Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill
By Editor - Mon Mar 13, 3:03 am
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When Sandeep Swami received a $1,339 bill for a quick and uneventful emergency room visit for his 11-year-old daughter, he pushed back. The charge was a “facility fee” for the hospital, though the treatment entailed only a six- to seven-minute consultation with a doctor. Because Swami had a high-deductible health plan and had not yet met his deductible for the year, he was on the hook for the entire amount. Swami’s attempt to dispute the charge led him to battle the hospital, then his insurer, a bill-mediation service provided by his employer, and finally the debt collector. He didn’t win, but learned valuable lessons about advocating for hospital discounts. “An Arm and a Leg” host Dan Weissmann speaks with Swami about the experience. He also interviews Kaelyn Globig, head of advocacy for the Rescu Foundation , about how to find out what Medicare pays for a given procedure, and April Kuehnhoff, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center , for advice on filing a dispute with a debt collector. Dan Weissmann @danweissmann Host and producer of “An Arm and a Leg.” Previously, Dan was a staff reporter for Marketplace and Chicago’s WBEZ. His work also appears on All Things Considered, Marketplace, the BBC, 99 Percent Invisible, and Reveal, from the Center for Investigative Reporting. Credits Emily Pisacreta Producer Adam Raymonda Audio Wizard Afi Yellow-Duke Editor Click to open the Transcript Transcript : Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill Note: “An Arm and a Leg” uses speech-recognition software to generate transcripts, which may contain errors. Please use the transcript as a tool but check the corresponding audio before quoting the podcast.
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Wrestling With a Giant: How to Dispute a Hospital Bill
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