Good reminder that the medical debt numbers you see don't include credit card debt taken on to pay a medical bill. The problem is worse than even the grim numbers presented suggest.

It’s been a remarkable year for the @armandalegshow.bsky.social team, and my favorite 2025 project is also the one I’m most stoked for in 2026. It’s a collaboration with our readers and listeners. It will help a LOT of folks. And you can get involved. armandalegshow.com/first-aid-ki...

Read it (gift link) and weep wapo.st/4amcTzk

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...

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...

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...

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...

"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...

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...

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

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...

“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!

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.”

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: 🖥️🩺

Oh wow.

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

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 -- 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...

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

“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...

“Legal experts agree, a sale to The Onion is more likely now that Infowars' fate has shifted to Texas state court”

Amid the challenges of adulthood, one rite of passage is unique to the United States: the need to find your own health insurance by the time you turn 26. Today, an estimated 15% of 26-year-olds go uninsured, which, according to a @kff.org analysis, is the highest rate among Americans of any age.

UnitedHealth Group-- the giant monopolist -- just got the OK to buy a giant home-health-care company. Beyond health insurance, UHG has gobbled up huge parts of health care -- for instance, they employ more doctors than the VA (or anyone else).

Our website got a makeover, and we're so excited to share it! We've even added a new feature—Starter Packs. These are curated collections of our answers to some of your most-asked questions. Explore it all here: armandalegshow.com

I assume Google has data like this too. Don’t they make their money on ads in search? Honestly curious: can someone help me understand why they would undermine their own business? Is it really just bright-shiny-object syndrome? Chasing “dominance” in a new field? Is there a business case?

FDA panel on antidepressants: “Nearly all of the 10 panelists emphasized what they said were risks of the drugs. Some claimed, without evidence, that antidepressants don't work at all.” www.nbcnews.com/health/menta...

“If approved, a new rule could end the entrenched pay advantages for specialists like surgeons over other doctors.” (Gift link) Potentially huge (and complicated). www.nytimes.com/2025/07/21/u...

A credit counselor told me she *routinely* referred clients to the CFPB when creditors acted unfairly. And it worked. Now... "CFPB employees say they essentially spend the workday sitting on their hands, forbidden from doing any work by directive from the White House." apnews.com/article/cfpb...

ICYMI: A federal rule that would have zapped medical debts from credit reports ... itself got zapped by a federal judge this week. According to a federal report, more than half of collection entries on credit reports are for medical debts. apnews.com/article/cfpb...

Essential, grim reading — here’s a gift link, and a sample detail: “The offices for medical devices, tobacco products and generic drugs were all but eviscerated.” www.nytimes.com/2025/07/08/m...

For the last six months, my colleagues and I have been compiling our best "playbook" for dealing with the awful price of meds — with suggestions from dozens of listeners and readers. Now, we've published the results — five newsletter posts, two podcast episodes, and more: armandalegshow.com/drugs/

One in four Americans say they've skipped taking meds in the past 12 months because of cost. We'd like to put a dent in that. With help from listeners and experts, we've been putting together the best collection of hacks, patches and workarounds we can. Now we're sharing it. armandalegshow.com

NYT: 5 Places to Turn for Accurate Health Information (gift link) Changes to federal health websites have raised concerns about their reliability. These independent sources offer an alternative www.nytimes.com/2025/04/28/w...

23 & me went bankrupt. Their (your) data could end up… I dunno where. Gift link: wapo.st/4kUsBEF

Um, wow. "This year, the AMA hasn’t sent a single letter or issued any news releases opposing Medicaid cuts. By contrast, the group has issued seven news releases since January on the lack of congressional action on physician fees." kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

A 22 year-old in Wisconsin was told his asthma meds would cost $500. He left the pharmacy without them — and died within two weeks, per a lawsuit filed by his parents. Here's some things @bailypark.bsky.social and I wish he'd known, from Wisconsin Public Radio. www.wpr.org/news/cant-af...

Some takeaways from the FDA confirmation hearing for Dr. Marty Makary: 1. He was very polite 2. He gave a crack of light to foes of the abortion pill 3. He may do performative vaccine reviews; he complained about required Covid vaccines for kids. Who requires that? www.nytimes.com/2025/03/06/h...

The No Surprises Act protects patients from some out-of-network bills. Been wondering: How’s the federal office that helps enforce that law doing right now? Answer: Um, not great. kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

We’ve been tracking one piece of the Trump administration’s slash/burn campaign: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau— and its role helping people with medical debts. A federal court has barred further cuts, for now. But… firstaidkit.substack.com/p/a-medical-...

Is anyone archiving the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's website? Lots of important info there. Also, this list of state consumer-protection offices —the best that I'm finding right now — seems to be on a federal website. Maybe it needs a home too? www.usa.gov/state-consumer

Today's hearing on the Trump admin's attempt to shut down the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Bloomberg Law reporter live-skeeting from Amy Berman Jackson's courtroom...

I wrote up the now five different cases where CFPB dismissed the lawsuits, essentially clearing the decks of litigation and enforcement, all while its nominee to run the agency was in his Senate confirmation hearing. (The dek has been changed, it's five cases now) prospect.org/economy/2025...

“I felt my stomach sink to the floor” — a credit counselor, when news broke that Trump officials were closing the Comsumer Financial Protection Bureau. We also hear from @nclc4consumers.bsky.social on the fight to re-open it. armandalegshow.com/episode/cfpb/

My colleague @clairedavenport.bsky.social is helping her roommate push back against $14.5K in medical bills -- and sharing what she learns in our First Aid Kit newsletter. It's a saga. Chapter 1 came out today... firstaidkit.substack.com/p/how-my-roo...