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.

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November 30, 2021

Buying your own health insurance? Healthcare.gov. Full stop

Health insurance you can buy on healthcare.gov is crappy in the usual ways. Everything else is worse.

November 23, 2021

WTF even is this health insurance I’m picking?

HMO? PPO? TBH it's like alphabet soup out there. We've got the dictionary you need.

November 16, 2021

Avoiding crappy health insurance

To identify the lousiest plans, run two scenarios.

November 9, 2021

Introducing First Aid Kit: A financial survival guide to health care

We live in hell. Who wants some burn cream?

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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.

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How to wipe out your medical bill with charity care

Our guide to an under-the-radar but essential resource for wiping out medical debt.

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.

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.

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The Supreme Court case that could slow generic drugs

The Supreme Court hears a case about "skinny labels" — a legal carveout used by generic drugmakers — that has major stakes for patients.

Why drugs cost so much, 101: Medicine monopolies

How a street-smart patent lawyer helped shape a grand bargain between brand-name and generic drug companies — and the unforeseen consequences he's determined to fix.

‘Not workable’: How two Americans picked a plan this year — or didn’t

Featuring: An attorney with a kid who plays polo and a third-generation skateboard-shop owner.

February 26, 2026

The EpiPen and Food Allergies (from Drug Story)

How a lifesaving – and notoriously pricey – drug came to be. From journalist Thomas Goetz.

February 5, 2026

NYT’s Ron Lieber: ‘These people are not going to win’

When NYT columnist Ron Lieber's wife got an unexpected insurance denial 36 hours before surgery, he started asking: why does this happen? And how can we better arm ourselves in advance?

See the Episode Archive

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