Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What does HCC FIRST actually do?
You upload a medical bill. We review it — against your insurance statement when you have one — and tell you in a sentence what's okay to pay. If something looks wrong, we tell you that instead, and why.
What do I need to upload?
The bill is enough to start. If you also have the explanation of benefits your insurer sent for that visit, upload it too — that's the document that shows what your plan already settled, and it's what lets us tell you the difference between what you were charged and what's actually yours.
What if I don't have insurance?
That's fine, and we'll ask. A self-pay bill gets reviewed on its own terms — there's no insurance statement to compare it against, so we don't pretend to be waiting on one.
How long does a review take?
Usually a few minutes. Longer documents take longer, and you'll see the status while it's working. We don't put a clock on it because a bad answer fast is worse than a good answer in ten minutes.
Is this available where I live?
HCC FIRST is for people in the United States.
What you get
What's free?
A vault for your bills and insurance statements, one bill review, payment and spending tracking, HSA and FSA tagging, and Healthcare 101. No card required.
What does Basic add?
Every bill you upload gets reviewed, each one compared against its insurance statement, with findings in plain language. Basic also opens provider lookup.
What does Concierge add?
A person. On qualifying hospital and facility bills, we negotiate directly with the billing department on your behalf.
Can I change plans later?
Yes, any time, from your account. Cancelling stops the next renewal; you keep what you paid for through the end of the period you already paid.
Money
How much does it cost?
Free is free. Basic and Concierge are monthly subscriptions, and annual billing saves 20%. Current prices are on the pricing section of the home page.
Is there a fee to negotiate a bill?
Negotiation is part of Concierge, so there's nothing up front beyond your subscription. If we reduce a bill and you approve the result, the fee is 10% of what you saved, capped at $200 for that bill. If we don't reduce it, there's no fee.
Do you take my money and pay my provider?
No. You always pay your provider directly. Money paid to HCC FIRST is for your subscription or a success fee — it never satisfies what you owe a hospital.
Can I be charged without agreeing to it?
No. Before any success fee, we give you a written summary showing the original balance, the negotiated balance, what you saved, and the exact fee. Nothing is charged until you approve that summary.
Do I need a card to try it?
No. The free tier doesn't ask for one.
Negotiation
Which bills can you negotiate?
Hospital and facility bills above a set amount, for Concierge members — the threshold is shown in the app on any bill it applies to. Physician and small-balance bills generally aren't worth negotiating, and we'd rather tell you that than take a swing at one.
Do you negotiate automatically?
No. Negotiation is something you opt into, bill by bill. Signing the authorization doesn't start anything on its own — we offer, and you decide.
What do I have to do?
Two things. You sign one authorization, which covers your account rather than each bill separately. Then, for each provider we're going to contact, you make a short phone call giving them permission to speak with us — we give you the exact words, and you confirm in the app when it's done. Providers require that; it's not our rule.
Will you accept an offer without asking me?
Never. We can propose and negotiate, but we can't accept a settlement in your name. Every result comes back to you for approval.
What if the negotiation doesn't work?
Then it doesn't work, and you owe nothing for it. We tell you what happened.
Privacy and security
Who can see my documents?
You. Your documents sit in a vault tied to your account. We access them to do the review you asked for and to answer a provider's questions during a negotiation you authorized — nothing else.
Do you sell my information?
No. Not your bills, not your health information, not to anyone, for any purpose, ever. We don't use it for advertising either.
Is HCC FIRST HIPAA-compliant?
That question has a longer answer than yes or no, and we wrote it out in full. Short version: HIPAA governs hospitals, insurers, and their vendors. HCC FIRST isn't one of those, so we describe ourselves as HIPAA-aware — we hold your documents to the handling standards HIPAA describes, and we're bound by the FTC's health breach rule and by state privacy law. Read the full explanation
If my employer pays for this, do they see my bills?
No. An employer that sponsors memberships never sees your documents, your bills, or your health information.
Can I delete my account?
Yes, from your account settings, and it removes your documents. Some records have to be kept afterward when the law requires it — authorization records, transaction records, and records of work already completed. Our Privacy Policy lists them.
Practical
Can I manage bills for my spouse, my parent, or my child?
One account belongs to one person today. If you have legal authority to act for someone else — as a parent, guardian, or personal representative — you may use the Service on their behalf, and you're responsible for having that authority. Shared household accounts aren't built yet.
Is this insurance?
No. HCC FIRST isn't an insurer, a health plan, a law firm, a credit repair organization, or a debt settlement company. We don't change your coverage and we don't give legal advice.
Will using this stop a collection agency?
No, and we won't tell you it will. We can help you understand and dispute a bill, but we don't control what a provider or a collections firm does. If a bill is in litigation or has a legal deadline, talk to a lawyer.
What if you get it wrong?
Tell us. Every review shows what it was based on, and if a document was misread we'd rather fix it than defend it. Email info@hccfirst.com.
Who do I contact?
info@hccfirst.com for anything. privacy@hccfirst.com for privacy requests.