‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court

By Dan Weissmann November 2, 2020

Can’t see the audio player? Click here to listen.

About This Podcast

Health care — and how much it costs — is scary. But you’re not alone with this stuff, and knowledge is power. “An Arm and a Leg” is a podcast about these issues, and its second season is co-produced by KHN.

Visit armandalegshow.com

When Jeffrey Fox and his wife got an outrageous medical bill for a simple test, he said to his wife, “No way am I paying this.” In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Fox takes on a huge hospital, and wins.

He’s a bit of an expert in using small claims court to get satisfaction and shared detailed instructions with the rest of us.

Fox doesn’t only take on big opponents. He said even his small wins are a way to get better at standing up for himself.

It’s pretty good practice for us all.

Want more? Here are some extras:

Our episode Can They Freaking DO That?!? describes how some folks have used just the threat of small claims court to get outrageous bills lowered.

Law professor Christopher Robertson describes some of the legal theory behind this method in this post from a Harvard Law School blog.

Fox posted documents from his case and a brief narrative.

Finally, here’s this episode transcript.

“An Arm and a Leg” is a co-production of Kaiser Health News and Public Road Productions.

To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” subscribe to the newsletter. You can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers would love to hear from you.

To hear all Kaiser Health News podcasts, click here.

And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Google Play or Spotify.

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‘An Arm and a Leg’: David vs. Goliath: How to Beat a Big Hospital in Small Claims Court

By Dan Weissmann November 2, 2020

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<p><em>Can’t see the audio player? <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/episode/how-to-beat-a-hospital-using-small-claims-court/">Click here to listen.</a></em></p>

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<p><em>Can’t see the audio player? <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/episode/how-to-beat-a-hospital-using-small-claims-court/">Click here to listen.</a></em></p>

<p>When Jeffrey Fox and his wife got an outrageous medical bill for a simple test, he said to his wife, “No way am I paying this.” In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Fox takes on a huge hospital, and wins.</p>
<p>He’s a bit of an expert in using small claims court to get satisfaction and shared detailed instructions with the rest of us.</p>
<p>Fox doesn’t only take on big opponents. He said even his small wins are a way to get better at standing up for himself.</p>
<p>It’s pretty good practice for us all.</p>
<p>Want more? Here are some extras:</p>
<p>Our episode <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/an-arm-and-a-leg-can-they-freaking-do-that/">Can They Freaking DO That?!?</a> describes how some folks have used just the threat of small claims court to get outrageous bills lowered.</p>
<p>Law professor Christopher Robertson describes some of the legal theory behind this method in <a href="https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2017/10/03/medical-bills-are-open-price-contracts-a-victory-for-the-little-guy/">this post from a Harvard Law School blog</a>.</p>
<p>Fox posted <a href="http://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Writeup-1.pdf">documents from his case and a brief narrative</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, here’s <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Arm-and-a-Leg-Transcript-S4-Ep07-David-v-Goliath-Published-Oct-29-2020.pdf">this episode transcript</a>.</p>

<p>“An Arm and a Leg” is a co-production of Kaiser Health News and Public Road Productions.</p>
<p>To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/newsletter/">subscribe to the newsletter</a>. You can also follow the show on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/armandalegshow/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/armandalegshow">Twitter</a>. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact-us/">would love to hear from you</a>.</p>
<p><em>To hear all Kaiser Health News podcasts, <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/tag/podcast/">click here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/an-arm-and-a-leg/id1438778444">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.pocketcasts.com/web/discover/podcast/6e9e33e0-b911-0136-7b93-27f978dac4db">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcm1hbmRhbGVnc2hvdy5jb20vZmVlZC9wb2RjYXN0Lw%3D%3D">Google Play</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3wBgLSbYPKT3gnd9KGjz5t?si=jEMzB2soS_ayOsYbK0cmnQ">Spotify</a>.</em></p>
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<p>When Jeffrey Fox and his wife got an outrageous medical bill for a simple test, he said to his wife, “No way am I paying this.” In a classic — and hilarious — David vs. Goliath story, Fox takes on a huge hospital, and wins.</p>
<p>He’s a bit of an expert in using small claims court to get satisfaction and shared detailed instructions with the rest of us.</p>
<p>Fox doesn’t only take on big opponents. He said even his small wins are a way to get better at standing up for himself.</p>
<p>It’s pretty good practice for us all.</p>
<p>Want more? Here are some extras:</p>
<p>Our episode <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/an-arm-and-a-leg-can-they-freaking-do-that/">Can They Freaking DO That?!?</a> describes how some folks have used just the threat of small claims court to get outrageous bills lowered.</p>
<p>Law professor Christopher Robertson describes some of the legal theory behind this method in <a href="https://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/2017/10/03/medical-bills-are-open-price-contracts-a-victory-for-the-little-guy/">this post from a Harvard Law School blog</a>.</p>
<p>Fox posted <a href="http://blog.petrieflom.law.harvard.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Writeup-1.pdf">documents from his case and a brief narrative</a>.</p>
<p>Finally, here’s <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Arm-and-a-Leg-Transcript-S4-Ep07-David-v-Goliath-Published-Oct-29-2020.pdf">this episode transcript</a>.</p>

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