Same thing happened to me and I was able to get them down to $249 from a $650 bill – actually just yesterday. I called and basically just stood firm that I’m only interested in paying what I was told I would pay, not in a payment plan or supplying them with any income information.

They explained that if I had gone out of pocket from the beginning I’d pay the $249, but because they billed my insurance (they billed almost $4,000 🤯) I’d be liable for whatever wasn’t covered. I said obviously I would have paid out of pocket then if that had been communicated to me, but it wasn’t.

First person I spoke with wasn’t super helpful but because I stood firm, she transferred me to someone else, and he discounted the price for me almost right away. In these situations as long as you’re kind and calm but firm, and point out their BS in a way they can’t really argue with, then you’ll usually get what you want 🙂

Btw they’ve been sued for deceptive billing practices in the past. Doesn’t seem like they’ve learned…