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The ER visit was quick and uneventful. The bill was $1,300. Our listener decided to push back. He didn’t win, but he learned a lot , and so did we. 

We had help, from an expert we met by visiting a Renaissance Fair , which we did in this very fun early episode. Kaelyn Globig, head of advocacy for the Rescu Foundation, is a medical-bill wizard, and no one has taught us more.

In this story, she teaches us how to find out what Medicare pays for a given procedure , here’s the guide she shared with us , and how to use that information. 

We also got advice on dealing with debt collectors , when it makes sense to file a dispute , from April Kuenhoff, an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center. 

She shared resources too. Here are sample letters , templates you can edit:

Here’s a transcript of the episode. 

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The bill looked like BS. So she took it to small claims court.White and yellow words on green background. "There's just so little to lose, and so much to gain, by calling these medical institutions out for what they're doing wrong. - Lauren, who sued a hospital in small claims court."White text on green background that reads "''You start to see this model, and it makes you think: Can things be different in health care?' - Dr. Ricardo Nuila." The right side of the image features the cover of Ricardo Nuila's book, entitled The People's Hospital.A doctor’s love letter to ‘the People’s Hospital’