Between summer vacations and going to the beach and having the hot girl or guy summer of your dreams, this season can be a little hard on our wallets. A Chime checking account helps you reach your financial goals while still enjoying the summer. You can take back your finances with features like fee-free overdraft up to $200 with SpotMe or getting paid up to two days early with direct deposit. Learn more at chime. Com/mnn. And you know I hate overdrafted fees.

One time, I overdrafted buying a latte, which was so embarrassing at the time, but hey, it happens to the best of us. And I got charged 35 bucks for a $7 latte. But Chime allows you to overdraft up to $200 with no fees, and you can get temporarily increased overdraft limits with boosts from friends.

Live it up this summer and make progress toward your financial goals with Chime. Open your account in minutes at chime. Com/mnn. That's chime. Com/mnn. Chime. Feels like progress. Banking services and debit card provided by the Bancorp Bank NA or Stride Bank NA. Members FDIC. Spot SpotMe eligibility requirements and overdraft limits apply. Boots are available to eligible Chime members enrolled in SpotMe and are subject to monthly limits. Terms and conditions apply. Go to chime. Com/disclosures for details.

I'm Nicole Lappin, the only financial expert, you don't need a dictionary to understand.

It's time for some money rehab.

All right, last year, you might remember, I had a medical scare.

I I was all of a sudden reading a script and felt like I was seeing double. And then I laid down for a second and I was like, I'm fine, I'm fine. And then all of a sudden, I started getting numb. And it was my arms. And then I thought, maybe that's just a fluke. It spread, and my speech started stirring. And that's when I got really scared. I knew something was wrong. And because of how I was feeling, I couldn't see, I couldn't speak at that point. I couldn't drive myself to the hospital. I mean, maybe I could have called an Uber or Lyft, but I didn't want to pass out in a car with a stranger. So I called 911 and I rode in an ambulance. I spent the day in the ER, and over the next several weeks, I had to take tons of tests and was under doctor's orders to take atHonestly, I had no idea what was going on with my body or my brain. I webmdeed the heck out of all of this, and it just scared me more, as it always does.

Also, I think we can all agree that there's nothing more stressful someone telling you, especially a doctor, not to be stressed. It's like when someone tells you not to think about something, obviously, you start thinking about that thing, right? So there I was, trying not to be stressed about my health or work, and then money, because the bill started rolling in because of all of these special tests and doctors. One of the biggest bills I got was for the ambulance, which was around two grand. That felt like an outrageous amount of money for emergency care. So despite doctors' orders, I did what I do whenever I feel like I'm being overcharged. I went to dispute the bill. I called up the ambulance company, and of course, I recorded it. Here's how it went.

(phone ringing) (Capello) Thank you for calling. Pms Services, may have the account number you are calling about?

Yes, certainly. How are you?

I'm good, and you?

Okay, good. Great. Doing well. The account number is- Okay.

Thank you for the account number. Thank you for calling LAFD. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to today?

You have such a great voice. This is Nicole. Who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?

My name is Mark. Give me your ID.

Hi, Mark.

Nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you, too. May I call you by your first name?

You certainly can.

Okay. Thank you, Nicole. Nicole, may I have a good phone number in case we get this Is he connected?

Absolutely. 310.

Okay. Got a landline or a cell phone?

It's a cell phone. Okay.

And patient's date of birth?

3784.

And mailing address?

It Is...

Okay. All right. And thank you for that. Thank you for verifying that. And how can I help you today?

I received a bill for $2,000 for my ambulance service.

Okay. Provided on 8/15/23. Do you know if that's been submitted to insurance?

Okay. Let me take a look here. Okay, the claim was filed to your insurance on October 19th of this year. We have to allow about eight weeks for processing. So that should come back right before Christmas, by December 19th.

Okay, so I don't owe anything right now?

Right now, as far as owing, no, because we're processing with your insurance, and we'll know more around December 19th or after.

Okay, so do you have any idea of how much they would cover?

That, I don't know. Your insurance can give you more insight into that. Normally, I can tell you, they pay 80 %, but I really could... That's going to be about the best that we can do on our end.

Okay. And I just want to make sure that this isn't being sent to collections, because that's what the notice says.

Okay, on that. That's a little more bark than bite. They do that to make you do just what you did today. Give us a call. That's the first of three, so you're going to get two more. Okay. What May I make a suggestion for you, Nicole?

Please do.

Okay. Enjoy your Thanksgiving, and check back with us before Christmas, and we'll let you know what's going on with the account. Okay, great.

So the bark, the little bark, notices that I'm getting, I guess, to use your terminology, that's just to scare me?

Well, just to get you to call in. They do that with billing. It typically can't go to collections, yeah, but we just got the insurance. That's your first invoice, so no, you're not going to collections that fast, no. Okay.

I mean, we just got through Halloween. I don't want to keep getting scared for no reason.

No, you're not going to keep getting scared. It takes eight weeks, so we won't know anything until right before Christmas.

Okay. Do you suggest that I call the insurance company?

You can call them. They can let you know where they are in processing. Okay. All right.

And then is there a different fee for ambulances that don't turn on their lights and siren?

No.

Because they didn't do that.

Really? I was really upset.

I was like, I think I'm dying, guys. But they were like, You I have a pulse. It's fine. Okay. So why did I even take an ambulance? Can I dispute that? Because they didn't get me there any faster.

If you felt like you needed to dispute, yes. All right, let's do it. Okay. You'd have to put that in writing and fax that in.

A fax? Mark.

Yes, ma'am.

Where the heck do you find a fax around here?

If you don't... Okay, well, they prefer us to tell facts first. I can give you an email where you can send it.

Yeah. Like, Welcome to the 21st century.

Okay. Okay, that's well. Let me know when you're ready.

Oh, I'm ready. Okay, so this is fascinating protocol. So they send notices to scare people into calling, and then giving fax numbers to dissuade people from sending stuff in, because where the heck do you find a fax until you have to ask for a real mode of communication that we use in this day and age. Is that right?

Yeah. Unfortunately.

Well, thank you for your help. Okay, what's the email address?

Emsescalation services@digitechcomputer. Com.

Is that a real website? Digitechcomputer. Com? I'll spell it for you. Okay, great. All right, great. And then what do I put in this email?

Basically what you told me.

Okay, so I don't have to have a particular form?

No, they don't really have a form.

Okay, so I just write my account number, the date of service, and say to whom it may concern- Put your account number in the subject.

Okay. And just the same way you explain it to me, explain it in the Okay.

Okay, great. So just say, I don't think I should be charged for this because nobody put the sirens on. Right. Thank you. Goodbye.

Okay. Anything else I could do for to collections. Then I started getting phone calls from debt collectors. And while I believe in negotiating every unfair bill, I certainly don't recommend waiting until that debt goes to collections. If you wait that long to pay a debt, your credit score can be affected, and we definitely don't want that. But if you do talk to a debt collector, you should know that you can negotiate that debt, which is what I did. My debt was for $344.47. But again, my goal was to try and pay nothing. Paying, which at that point wasn't going to happen without digging my credit score. But I could try and pay less than what I owed because, again, on principle, I didn't and don't think I should have paid anything. The siren was indeed off.I essentially could have taken an Uber or a Lyft, and it It wouldn't have been two grand. It probably would have been 75 bucks. So that's what I tried to pay. The debt collector, of course, tried to get more, and we met closer to what I was getting at and settled for around 100 bucks. Remember, it is the debt collector's job to get anything back, even pennies on the dollar. Oftentimes, they do have approval to settle for a lower number. I mean, think about it. If I think someone is going to give me nothing back, I would certainly rather take something versus nothing, and that something is exactly what you should aim to pay. For today's What if you can take straight to the bank? In a medical emergency, you're not going to call the insurance company, or you shouldn't, to understand what's covered. Let's just be realistic about that. So I recommend finding some time when you're not in the middle of an emergency to call your insurance company and find out what is covered. Is an ambulance covered? What is an overnight hospital state covered? Are these things covered out of state? What about internationally?Knowing this information before you need to use it will help you make sure you don't have to have a fight with the ambulance company in the first place.Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan LaVoy. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your moneyquestions, moneyrehab@moneynewsnetwork. Com, to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me. And follow us on Instagram @moneynews, and TikTok @moneynewsnetwork for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.My Money rehabbers, you have money hidden in your house. Yeah, just hiding there in plain sight. Okay, so I don't mean you have gold bars hidden somewhere in walls, treasure map style, but you do have a money-making opportunity that you're just leaving on the table if you're not hosting on Airbnb. It's one of my all-time favorite side hustles. By hosting your space, you are monetizing what you already own. It doesn't get easier than that. For me, hosting on Airbnb has always been a no-brainer. When I first signed up, I remember thinking to myself, Self, you pay a lot of money for your house. It is time that house return the favor.And to get real with you for a sec, I felt so much guilt before treating myself on vacation because traveling can be so expensive.But since hosting on Airbnb, I feel zero stress for treating myself to a much-needed vacation because having Airbnb guests stay at my house when I'm traveling helps offset the cost of my travel.So it's such a win-win. I mean, if I could do it, you could do it. And your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb. Com/host.Money rehabbers, you have money hidden in your house. Yeah, just hiding there in plain sight. Okay, so I don't mean you have gold bars hidden somewhere in walls, treasure map style, but you do have a money-making opportunity that you're just leaving on the table if you're not hosting on Airbnb. It's one of my all-time favorites your side hustles. By hosting your space, you are monetizing what you already own. It doesn't get easier than that. For me, hosting on Airbnb has always been a no-brainer. When I first signed up, I remember thinking to myself, self, you pay a lot of money for your house. It is time that house return the favor. And to get real with you for a sec, I felt so much guilt before treating myself on vacation because traveling can be so expensive. But since hosting on Airbnb, I feel zero stress for treating myself to a much-needed vacation because having Airbnb guests stay at my house when I'm traveling helps offset the cost of my travel.So it's such a win-win.I mean, if I could do it, you could do it.And your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb. Com/host.

to collections. Then I started getting phone calls from debt collectors. And while I believe in negotiating every unfair bill, I certainly don't recommend waiting until that debt goes to collections. If you wait that long to pay a debt, your credit score can be affected, and we definitely don't want that. But if you do talk to a debt collector, you should know that you can negotiate that debt, which is what I did. My debt was for $344.47. But again, my goal was to try and pay nothing. Paying, which at that point wasn't going to happen without digging my credit score. But I could try and pay less than what I owed because, again, on principle, I didn't and don't think I should have paid anything. The siren was indeed off.

I essentially could have taken an Uber or a Lyft, and it It wouldn't have been two grand. It probably would have been 75 bucks. So that's what I tried to pay. The debt collector, of course, tried to get more, and we met closer to what I was getting at and settled for around 100 bucks. Remember, it is the debt collector's job to get anything back, even pennies on the dollar. Oftentimes, they do have approval to settle for a lower number. I mean, think about it. If I think someone is going to give me nothing back, I would certainly rather take something versus nothing, and that something is exactly what you should aim to pay. For today's What if you can take straight to the bank? In a medical emergency, you're not going to call the insurance company, or you shouldn't, to understand what's covered. Let's just be realistic about that. So I recommend finding some time when you're not in the middle of an emergency to call your insurance company and find out what is covered. Is an ambulance covered? What is an overnight hospital state covered? Are these things covered out of state? What about internationally?

Knowing this information before you need to use it will help you make sure you don't have to have a fight with the ambulance company in the first place.

Money Rehab is a production of Money News Network. I'm your host, Nicole Lappin. Money Rehab's executive producer is Morgan LaVoy. Our researcher is Emily Holmes. Do you need some money rehab? And let's be honest, we all do. So email us your moneyquestions, moneyrehab@moneynewsnetwork. Com, to potentially have your questions answered on the show or even have a one-on-one intervention with me. And follow us on Instagram @moneynews, and TikTok @moneynewsnetwork for exclusive video content. And lastly, thank you. No, seriously, thank you. Thank you for listening and for investing in yourself, which is the most important investment you can make.

My Money rehabbers, you have money hidden in your house. Yeah, just hiding there in plain sight. Okay, so I don't mean you have gold bars hidden somewhere in walls, treasure map style, but you do have a money-making opportunity that you're just leaving on the table if you're not hosting on Airbnb. It's one of my all-time favorite side hustles. By hosting your space, you are monetizing what you already own. It doesn't get easier than that. For me, hosting on Airbnb has always been a no-brainer. When I first signed up, I remember thinking to myself, Self, you pay a lot of money for your house. It is time that house return the favor.

And to get real with you for a sec, I felt so much guilt before treating myself on vacation because traveling can be so expensive.

But since hosting on Airbnb, I feel zero stress for treating myself to a much-needed vacation because having Airbnb guests stay at my house when I'm traveling helps offset the cost of my travel.

So it's such a win-win. I mean, if I could do it, you could do it. And your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb. Com/host.

Money rehabbers, you have money hidden in your house. Yeah, just hiding there in plain sight. Okay, so I don't mean you have gold bars hidden somewhere in walls, treasure map style, but you do have a money-making opportunity that you're just leaving on the table if you're not hosting on Airbnb. It's one of my all-time favorites your side hustles. By hosting your space, you are monetizing what you already own. It doesn't get easier than that. For me, hosting on Airbnb has always been a no-brainer. When I first signed up, I remember thinking to myself, self, you pay a lot of money for your house. It is time that house return the favor. And to get real with you for a sec, I felt so much guilt before treating myself on vacation because traveling can be so expensive. But since hosting on Airbnb, I feel zero stress for treating myself to a much-needed vacation because having Airbnb guests stay at my house when I'm traveling helps offset the cost of my travel.

So it's such a win-win.

I mean, if I could do it, you could do it.

And your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at airbnb. Com/host.