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Laura Rowley, Money & Happiness
When It Comes to Negotiating, Ask and You Shall Receive

by Laura Rowley
Posted on Wednesday, June 18, 2008, 12:00AM
When Melia Lyerly, 52, decided to have gastric bypass surgery last year, she was looking at a potential cost of $36,000 -- $28,000 for hospitalization and $8,000 for the surgeon's bill, none of it covered by her health insurance. So she asked for the discount given to insurance companies.

'I went in with hat in hand and told them it was really important to me to have the surgery for my health and longevity, that anything they could do to help would really be appreciated,' says Lyerly, co-owner of a Charlotte, N.C.-based marketing and advertising firm.

At the end of the day, Lyerly paid just half the bill -- $11,000 for the hospital and $7,000 for the surgeon. 'It was incredible,' she says.

Play It Cool

In a rocky economy, it pays to negotiate. 'You can negotiate anything, and people have begun to realize it now that we're in tough times,' says Herb Cohen, a professional negotiator for three decades and author of 'You Can Negotiate Anything,' which has sold 3 million copies and been translated into 30 languages, and 'Negotiate This!'

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