COVID testing—the kind they send to a lab— is supposed to be free in the U.S. But it’s never been quite that simple. We’re revisiting our sadly-still-relevant interview with Sarah Kliff from the New York Times, who joined us in November 2020 to share what she learned from reading hundreds of COVID testing bills. 


Her advice? Avoid the ER, do some research ahead of time, and ask if they’re going to do any other tests (which may not be covered 100%). 


We summed up some of her advice in a recent First Aid Kit newsletter, and then added some more COVID-test advice in this week's First Aid Kit.


Here's a transcript for this episode.

Got a story to tell, or a wild bill to share?  Get in touch.

We can only make this show because listeners like you support us. Wanna pitch in? 

COVID testing—the kind they send to a lab— is supposed to be free in the U.S. But it’s never been quite that simple. We’re revisiting our sadly-still-relevant interview with Sarah Kliff from the New York Times, who joined us in November 2020 to share what she learned from reading hundreds of COVID testing bills.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/upshot/coronavirus-test-bill-cost.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Her advice</a>? Avoid the ER, do some research ahead of time, and ask if they’re going to do any other tests (which may not be covered 100%).&nbsp; We summed up some of her advice in <a href="https://firstaidkit.substack.com/p/avoiding-a-huge-bill-covid-test" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">a recent First Aid Kit newsletter</a>, and then added some <a href="https://firstaidkit.substack.com/p/covid-test-by-using-a-bot" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">more COVID-test advice in this week's First Aid Kit</a>. Here's a <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Web-Transcript-Re-publish-COVID-Test-Bills-w-Sarah-Kliff-Script.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transcript for this episode</a>.Got a story to tell, or a wild bill to share? <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Get in touch</a>.We can only make this show because listeners like you support us. <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Wanna pitch in</a>?

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.

An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;is a podcast about why health care costs so freaking much and what we can (maybe) do about it.
If you&rsquo;ve ever been surprised by a medical bill, you&rsquo;re in good company. But as our team of seasoned journalists has learned from years of reporting &mdash; you&rsquo;re not always helpless. We don&rsquo;t have all the answers, but we&rsquo;ll offer you tools and big picture insights with plenty of humor and heart.&nbsp;
An Arm and a Leg is co-produced with <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/">KFF Health News</a> and distributed in partnership with <a href="https://www.kuow.org/">KUOW</a>.
You can support An Arm and a Leg&nbsp;by donating at <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">armandalegshow.com/support/</a>
<hr>
Show Credits:&nbsp;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.

An Arm and a Leg

COVID testing—the kind they send to a lab— is free. Right? Yeah, except when it’s not. Revisiting our (sadly, still relevant) interview with Sarah Kliff of the New York Times