An Arm and a Leg

An Arm and a Leg


Latest Episodes

Introducing: Last Day
February 10, 2022

Stephanie Wittels Wachs has made *the* show about a topic that's too enraging, terrifying, and depressing for An Arm and a Leg: the opioid crisis. And it's as entertaining, empowering and useful as we

Meet your new rights under the No Surprises Act
January 27, 2022

The No Surprises Act — a new law that protects us from some outrageous out-of-network hospital bills — takes effect this month. That's great news, but (and there’s always a but) there are some importa

2022 update: How to avoid a big bill for your COVID test (feat. Sarah Kliff)
January 13, 2022

COVID testing—the kind they send to a lab— is free. Right? Yeah, except when it’s not. Revisiting our (sadly, still relevant) interview with Sarah Kliff of the New York Times

Our Year in Review, with members of the Arm and a Leg team
December 30, 2021

Some of the team take a moment to reflect on why we make the show and what we look forward to doing in 2022

Why rapid COVID tests are so freaking expensive
December 20, 2021

Who’s making a buck: rapid test edition. We got the scoop from ProPublica’s Lydia DePillis and Eric Umansky. Plus, infectious-disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder on why these tests are such a vital publ

Fighting with health insurance is easy (for Jackie Fox)
December 09, 2021

Health insurance is like a medieval horror, says law prof. Jackie Fox. But—funny thing—she also says insurance fights are easy. For her. We asked her for some lessons.

How to avoid the crappiest health insurance.
November 24, 2021

One journalist almost got roped into a scam. Plus, top health insurance nerds teach us how to find and read the fine print.

The Insurance Warrior takes on a $61B Company
November 11, 2021

When Mattew Lientz needed surgery to save his life, his insurance wouldn’t cover it. Enter: Laurie Todd, the Insurance Warrior. Her first task: Figuring out who Matthew was really fighting, and how bi

Meet the Insurance Warrior
November 01, 2021

In 2005, Laurie Todd needed surgery to save her life. Her insurance company had no intention of paying for it. She went to war. Won. And has been helping other do the same ever since.

We spend 12 million hours a week on the phone with health insurance
October 14, 2021

Body: Yup. A Stanford professor measured it. So… we should probably learn how they actually make money, understand their incentives.