An Arm and a Leg

An Arm and a Leg


Latest Episodes

The Hack
April 11, 2024

A cyberattack against a giant gets us thinking about antitrust.

How to Get a Surprise Bill on Your Way to the Hospital
July 27, 2023

Ambulance rides are one of the most common sources of surprise medical bills. So why did Congress leave them out of the No Surprises Act?

Wait, what’s a PBM (and how do they work)?
July 06, 2023

If youve been told your insurance wont cover your meds or that youre gonna have to pay an arm and a leg for them youve met a PBM: a pharmacy benefits manager. And: Experts say they play a big role in jacking up drug prices overall. But h

Credit Card, Please
June 15, 2023

A listeners doctor wanted her credit card info up front before her appointment. She wondered: Do I need to give it to them? We did too.

A ‘payday loan’ from a health care behemoth
May 25, 2023

What happens when a single company runs the most U.S. health insurance plans, owns a network employing more doctors than anyone else, and starts to get into the business of loaning money to doctors?

Mental health ‘ghost networks’ — and a ghost-buster
May 03, 2023

Trying to find a therapist can be a horror story. Its also a ghost story.

A $229,000 medical bill goes to court
April 13, 2023

Before her surgery, a hospital told Lisa French she would end up owing them $1,337. After insurance paid them more than theyd expected to get the hospital billed her $229,000. And sued her for it

A doctor’s love letter to ‘the People’s Hospital’
March 23, 2023

What if we had a decent, publicly-funded health system available to everybody, with or without insurance? Weve got one, says Dr. Ricardo Nuila. Its where he works

Lessons from “wrestling with a giant”
March 02, 2023

The ER visit was quick and uneventful. The bill was $1,300. Our listener decided to push back. He didn't win, but he learned a lot and so did we.

The bill looked like BS. So she took it to small claims court.
February 09, 2023

A listener wrote: I sued a hospital in small claims court. She lost, but felt like shed won and learned a ton. Now she wants to encourage more people to try it. Youre gonna want to hear this sto