Adam Ruins The Hospital is the third episode of Season Two of Adam Ruins Everything. The episode aired on July 25, 2017.
Synopsis
Not feeling well? In this episode, Adam diagnoses how arbitrarily inflated hospital costs have created a system that’s entirely unaffordable and unfair, reveals why antibiotics are worthless and explains why mammograms might not be as helpful as we think.
This episode's "Tell Me More" segment is an interview with Dr. Joann Elmore, a professor of medicine and epidemiology at the University of Washington.
Plot
A woman named Rachel rushes into the hospital and demands tests for everything possible. Adam informs her that there are in fact downsides to getting a ton of tests done- starting with getting ripped off. Americans spend more on healthcare annually than any other country. Adam takes Rachel on an adventure learning about the history of medical billing and insurance companies. Insurance companies make up a high fake price and then give hospitals a discount off of that.
Adam also explains that antibiotics are essentially useless because bacteria builds up a resistance to antibiotics in a couple of years. Antibiotics are largely oversubscribed in the country, which just adds to the problem. About 1/3 of antibiotics are unnecessarily prescribed.
As for mammograms, you probably don't need one as often as recommended. Dr. Joann Elmore helps Adam explain that it's better to get frequent mammograms later in life. Some cancer grows so fast that mammograms can't catch it in time. Other cancers go so slowly that they won't kill you at all.
Cast
Main
Expert
- Dr. Joann Elmore as Herself
Guest
- Julie Brister as Denise
- Christine Ko as Tiffany
- Vincent Rodriguez III as Derek
- Melissa Tang as Rachel
- Amos Vernon as Uncle Sam
- Carlos Acuña as Out Of Network Doctor
- Ryan Gowland as Old Timey Hospital Director
- Pam Murphy as Pill Crazy Doctor
- Brady Novak as Middle Aged White Man
- Zac Oyama as Uninsured Man
- Tess Paras as 80's Woman
- Jill Remez as Insurance Director
- Eliot Schwartz as Runner
- Dhruv Uday Singh as EMT
- Bob Turton as Old Timey Doctor