Dan Weissmann

This scary calculator is SUPER relevant to anybody looking at Obamacare for 2026

... and plays a big role in @armandalegshow.bsky.social's brand-new episode.

It's personal — and full of info that you, or someone you care about, probably need too.

armandalegshow.com/episode/insu...

An Arm and A Leg • Why health care costs so much and what to do Want to fight the awful cost of health care — like outrageous medical bills, health insurance denials, shady debt collectors? Check out our reporting.

Awesome list (and great adds in the comments)!
Adding a plug for my tiny, audience-supported @armandalegshow.bsky.social
armandalegshow.com

As Congress fights over government funding and Dems demand an extension of ACA Market place subsidies, new CBO estimates say permanently extending them would mean 3.8 million more people get insurance, while premiums would be 7.6% LOWER on average through 2035.
www.cbo.gov/system/files...

Team Trump’s Answer to Ballooning Obamacare Premiums: Less Generous Coverage - KFF Health News Tens of millions of people face sticker shock enrolling in Affordable Care Act insurance for 2026. To save money, the Trump administration wants them to consider less generous coverage.

Tens of millions of people face sticker shock enrolling in Affordable Care Act insurance for 2026. To save money, the Trump administration wants them to consider less generous coverage.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

FCC’s Final Rule on Consent Kills One-to-One Consent Requirement - insideARM The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) has finalized its rule under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), addressing prior express consent requirements for sellers to send advertisements a...

I think this means the FCC just wiped out whatever protection we might've had from spam calls/texts. 😕

(Can someone who's a lawyer PLEASE tell me I've got this wrong? I'd really like to be wrong.)
www.insidearm.com/news/0009418...

I Have Dental Insurance. Why Do I Pay So Much for Care?

"Is dental insurance a scam?" asks NYT.

“It’s hard not to say yes,” a dentist responds. “I don’t think it’s looking out for the patient’s best interest.”

Gift link

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/15/w...

Help! Do I have to pay for the hospital’s $47,000 mistake? • An Arm And a Leg Hey there — I get a lot of questions from An Arm and a Leg listeners. Sometimes I write back with advice. So: Why not share? Welcome to an experiment: Our

In our first-ever “First Aid Kit” advice column, @danweissmann.bsky.social responds to a listener whose hospital was late in filing an insurance claim. Read it here: armandalegshow.com/first-aid-ki...

Also: yes— thank you so much for chiming in here!

So, any other jabs I’ve been meaning to get — Shingrix dose 2 for me, a final meningitis booster for my kid— might be prudent to grab before 9/18?

Some real holy-crap numbers here.
We spend 80% more than the avg for Western Europe/Japan/Australia

… and see our doctors HALF as often.

this is a very helpful guide to a completely insane situation

Help! Insurance denied my claim. • An Arm And a Leg 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.

For a deeper dive -- including templates for appeal letters, and tips from people who do these appeals for a living -- @armandalegshow.bsky.social has a collection right here:
armandalegshow.com/starter-pack...

Fighting a Health Insurance Denial? Here Are 7 Tips To Help - KFF Health News Many people don’t know they can fight a health insurance denial, let alone how to do it. Here are practical tips for consumers who want to appeal a prior authorization decision.

Excellent primer. Go ahead and bookmark it. You, or somebody you know, is gonna need it.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

“In July, Donald Trump submitted a request to rescind $9bn in funding that Congress had already set aside for foreign aid and broadcasting programs.

“The request included a $400m cut to Pepfar [AIDS relief] – but while lawmakers agreed to other cuts, they protected Pepfar”

Now those $ are withheld

NEW: Feel like you're reading more about hospitals fighting with insurers and even stranding patients out of network?

It's not your imagination. Almost 1 in 5 hospitals had a brawl with an insurer in the past 4 years.

Trump admin cuts mean we're likely to see even more...

Whoa— any chance you’ve got a relevant link handy?

Why health costs are going to hit workers hard next year The added costs will hit workers already reeling from inflationary pressures.

“Employers appear much more reluctant to eat higher benefit costs.

Mercer found 51% said they would be shifting costs to employees this year, up from 44% last year.”
www.axios.com/2025/08/20/w...

SUPER-exciting news: @armandalegshow.bsky.social is a finalist — actually the *only* finalist so I think we're gonna win — for Excellence in Audio Digital Storytelling, Ongoing Series.

Previous winners: @laist.com, @aljazeera.com, and @wsj.com!!

Our tiny team punching WAY above our weight here!

Try This When Your Doctor Says ‘Yes’ to a Preventive Test but Insurance Says ‘No’ - KFF Health News A joint project of NPR and KFF Health News, Health Care Helpline helps you navigate the health system hurdles between you and good care. Send us your tricky questions, and we may tap a policy sleuth t...

Insurance companies bank on people giving up. HR might be able to help escalate your case. Health Care Helpline from @npr.org and KFF Health News has some tips.
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

“It’s a radical agenda,” said Angela Rasmussen, a virologist at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada. “He’s using a bunch of different mechanisms and there really are no guardrails.”

AI scribe companies promise to help doctors bill more. Who will pay the extra cost? Like any conscientious health policy Ph.D. student, Paige Nong went to the doctor for her free annual well visit. But as she checked in, the person at the

We think of AI as something that decreases costs and increases revenue. But _for whom_ does it make more $?

AI scribe companies promise that doctors will now get paid for everything they did in a visit. But where is that money coming from?

All of us.

More from me @statnews.com:
🖥️🩺

Oof, here too looks like…

Oh wow.

Really, NYT Spelling Bee? You think there’s a chance that I — a podcaster — could miss this panagram? First thing I saw.

How One Man Fought A Pharmaceutical Monopoly Welcome to the podcast Organized Money.

You need a little hope in your day? Right here.

The "one man" in the headline is @johngreensbluesky.bsky.social — who will be the first to tell you he didn't fight alone.

Give a listen.

(Disclosure: I co-reported this w/ @emilypisacreta.bsky.social.)
www.organizedmoney.fm/p/how-one-ma...

How to Pay Less for Your Prescriptions and Brace for a Health Insurance Shake-Up Podcast Episode · NerdWallet's Smart Money Podcast · 08/18/2025 · 30m

How to pay less for your prescriptions -- a 15-minute crash course -- from me and the hosts of NerdWallet's "Smart Money" podcast.

I wish I could say it'll solve *all* your problems, but I can tell you: I wish I'd known all of this earlier.
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/h...

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Fed up with U.S. health care costs, these Americans moved abroad Three Americans explain why they left for Italy, South Korea and France, after crippling medical debt or a lack of coverage left them afraid to seek medical help at home.

Folks go into exile seeking affordable health care.
“We get older, things start going on, and we need more regular health care,” says a cancer survivor. “And I thought, ‘I really can’t afford to be here.’”

wapo.st/4lH0rwc

Sorting Out Covid Vaccine Confusion: New and Conflicting Federal Policies Raise Questions - KFF Health News Should you get vaccinated? Will your insurer pay for it? And will you still be able to find a vaccine? KFF Health News tries to sort out where things stand.

“If you want a COVID-19 shot this fall, will your employer’s health insurance plan for it?” Details on this and more here...

kffhealthnews.org/news/article...