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Doctor Mike: How to fight a medical bill | Mel Robbins #Shorts

16 Apr 2026 · 0 min

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In this short interview, Mel Robbins asks Dr. Micah (Doctor Mike) for practical advice on disputing medical bills. Dr. Micah recommends first calling the billing office and demanding a clear explanation of why the charge exists and why insurance denied it. He emphasizes contacting the ordering medical office to correct or add billing codes, noting that a simple change in the provider’s documentation can turn a denied charge into a covered one. He illustrates the problem with a personal anecdote: a prescription for clindamycin was written as capsules, which the patient’s insurer refused to cover, while tablets would have been approved. This forced the doctor to coordinate calls between the insurer, pharmacy, and patient, highlighting the inefficiency and frustration of the U.S. healthcare billing system. The conversation ends by acknowledging that many patients have experienced similar billing hassles.

Dr. Micah, how do you fight a medical bill?
Call the billing office.
And what do you say?
I want an explanation why I need to pay this, why my insurance isn't paying this. Reach out to the medical office that did the service. Sometimes, Mel, this is so gross because I, as a doctor, am putting on medical reasons for why I'm ordering a certain test. They may not be the ones that the insurance company likes to be placed for that condition. And sometimes it's as simple as getting the doctor to say, oh, well, I also ordered it for this, and put another code in. Boom, it's covered. Even worse, this is more aggravating. I order a basic antibiotic for my patient when they have a sinus infection. And because I'm ordering an electronic health record, I very quickly click the antibiotic. It was clindamycin. And I happen to order capsules. As a doctor, there's no difference between capsules and tablets in my mind. I get a denial. Patient's insurance doesn't pay for capsules, but they'll pay for tablets. Now I have to— the patient went to the pharmacy, got denied, goes home. I have to call the insurer, find this out, call the pharmacy, change this to tablets, tell the patient, hey, you got to go back. What an ineffective, terrible system.
And every one of us has been in that situation.
Correct. And here's the worst part. In any given moment of time, most people aren't sick. Most people aren't interacting with this broken healthcare system. But the reality is, at one point, we all will. We will all get sick. We will all have to deal with this crap system, doctor or not doctor. We will have to be a part of it. So if we don't advocate for this change, if we don't shine a light on these problems, It's only gonna get worse.