In July 2022, “An Arm and a Leg” listener Meagan experienced a bout of vertigo that landed her in the emergency room. For more than two years after, Meagan endured what felt like a never-ending series of communications with the hospital over a medical bill she knew she didn’t owe.
Meagan spoke with host Dan Weissmann about what kept her motivated to keep fighting and the legal tactic that finally led to a breakthrough.
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Transcript: Winning a Two-Year Fight Over a Bogus Bill
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Dan: Hey there–
A few months ago, we got a note from a listener named Meagan in California. It started like this:
“Last month, I successfully had a provider pull back a bill from collections and stop billing me for an ER visit from July 2022.
Meagan was writing to us in fall of 2024– that bill had not gotten resolved until more than two years after the ER visit.
Meagan, um, wanted to thank us! Her note said she’d picked up some tactical advice, but she said the show had helped her keep going. Here’s how she put it when we talked with her.
Meagan: I could listen to the podcast and kind of hear some community and say, I’m not alone. This is a possible thing, right?
Dan: Of course Meagan’s story is epic. Because parts of it are personal, she’s asked us not to use her full name.
This tale has some comically wild twists. And some important tactical lessons.
And it’s Meagan’s reflections on the whole journey that I especially want to share with you.
This is An Arm and a Leg, a show about why health care costs so freaking much, and what we can maybe do …