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‘An Arm and a Leg’: TikTok Mom Takes On Medical Bills


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Shaunna Burns went viral on TikTok, partly because of a series of videos dishing out real-talk advice on fighting outrageous medical bills. She said the way to deal with medical debt is to be vigilant about what debt you incur in the first place.

“What you can say is I don’t want you to run any tests or do any procedures or anything without running it by me,” she said.

Burns has three children of her own, and she has become the virtual mom that thousands of Gen Z followers love. She’s funny, smart and relatable — and she has stories that’ll make your hair stand on end. Oh, and she can swear like a sailor. So maybe listen to this episode when the kids aren’t around. Also, some of her stories are kind of intense.

(You can first check the transcript to see if this episode is one you want to share with your kids.)


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

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