What is the lowest amount you can pay for medical bills?

Depending on the circumstances, you could end up paying a lot less than the full balance on your medical debt. ADragan/Getty Images

Medical bills have a way of surprising you, and typically not in a good way. Even routine medical procedures can come with pages of itemized charges, insurance adjustments and remaining balances that seem to shift, or, in the worst-case scenario, grow, from week to week. And, as the increases to healthcare costs continue to outpace wages and inflation , more Americans are looking for ways to cut their medical bills down to the lowest number possible.

But here's the part that many people don't realize: Medical bills are among the most negotiable bills you'll ever face. Hospitals, private practices and debt collectors all operate in a system where the st