. You would need to research and identify relevant schemes and check their eligibility criteria.

Keep all the documents handy, so that if your application is approved, you can fill out the forms accurately and submit all the required documents to increase your chances of approval.

Now that you know where to get money from, here are 2 tips to reduce your hospital bill:

1. Ask for itemised hospital bill
An itemised bill gives a complete breakdown of all the services charged by the hospital. It can help you identify any unnecessary or excessive charges that may have been added to your hospital bill.

2. Ask your doctor to prescribe generic medicine
Usually, generic medicines are less expensive than their branded alternatives. This is because generic drug manufacturers do not have to spend money on research and development or marketing, which reduces their overall cost.

In conclusion

The burden of big hospital bills can significantly impact your financial wellbeing, but you should remain calm and explore as many options as you can to figure out a plan that works the best for your medical expenses.