Well, Now

How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill

Even surgeon generals get sticker shock. Here are Jerome Adams’s suggestions for how to fight back.

Episode Notes

Who hasn’t received necessary medical care and got a shockingly high bill for it weeks later?

Even with insurance, many Americans will experience this at some point–including one of the most recognizable doctors in the country: the U.S. surgeon general.

Earlier this year, Dr. Jerome Adams – who served as surgeon general for the Trump Administration – received a bill of nearly $5,000 after being treated for dehydration. What was his strategy for fighting it?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now: How to fight back when you receive a surprising medical bill.

If you liked this episode, check out: Ending Racism in Healthcare

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

About the Show

We all want to achieve wellness, but how many of us have a clear understanding of what it is or how to measure it? Some believe it’s meeting a certain set of metrics around health. Others see it as becoming a more effective self-advocate when navigating our health challenges, or creating a balance in work, fitness, and family that promotes a sense of well-being. However we define wellness, we can all use advice from thoughtful people about how to find it for ourselves.

That’s the mission of Slate’s new podcast Well, Now. Each week our hosts, Maya Feller and Kavita Patel, will tackle a new issue around wellness, from the latest exercise craze, to the controversy over BMI, to the best ways to promote sleep hygiene. Every episode aims to give listeners a new understanding of wellness, and how to reach it.

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Hosts

  • Maya Feller is a registered dietitian and contributor to ABC’s Good Morning America, and an advisory board member for SHAPE and Parents. Her expertise can be found in the New York Times, Well+Good, and more. She is also the author of Eating From Our Roots: 80+ Healthy Home-Cooked Favorites From Cultures Around the World and based in New York City.

  • Dr. Kavita Patel is a D.C.-based primary care physician who has a rich background in health and health policy, having served the Obama administration and as a policy analyst to Sen. Edward Kennedy. She’s also a medical contributor for NBC News/MSNBC and a columnist for MSNBC.