We love the notes you send us

Hey there,

Dan started An Arm and a Leg with the idea that we’re better equipped to face America’s broken health care system together. And this newsletter builds on that idea, sharing the most-useful nuggets, winning strategies, and useful resources we cover on the show.

And we couldn’t have asked for better company on that journey. Since we brought this newsletter weekly, you’ve asked us questions, shared your stories, and even made resources for fighting medical bills with the help of fellow readers.

THANK YOU!

Today, we’re sharing a tiny sample of tips, requests, and resources from our inbox — stuff we’d be remiss not to pass around.

But first — speaking of passing stuff around — we’ve got a hat to pass around. It’s our BIG fundraising season, and we need your help.

Now, until the end of November, any gift you give gets double matched. $25 turns into $75. So even if you can only share a little bit, that little bit gets multiplied and becomes a lot.

Help us build this community and keep sharing resources with each other next year.

Thanks! We can’t do this without you.

Another tip about prescriptions: check the instructions

David from Arizona wrote to expand on our recent tip for fighting sticker shock at the pharmacy counter:

“As a prescribing Nurse Practitioner, I’ve fielded many calls from upset patients frustrated over their prescription costs. A couple other things patients can do.

Verify “DAW” [Dispense As Written] wasn’t accidentally selected on the script. “Dispense as written” sometimes gets inadvertently selected in the electronic health record (EHR) when the provider is prescribing the drug.

Also the EHR dropdown menus occasionally have a myriad number of formulations for the same med. Double check!”

Thanks, David!

How about a tip sheet for health care workers??

“I’m a nurse at a safety net hospital and constantly see firsthand how the US healthcare system chews up and spits out all but the very wealthiest Americans … I’d love to see a resource specifically for how healthcare workers can best advocate for patients. A quick one-page tip sheet would be great!” – Lex from Minnesota

Lex,

It’s always incredible to hear from health care workers like you, who work so hard keeping people healthy and alive, but who refuse to walk away when they think they can do more. Thank you for what you do, and for asking this question.

You’ve probably seen the resource med student Thomas is building — a one-sheet guide for patients that health care workers (and really anyone else) can share, with links to a range of helpful orgs for getting care and avoiding debt.

(Anyone can still make suggestions for the next version or volunteer to pitch in.)

But we don’t yet have a comprehensive/compact list of tips for health care workers.

Maybe someone else has built that list? Or someone reading this wants to make that resource next?

Cartoons and data visualizations!

Listener Sarah Reed — an engineer, designer, artist, and self-described data geek — writes:

I’m a big fan of your podcast. What I love is that it brings a really human touch to a complicated and frustrating aspect of all of our lives. I’ve learned a lot listening to it.

I’m an information visualization developer and I’ve recently created a cartoon series focused on explaining the nerdy inner workings of our healthcare system. Like your podcast, I strive to explain this complicated behemoth we’re living in to regular people.

And they’re great!

• Our crazy system collects Sarah’s answers to some big-picture questions
• … and her portfolio includes work about the cost of cancer, the price of GLP-1 drugs, and her adventures shopping for a procedure.

As you can see — wow. We’re so lucky to have you as our readers and community in the fight against our messed-up health care system. So from the whole team at An Arm and a Leg: THANK YOU.

And please keep sending us your messages! You can do that here or by replying to this email.

There’s one more inspiring thing you’ve been sending us recently — donations! And sometimes, nice notes that go along with them.

This one, from Steph in Massachusetts, got us a little teary:

Your podcast is part of the reason why I’m a career changer applying for Patient Financial Counselor jobs. You’re all so incredible, thank you so so much for the work you do.

So, if like us, you find this community meaningful, consider donating right now — ‘cuz for four more days, every dollar you donate to our show gets tripled thanks to a program called NewsMatch.

Pretty cool, right? We’d love for you to join in. If you want to pitch in, you can do that here:

That’s all from me this week. Happy Turkey Day tomorrow to all who celebrate.

— Claire