Hi Reader,

People "throw their hands up because they assume there's nothing they can do, and the system seems so complicated. It seems like such a battle between David and Goliath, and they just don't realize that David can win."

Those are the wise words of journalist Marshall Allen, from my book, "Ask Questions, Save Money, Make More: How To Take Control Of Your Financial Life." Though his sentiment could apply to many things in 2025, Allen was referring to the American healthcare system -- a nightmarish hellscape that he devoted his career to helping people navigate.

As I wrote the healthcare section of my book and worked to build a deeper understanding of the complexities of the system, I sought out Allen. He was generous with his time, answering basic question after basic question. They were easy for him. After all, he'd literally written the book on helping people navigate the healthcare industry, called "Never Pay The First Bill (And Other Ways To Fight The Healthcare System And Win)." He was a major inspiration for my book, and I'm forever grateful to him for the help he gave me.

Earlier this month, I found out that Allen had passed away in May 2024 at the so-young age of 52. I didn't know him personally and hadn't communicated with him since my book came out, so I only learned of his passing months after the fact -- and only through his online newsletter, which announced its plans to carry on despite the loss of its creator.

Shocked and saddened by the loss, I wanted to help honor Allen's memory the best way I could: by helping share the message that he worked so hard to spread.

What I learned from him

His book goes miles deep in the healthcare space while mine just scratches the surface, but here are some of the most important things I remember hearing from him:

• As the title of his book says, never pay the first bill. An estimated 80% of medical bills have errors. Yeah, you read that right.
• If you have any doubt about a medical bill, ask for an itemized bill with CPT codes. Those codes are the standardized language of the medical industry and can tell you exactly what you're being charged for. Otherwise, you may never know if you're being charged for the wrong thing.
• No doctor worth seeing is going to be upset with you asking questions. If they do get huffy, it is a major red flag.
• Never be afraid to seek a second opinion.
• In most cases, the doctor will have no idea that you tried to negotiate the price of a bill with the medical provider, so don't worry about damaging that relationship.

There's so much more where that came from in his book. Please go pick it up. You'll be glad you did.

Thank you for everything, Marshall. You will be missed, but you and your message will not be forgotten.

​

Matt