New episode: What DIDN’T suck in 2025

Thanks! OK, now…

New episode this week: What didn’t suck in 2025

Yep, you read that right.

True, 2025 has been rough. See, for instance, the federal government being shut down because Congress won’t extend health-insurance subsidies that 20 million people rely on.

And that’s just on health care, and just for starters.

But state governments — in blue states, purple states, and red states — have done stuff on health care this year that did not suck at all.

Stuff like: Creating new protections from predatory debt collectors, and new limits on the hoops insurance companies can make you jump through — aka the ever-increasing burden of prior authorization — that can cause delays and denials for vital care.

So many states have acted on so many issues, it’s gonna take us multiple episodes just to give you a good sample. Starting with this one.

Today’s episode takes us to Nebraska, where the state passed aggressive new restrictions on prior authorization. (19 other states also passed new prior-auth rules this year.)

And Virginia, where lawmakers banned wage garnishment for lots of medical debts.

We’ve also been talking to folks in Maine — one of a half-dozen states that restricted the listing of medical debts on credit reports.

And Arkansas, one of a *bunch* of states to pass new rules on pharmacy benefit managers — the middleman companies that decide how much you pay for drugs.

And Oregon, which passed a law restricting the ability of big corporations to buy up medical practices — a law inspired in part by events we reported on last year that involved the ever-more-enormous (and hated) UnitedHealth Group.

So, you know: Stay tuned.

Also: Open enrollment is here

And it’s a real mess.

In addition to the double-whammy on ACA plans — higher premiums plus (still) greatly-reduced subsidies — premiums are skyrocketing for everyone.

Workplace plans are projected to see their biggest increases in 15 years.

This hits close to home: My family’s plan is gonna cost about $6,000 more in 2026. My colleague Emily’s still figuring out how she can afford her own insurance for next year, and I’m trying to raise enough money so An Arm and a Leg can be part of the solution.

…and of course it’s not just us. We’ll have more in the next couple of newsletters, and in our next podcast episode.

Meanwhile, here’s a gift link to a New York Times story with shorthand answers to some big questions (including: “Can A.I. help me choose health coverage?” Short answer: Um, not without a lot of human-powered checking.)

…and an Arm and a Leg starter pack with our best advice on how to shop for health insurance.

More soon. For now…

Thank you so much!

… for helping us keep doing this work. Your stories, your questions, and yes — your donations (matched two-to-one this month!) — power everything we do.

Here’s a note that made my week. It arrived just as our fundraising campaign started, from a health care provider named Tamara:

Your reporting has helped me help my patients, as well as my own family, to find quality, affordable healthcare. I started accepting insurance in my private practice about a year ago, and was better prepared for the obstacles thanks to what I’ve learned so much through An Arm and a Leg that I wish I had been taught in grad school.

Also, we’re an ACA insured family, since my husband and I are both entrepreneurs. This next year’s going to be a wild one, so I really need y’all to be around to keep giving us the real real!!

Tamara made a $50 donation, and the two-to-one match means her gift meant $150 to fund our work.

Let’s keep it going! Here’s that donation link again.