“Refreshing”

November 26, 2019

What a refreshing look at health care in the USA! Instead of a politics focus, this show takes the listener on a journey with compelling stories from citizens who are dealing with our often-convoluted health care system on a daily basis. Dan Weissmann, the host, does a marvelous job of keeping this podcast about potentially terrifying and depressing topics upbeat, hopeful, and informative. Highly recommend!

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Latest Episodes

Keep listening for info on why health care costs so freaking much, and what we can (maybe) do about it.

December 29, 2025

Our favorite project of 2025 levels up — and you can help

December 11, 2025

Some more things that didn’t suck in 2025

November 20, 2025

How to pick health insurance — in the worst year ever

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Starter Packs

Our Starter Packs are full of useful information and actionable advice on all things healthcare.

How to wipe out your medical bill with charity care

Most hospitals are required by law to provide financial assistance (AKA “charity care”) to a portion of their patients. And more people qualify than know about it.

How do I shop for health insurance?

Picking a health insurance plan can be overwhelming. Here’s our best advice.

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

Don’t freak out. We’ve created a guide to help you manage.

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.

First Aid Kit

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

January 9, 2026

Knock out your check-ups early in the year — seriously

Hey there, and happy New Year! We’re kicking off the year with a story and some advice from the early days of An Arm and a Leg that (unfortunately) remains relevant year after year. Back when the show was just getting started, Dan got an email from a listener named Rebecca in New York City. The subject line: “Don’t get sick in

December 29, 2025

Our favorite 2025 project levels up

Hey there — Today’s podcast episode represents the culmination of a big year’s work by the whole Arm and a Leg team — and of a lot of years’ work by everybody who’s contributed to the show and helped it along. And I think it represents the beginning of something new, and so exciting. When I first imagined An Arm and a Leg,

December 18, 2025

What we loved this year (not health care related)

Hey there — The end of 2025 is near, which hopefully means you get some sort of break. We’ll be taking a quick one next week ourselves — and before we go, we want to share a few suggestions for your long road trip home or time spent vegging out by the fire: some of the An Arm and a Leg team’s favorite

December 11, 2025

More things states did to make things suck less

Hey there — We’re picking up on a series we started a few weeks ago, looking back — in a year when lots of things got bumpy — on things that states did in 2025 to make things suck at least a little less. In red, blue, and purple states, governors signed bills aimed at protecting people from things like medical

December 5, 2025

I’m getting (cautiously) AI-curious

Hey there, Last year, we talked with tech worker Holden Karau, who had built an AI-powered tool to fight denials by insurance companies with the slogan “Make your insurance company cry, too!” Since then, more tools have cropped up. A few months ago, an episode of The Nocturnists (a podcast made by and for health care workers) looked at a company called Claimable. So

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