The Burden of Unexpected Medical Costs

This week, we’re talking about upcoding, and how it can lead to $11,000 COVID tests, $629 bandaids, and mothers waiting within sprinting distance to the hospital. America has some of the best doctors and hospitals in the world, but many patients are too afraid to walk through the doors for fear of going into unnecessary debt. 

Dr. Zachary Sussman, New York Times journalist Sarah Kliff and ProPublica journalist Marshall Allen, who investigate medical billing for a living, join David to shed some light on surprise bills.

Keep up with David on twitter @CHIDavidSmith. 

Resources from the episode:

• Share your coronavirus medical bills with Sarah Kliff & the New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/03/reader-center/coronavirus-medical-bills.html?smid=rd 
• Learn more about the $629 band-aid on The Impact, a podcast created and formerly hosted by Sarah: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-curious-case-of-the-%24629-band-aid/id1294325824?i=1000393574994
• Read Marshall’s article about Dr. Zachary Sussman’s $10,984 COVID test: https://www.propublica.org/article/how-a-covid-19-test-led-to-charges
• Pre-order Marshall’s book, Never Pay The First Bill: https://www.marshallallen.com/
• Check out Marshall’s Top Doctor award: https://www.instagram.com/lemonadamedia/
• Become a better health care consumer with the help of ProPublica’s voices of patient harm: https://www.propublica.org/article/patient-safety-voices-questionnaire-results and Sarah’s reporting for Vox: https://www.vox.com/2019/3/22/18261698/how-to-fight-expensive-medical-bill 
• Learn more about your surgeon before an operation with ProPublica’s Surgeon Scorecard: https://projects.propublica.org/surgeons/ 

Keep up with David on twitter @CHIDavidSmith. 

Have you been hit with a surprise bill or had an infuriating run-in with the health care system? If you want to submit a patient story, email us at costofcare@lemonadamedia.com or leave us a voicemail at 833-453-6662. 

Support for this episode of The Cost of Care comes from Healthline.com, America’s leading digital health brand. Visit healthline.com/costofcare now, and stay connected by following @healthline on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Healthline: Powering healthy actions and supporting you on your journey to well-being. 

Support for this podcast comes from The Commonwealth Fund, a health care research foundation working to improve the U.S. health system. Visit commonwealthfund.org/costofcare, and stay connected by following us on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Commonwealth Fund: Affordable, quality health care. For everyone.

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