Tips for translating confusing medical bills

[Star Tribune, October 25, 2009] Every time I go to the grocery store, I check my receipt to make sure I was properly charged. But when it comes to medical care, I have no idea what medical procedures should cost. On the rare occasions that I receive a detailed bill, I can barely decipher it. It makes me want to scream: "Why do they make it so complicated?" I didn't get a good answer to that question at Unity Hospital's new medical bills seminar. But I do have a better grasp on how to read my medical mail and pay for my care. Unity is in Fridley that's part of the Allina system. Unity's financial services manager, Fran Hakim, came up with the idea for the bills seminar to address questions she and the other financial counselors hear day-to-day.