First Aid Kit Archive • An Arm And a Leg

First Aid Kit

Our newsletter sums up and shares the practical lessons we’ve learned about surviving the health care system, financially.

Showing 34-44 of 60

Browse by Category

Fighting with insurance, part 1

Let’s get started.

A provider wants you to pay in advance. Should you?

Not if you don’t have to. And often, you may not have to.

Getting insurance to pay for therapy

Not for the faint of heart. But we’ve got a roadmap from someone who’s done it.

How to not freak out: Our most important advice ever

Yes, easier said than done. We’ve got strategies for you.

Consider paying cash (at least sometimes)

You can tell ‘em: Don’t run this through my insurance.

January 26, 2023

Get an itemized medical bill and fact-check it

Do you really owe that much? Maybe not.

January 10, 2023

Extra: One BIG tip if you signed up for a 2023 Obamacare plan

Double-check to make sure “in-network” docs are really in-network. Like, call them. Today.

December 8, 2022

Picking insurance (again)? We’ve got some updates

Still the same garbage system, but some glimmers of decent news.

November 21, 2022

First, see if you can get your medical bill forgiven

Lots of people qualify— but providers won’t always tell you, or make it easy. Luckily, you can get help.

October 20, 2022

What not to do when you get a big medical bill

Don’t pay it right away, but don’t ignore it either.

Programming note

We're slowing down a bit, for now.

Looking for something?

For topic-specific deep dives and recommended reading, check out our Starter Packs or use the search bar below to explore our site.

More of our reporting

Starter Packs

Jumping off points: Our best episodes and our best answers to some big questions.

Explore our Starter Packs →

How do I shop for health insurance?

Picking a health insurance plan can be super confusing. Here's our best advice.

Help! I’m stuck with a gigantic medical bill.

Don't freak out. We've laid out tips to help you manage your medical bills.

The prescription drug playbook

The high cost of prescription meds in the US is a crisis: one in four adults say they’ve skipped taking a prescription in the past year because of cost.

Why are my meds so expensive?

Getting your meds shouldn’t feel like mission impossible. Here’s a hand-picked mix of our most practical tips, background stories, and real listener experiences—so you can save money, understand the system, and know you’re not alone.

Help! Insurance denied my claim.

Insurance denies lots of claims, and people give up. But the majority of people who appeal win. Here's the best of what we've published so far to help you.

See All Our Starter Packs

If you don't know where to start or are just getting to know us, we recommend you start here.

Podcast Episodes

Our show about why health care costs so freaking much, and what we can (maybe) do about it.

Explore the podcast →

September 18, 2025

Will we be able to afford insurance in 2026?

An Arm and a Leg's senior producer has to sign up for Obamacare. And it turns out, it’s one heck of a year to do that.

August 28, 2025

‘The Insurance Warrior’ battles a $61 billion company (from 2021)

Laurie Todd calls herself "The Insurance Warrior." Here's the story of one of her first big battles.

A wild health insurance hustle

They thought they were buying insurance. Instead, they got fake “jobs.”

The great American drug shortage isn’t an accident, it’s artificial (from Organized Money)

What's up with drug shortages? From the podcast Organized Money.

Robots sing: The Prescription Drug Playbook Song

You just gotta hear this.

See the Episode Archive

One of the most enraging, terrifying, depressing parts of American life made entertaining, empowering, and useful.