# Don't Get Billed: Avoiding Surprise Medical Costs & Medical Debt w/ Patricia Kelmar, PIRG

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/don-t-get-billed-avoiding-surprise-medical-costs-medical-debt-w-patricia-kelmar-pirg
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/don-t-get-billed-avoiding-surprise-medical-costs-medical-debt-w-patricia-kelmar-pirg.md
Podcast: [Care Talk with Laura Packard: American Health Care Explained](https://stenobird.com/podcast/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935)
Published: 2026-03-31T10:00:49+00:00
Episode link: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk
Audio file: https://audio4.redcircle.com/episodes/7b3b93e8-2ddb-4cb9-91e3-a98142707da6/stream.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/care-talk-with-laura-packard-american-health-care-explained-6733935/episodes/don-t-get-billed-avoiding-surprise-medical-costs-medical-debt-w-patricia-kelmar-pirg
Duration seconds: 1913

## Resource

Every year, millions of Americans are blindsided by surprise medical bills and crushing debt - not because they did anything wrong, but because the system is designed to be confusing. Patricia Kelmar of PIRG explains your rights under the No Surprises Act, how surprise medical billing has changed, and what you can do about it in this #CareTalk episode with show host, cancer survivor, and health care advocate Laura Packard from Health Care Voices . Plus Louise Norris from healthinsurance.org and Rachel Madley from the Center for Health & Democracy answer your American health insurance and health care questions on Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, private insurance and more. This episode has more about proposed health care cuts to pay for the war in Iran, overview of 2026 open enrollment numbers for the Affordable Care Act, how to handle out of network medical bills, and the end of Medicare Advantage open enrollment. New episodes of Care Talk every Tuesday, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Text or call in your health insurance and health care questions in to (202) 838-6837 to get answers in future shows! Free or Low Cost Health Care Resources on our show page: https://healthcarevoices.org/caretalk

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## Transcript

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