An Arm and a Leg
@armandalegshow.bsky.social
A podcast about why health care costs so freaking much, and what we can (maybe) do about it, in partnership with @kffhealthnews.org and @kuow.org Hosted by @danweissmann.bsky.social Our newsletter: https://armandalegshow.com/first-aid-kit/
Last year, one of our newsletter subscribers organized a medical-debt clinic at the beautiful Brooklyn Public Library. Now they’re doing it every month. And the next one is this Wednesday, September 16th: www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/med...
Medical Bills? We can Help - Monthly Medical Debt Clinic | Brooklyn Public Library
Join us on September 23rd!
bklynlibrary.org
Small businesses are increasingly giving up on offering health insurance. @danweissmann.bsky.social talks to @bobjherman.bsky.social on @armandalegshow.bsky.social about how this essential benefit is unraveling.
The Meltdown in Employer-Sponsored Health Insurance - KFF Health News
Stat reporter Bob Herman joins “An Arm and a Leg” to discuss the impact of surging health insurance costs on businesses and their workers.
kffhealthnews.org
New episode: Only 59% of small businesses offered their employees health insurance last year – a 25-year low. @bobjherman.bsky.social joins us to talk about how that’s just one sign that employer-based health insurance is unraveling. armandalegshow.com/episode/empl...
System meltdown: employer-sponsored health insurance • An Arm And a Leg
It's getting more expensive and in some cases even going away. STAT News reporter Bob Herman joins us to talk about why our system of employer-based health insurance is "unraveling."
armandalegshow.com
From @npr.org, How the Trump administration's early cut to insurance subsidies could see Medicare Part D premiums increase:
The Trump administration's move to end subsidies for Medicare drug plans could cost consumers
Federal subsidies that have helped defray insurers' Medicare drug costs will disappear at the end of the year. Millions of beneficiaries could face higher premiums in 2027.
npr.org
July's bill of the month from @kffhealthnews.org and @npr.org is instructive for uninsured patients who need elective surgeries:
Uninsured but Undaunted, a Surgical Patient Searched the Globe for a Deal - KFF Health News
When surgery became unavoidable, a man with no insurance shopped around for the best price for a hernia repair — and saved thousands by traveling out of state.
kffhealthnews.org
"Patients in the geriatric units had a 39 percent lower likelihood of hospital admission and a 38 percent reduction in mortality over 30 days" (gift link): www.nytimes.com/2026/07/25/w...
What Geriatric Emergency Departments Do Differently (Gift Article)
These specialized units can help keep older patients out of the hospital, lower their health care costs and more.
nytimes.com
In our newsletter, a reader asks: Can your doc really charge you for a conversation you have during an annual? Plus, an actually positive news update:
Mailbag! Getting nickel-and-dimed at your annual • An Arm And a Leg
Hey there — We’re back with another reader question — this time about why it might look like you got double billed for a routine physical. Plus, two
armandalegshow.com
A great explainer on the gains and losses of two giant players in the health care industry by @wsj.com: Insurers and hospitals. www.wsj.com/video/why-he...
Why Health Insurers Are Winning, But Hospitals Are Losing
WSJ’s David Wainer explains why the latest quarterly earnings from insurance giant UnitedHealthcare and hospital chain HCA signal a substantial shift in the healthcare space.
wsj.com
An update on TrumpRX from @npr.org. The high level: "deals on TrumpRx represent fewer than 12% of the more than 800 brand-name drugs made by the participating pharmaceutical companies."
TrumpRx promised a supermarket for cheaper drugs but delivered a boutique
President Trump said TrumpRx is the biggest thing to happen in healthcare in decades. But an NPR analysis finds drugmakers are only offering deals on a few of their medicines.
npr.org
'Golden Girls' housing is becoming more and more of a thing: kffhealthnews.org/aging/golden...
To Afford Aging in Place, Older Adults Turn to ‘Golden Girls’ Housing - KFF Health News
A growing network of home-sharing programs is helping people find compatible housemates. And demand is rising, driven by housing shortages, rising rents, and sales prices that affect both the old and ...
kffhealthnews.org
This episode from @propublica.org's new show Paper Trail taught us about an insurance industry term that we just had to share: external review. Knowing it could one day be the key to reversing an unfair insurance denial: https://armandalegshow.com/episode/how-to-fight-a-denial-propublica/
"For example, nothing in the pledge prevents insurance companies from retroactively denying payment, even when care is preapproved..." @kffhealthnews.org
Insurers Hedge on Trump-Backed Pledge To Improve Denials Process - KFF Health News
Last year, the Trump administration announced a voluntary pledge by dozens of insurers to improve prior authorization, which often requires patients to seek approval before treatments. But prior authorization remains commonplace, and there's no evidence the government is trying to hold insurers to account.
kffhealthnews.org
Why has a 40-year veteran of health news started wearing a “living in unprecedented times” T-shirt? @kffhealthnews.org's @julierovner.bsky.social joins us to talk about cuts to public health programs: https://armandalegshow.com/episode/julie-rovner-veteran-dc-reporter/
Over the years, we’ve spoken to so many folks who had the guts to take on our health care system. And now we’ve compiled some of those stories into a new Starter Pack:
New Starter Pack: People being awesome • An Arm And a Leg
Hey there — We're back with a brand new Arm and a Leg "Starter Pack" — plus some Obamacare news. Last month, the federal government issued its annual
armandalegshow.com
A story from our news operation about patients getting caught up in errors in Medicaid computer systems, operated by a private contractor. This is a symptom of a health insurance system that has become mind-numbingly complex.
KFF Health News@kffhealthnews.org · 2mo agoComputer system problems foreshadow trouble as states prepare to roll out the most significant and complicated changes to their Medicaid programs in years. https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/deloitte-medicaid-eligibility-system-denials-michigan-trump-policy-piles-on/
@scifri.bsky.socialrecently covered a topic we've been thinking about a LOT this year: drug patents, and their role in the high cost of prescriptions:
How the US patent system keeps drug prices high
Pharmaceutical companies can use overlapping patents to extend their exclusive rights to a drug, delaying production of cheaper generic forms.
sciencefriday.com
We're catching up on our bookmarked stories this week, and here's a super important one from @kffhealthnews.org: How to plan ahead for ICE raids if you have children:
ICE Arrests Are Separating Families. Here’s How To Plan Ahead. - KFF Health News
As immigration authorities carry out President Donald Trump’s promise to conduct what’s billed as the largest mass deportation operation in U.S. history, several states are passing laws to protect the children of detained immigrants. Guardianship can become complicated when no family or friends are available to take temporary custody.
kffhealthnews.org
Want a refresher on copay accumulator programs? @kffhealthnews.org has a good one:
Copay Assistance Is Meant To Defray Patient Drug Costs. Some Insurers Keep It Instead. - KFF Health News
Drugmakers provide financial assistance to help patients afford increasingly expensive medications. But some insurers do not count those payments toward a plan’s deductible or out-of-pocket maximum and make patients pay instead.
kffhealthnews.org
One of the many tabs we got to catch up on this week: Reporting by @19thnews.org on insurance coverage gaps for infant formula and donor milk:
Many cancer survivors can’t breastfeed. Insurance often doesn’t cover alternatives.
New legislation introduced in Congress would establish a pilot program to cover formula or donor milk for families with difficulties feeding.
19thnews.org
We have a brand new Starter Pack all about what to do when a debt collector is chasing you down. Check it out here:
Help! I’m in collections for medical debt. • An Arm And a Leg
So, a debt collector is chasing you over a medical bill. It happens to the best of us. And as we've learned, you have rights when it does.
armandalegshow.com
One patient's 21-hour wait for a hospital bed is a window into "inpatient psychiatric care so scarce that access often depends on surviving a crisis severe enough to justify it": https://kffhealthnews.org/health-industry/psychiatric-bed-shortage-overburdened-health-system/ @kffhealthnews.org
My Search for a Psychiatric Bed in an Overburdened Health System - KFF Health News
Over the past 70 years, the number of inpatient psychiatric beds has dropped dramatically, leaving many without critical care when they experience mental health crises. I was one of the lucky ones to get a bed — after 21 hours of waiting.
kffhealthnews.org
You might assume your therapy session is one place where you don’t have to worry about your privacy. But if it’s happening online, the truth is more complicated. An episode from our friends at Organized Money with more:
The Chatbot Will See You Now: Big Tech In Therapy (from Organized Money) • An Arm And a Leg
The mental health middlemen selling your data, and one state’s solution (From "Organized Money")
armandalegshow.com
It’s been a year since we produced our Prescription Drug Playbook after hearing from you about how you handle sticker shock at the pharmacy. In this week’s episode, we’re reviewing what we learned:
The Prescription Drug Playbook (Full Version) • An Arm And a Leg
Last year, we set out on a mission: Collect all the best advice about what to do when your drugs cost more than you can afford. Here's a condensed version of our original two "Prescription Drug Playbook" episodes from 2025.
armandalegshow.com
Insurers that sell plans in Obamacare marketplaces across 16 states and the District of Columbia have asked regulators to approve a 14% median premium increase for 2027, according to a new Peterson-@kff.org analysis.
Affordable Care Act Insurers Want More Premium Increases as Enrollment Sags - KFF Health News
Insurers who sell plans in Obamacare marketplaces across 16 states and the District of Columbia have asked regulators to approve a 14% median premium increase for 2027, according to a new Peterson-KFF analysis.
kffhealthnews.org
"Medicare drug plans can drop customers who don't pay their premiums, no matter how small the amount. Some members who lost their coverage... owed as little as $8.10 for 3 months" https://www.npr.org/2026/07/06/nx-s1-5879413/medicare-drug-plan-coverage-premiums-wellcare @npr.org@kffhealthnews.org
These Medicare beneficiaries thought their drug plan was free. Then they lost it
Thousands of people lost coverage over as little as $8 in delinquent payments. They didn't know their zero-dollar premiums had gone up and they owed money. Most now can't get coverage until 2027.
npr.org
On @kffhealthnews.org's Health Q, @cara-anthony.bsky.social on the stages of caregiving and why embracing the title of "caregiver" can be important:
Worried About Your Aging Parents? Welcome to the Caregiving Club - KFF Health News
Being a caregiver can start long before you go to a doctor appointment with a loved one or move your parents into your house. The HealthQ team explores how embracing the role matters — and how the recognition and support that come next can ease a difficult season of life.
kffhealthnews.org
Washington state has launched the first program to help cover home care and other supports. Several other states are paying attention. https://kffhealthnews.org/syndicate/long-term-care-costs-washington-state-payroll-option/
A New Option for Long-Term Care Costs - KFF Health News
Washington state has launched the first program to help cover home care and other supports. Several other states are paying attention.
kffhealthnews.org
They harvest our red peppers, tomatoes, and oranges ... but their Medicaid coverage could be in jeopardy. @andalo.bsky.social reports ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/insurance/ag...
They Harvest the Nation’s Food, but a New Rule May Strip Them of Health Insurance - KFF Health News
New Medicaid work requirements could make a complex system even harder for farmworkers to navigate.
kffhealthnews.org
"The University of Washington’s medical system alone had nearly 100 patients waiting earlier this year for epidural injections due to WISeR-related delays..." @kffhealthnews.org @dariustahir.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/medicare/med...
Medicare’s AI Push Snarls Patients and Doctors in Errors and Delays - KFF Health News
Medicare is testing the use of artificial intelligence to preapprove several healthcare services. Federal health officials say prior authorization can help reduce fraud and contain costs. But doctors ...
kffhealthnews.org
Reading this story from our news program, @kffhealthnews.org, it's no wonder that @kff.org polling shows prior authorization as the public's number one burden in getting health care beyond affordability. kffhealthnews.org/health-care-...
She Struggled To Get a Lifesaving Drug Even After Insurers Vowed To Help - KFF Health News
Margaret Hvatum ended up in the hospital after her insurer denied coverage of a medicine she relies on to boost her immune system. Hvatum got entangled in the preapproval process, which the insurance ...
kffhealthnews.org