Whoa, this medical device is spying on me. In my sleep. So my insurer can deny me coverage.

That’s the rude awakening Eric Umansky got when he called the company that provided his CPAP machine — a device that helps him breathe at night.He got mad. And he got even, in a way: Eric is an editor at the non-profit newsroom ProPublica, and he tipped a colleague —Marshall Allen, who covers health care there.The two of them together, in this episode, are hilarious and enlightening.The story Marshall wroteopened up bigger issues about how insurance companies are collecting all kinds of data to use against us.And it included at least one example of how the “little guy” can fight back sometimes, and win.Extra fun: One of those examples features a 16 year-old Marshall Allen.Marshall Allen, age 16, in his 1988 yearbook photo. (Photo courtesy Marshall Allen.)Note: Eric curses a couple of times. We left it in. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Om Podcasten

An Arm and a Leg is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it. If you’ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you’re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting — you’re not always helpless. We don’t have all the answers, but we’ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart.  An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with KFF Health News and distributed in partnership with KUOW. You can support An Arm and a Leg by donating at armandalegshow.com/support/ Show Credits: Created, hosted, and produced by Dan Weissmann with senior producer Emily Pisacreta and engagement producer Claire Davenport, edited by Ellen Weiss. Audio wizard: Adam Raymonda. Music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations. Lynne Johnson is our operations manager.