The order these are in
The sequence is not arbitrary. Financial assistance is first because a successful application removes the balance rather than reducing it, and because agreeing to pay something first can weaken the case that you could not afford it. The counsellor guide is second because that is the person who processes the application.
Checking the bill comes next, since there is no sense negotiating a figure that includes charges for something that did not happen. Then the two federal protections that may cap what you can be billed at all. Appeals sit after those because a denial is a decision about coverage, not about what you owe. Settlement and the statute of limitations come last: they are what remains once the earlier steps are exhausted.
If you would rather work through your own figures, the medical bill calculator covers the same sequence with your numbers in it.
Educational information about United States hospital billing, compiled from published federal rules and standard hospital billing practice. Not legal, medical or financial advice. Your plan documents, your hospital's own policy and your state's rules govern your situation.