Former U.S. Surgeon General Jerome Adams ignited a firestorm on social media last month when he posted a copy of his nearly $5,000 emergency room hospital bill −after insurance paid its portion.
“Recently had an ER visit for dehydration while out of town,” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Received some labs and 3 IV bags. Here’s the bill- AFTER insurance,” Adam noted, showing the hefty tab.
“The situation I was in is one far too many Americans find themselves in,” Adams said in an interview with USA TODAY. “There’s no reason for such inflated costs.”
Adams flagged a major financial stressor for many Americans. Medical bills are the No. 1 reason people file for bankruptcy, accounting for nearly 67% of them a year, according to a 2019 study published in the American Journal of Public Health. An analysis of 2020 Census Bureau data by health policy research firm KFF found U.S. adults owe at least $195 billion in medical debt.
What happened to Dr. Jerome Adams?
Adams said he flew to Arizona in January for a business trip, hiked during the day, went to dinner and felt light-headed. Friends called an ambulance that took him to the nearest emergency room at the Mayo Clinic.
He received IV fluid during the ride, and by the time he arrived at the hospital, felt much better. A test confirmed dehydration.
“Then, I get caught in the system,” Adams said. Over the next 18 hours, he received more IV fluids, lab tests, a chest X-ray to rule out a heart attack and observation…
