Whether you have suffered a serious illness or incurred medical bills due to an ongoing medical problem, medical bills can pile up fast, leaving you overwhelmed. Even if you have insurance, a trip to an emergency room can leave you with several unexpected medical bills to pay for a single visit.

Gather Your Bills

Not only do you have to meet your deductibles, you also have to pay emergency room fees for individual doctors and medical professionals in addition medical tests, and other charges. When the bills start rolling in, it is not uncommon for patients to feel surprised and burdened by their sudden medical debt. The question is, how should you deal with medical debt to relieve the stress and pressure as quickly as possible and protect your sanity? Keep the incoming medical bills in a folder as they arrive. It can take several weeks for all of your bills to arrive, but it is important that you contact each billing office immediately to stay on top of these expenses.

Keep a pen and pad in your folder and write down each bill. Include the following information: Who is the bill payable to? What services does it cover? What is the total balance? Is there a minimum payment listed? If you have any questions about the charges on the bill, contact the billing department as soon as possible. Work to get your monthly payment as low as possible so that you don’t overextend yourself once other bills arrive.

Determine How Much Money You Can Set Aside for Your Medical Bills

While you are waiting for your bills to trickle in, work on your budget. Determine how much money you can afford to contribute to your medical expenses on a monthly basis. You may have to make some cutbacks until the issue is resolved. Make sure you pay the minimum on each account until all of the bills arrive to keep the account in good standing.

Consider a Personal Loan

If you can’t afford the payments on all of the accounts separate, you may have other options. Consolidating your medical debt into a personal loan could help you reduce the total monthly payment towards these bills. Minimum payments may be too much when you are paying towards several medical bills at one time. If you can’t make your minimum payments or have fallen behind on your bills, it would be a good idea to consider a personal loan.

There are many different types of loans that you can take advantage of.  For instance, a payday loan in El Paso, TX, may also help you out with medical bills. You should also be able to combine all of your personal and medical debts together to reduce your minimum monthly expenses. If you can’t afford a loan along with your medical bills, consolidating those debts can make the payments more manageable.

Snowball Your Remaining Payments

If you only have a few medical bills, you may choose to pay each bill individually. Once you know your monthly medical bill budget, write down your bills by balance from the lowest to the greatest balance. Assign the money for the minimum payments from your budget towards these bills. The remaining budget balance should be paid towards the debt you owe the least balance on. Once you pay off this debt, you can snowball payments and pay off your medical bills from your lowest bill to the highest to resolve your debt quickly.

After a medical crisis, the last thing you need is the stress from medical bills. Once you set a budget and get a payment plan in place, you will be able to focus more of your time and energy on your recovery and get back on your feet medically and financially.