Former Surgeon General Stunned by $5K ER Bill

One might expect a cranky elderly relative to be stunned by the cost of a visit to the emergency room and flummoxed in navigating a recourse. One wouldn't expect the same of a relatively young and spry former surgeon general of the United States. Yet here we are. As Business Insider reports, the aforementioned former Surgeon General Jerome Adams, 49, visited a Mayo Clinic ER in Scottsdale, Arizona, where he was treated for dehydration after a hike. The details look a little like this:

• What he got: labs and three IV bags for the dehydration.
• What he got, II: a $5,000 bill. That was billed under a Level 5 visit, usually reserved for things like strokes and chest pain. Adams begs to differ on the coding and says he got no breakdown on the tab.

• What he did: Adams says he spent hours on the phone trying to understand the charge in an effort that was "mentally taxing"—even for a guy who served as the country's top doc from 2017 to 2021.
• The potential catch: Adams has a high-deductible plan, which makes him pay thousands out of pocket before insurance kicks in. These plans are generally considered good for people who are either very healthy or very unhealthy.
• What he says: "If I'm in this situation with my knowledge and with my financial resources and with my bully pulpit, then the average Joe doesn't stand a chance. The system is just broken," Adams says.

(More Jerome Adams stories.)