Is that medical bill your final offer?

When I get a medical bill I pay it.

Silly me.

Spiraling bills and a nasty recession have led to the launch of Medical Cost Advocate, a FREE service that aims to negotiate for you and cut your medical bills.

Of course it's not actually free. It's only free if they fail to get your costs cut. If they do, they get their cut, just like a lawyer who sues the guy whose truck ran you over.

"MCA will negotiate any medical bills including those not covered by insurance at all or not fully covered like cosmetic, vision, bariatric and dental," a spokeswoman told me breathlessly.

"In the midst of the hot healthcare news cycle, this emerging trend provides individuals the resources to prevent medical bills from spiraling out of control."

I don't know what to think of this trend. We know why medical costs are dragging people into bankruptcy. It's not just the actual costs of the procedure, but the paperwork, and the need to cover costs for people who aren't paying anything, who can't pay.

In other words, wiggle room.

So are you going to make the call?

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com