Today we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from the archive – a story about giving – and bringing you an update.  


In 1980, a young father named Denny Buehler was battling leukemia and needed to travel from Cincinnati to Seattle for treatment. To raise the money, his friends and family threw a softball tournament. 


Denny passed away a few months later. But his friends and family turned the softball tournament into a beloved tradition, and a chance to give back. For more than 40 years, they’d host the games and sell hot dogs to raise money for people in the area who needed help with medical expenses. 


Then in 2019, the Denny Beuhler Memorial Fund found a way to make the money they’d fundraise go a hundred times farther. Literally. 


Inspired by a segment on Last Week Tonight, they partnered with a group to buy up old medical debt – and erase it. 


Now in 2024, that group – now known as Undue Medical Debt – has grown its influence and helped crush billions (!) in debt.


Here’s a transcript of this episode. 


Send your stories and questions. Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.


And again — we’d love for you to support this show.

Today we’re revisiting one of our favorite episodes from the archive – a story about giving – and bringing you an update.&nbsp;&nbsp; In 1980, a young father named Denny Buehler was battling leukemia and needed to travel from Cincinnati to Seattle for treatment. To raise the money, his friends and family threw a softball tournament.&nbsp; Denny passed away a few months later. But his friends and family turned the softball tournament into a beloved tradition, and a chance to give back. For more than 40 years, they’d host the games and sell hot dogs to raise money for people in the area who needed help with medical expenses.&nbsp; Then in 2019, the <a href="https://www.dennybuehler.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Denny Beuhler Memorial Fund</a> found a way to make the money they’d fundraise go a hundred times farther. Literally.&nbsp; Inspired by a segment on Last Week Tonight, they partnered with a group to buy up old medical debt – and erase it.&nbsp; Now in 2024, that group – now known as <a href="https://unduemedicaldebt.org/mission-and-history/?utm_source=google&amp;utm_medium=adgrant&amp;utm_campaign=Brand&amp;utm_term=undue%20medical%20debt&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gclid=CjwKCAiAjeW6BhBAEiwAdKltMiV7LhmRs77pC5-HQNYD_d5IVFBOOHfrlhcJ7jF0lejZmbGI9TBCdBoCqGMQAvD_BwE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Undue Medical Debt</a> – has grown its influence and helped crush billions (!) in debt. <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/WEB-TRANSCRIPT_S12-Ep09_Cincinnati-Redux-Dec-10.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Here’s a transcript of this episode</a>.&nbsp; <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG. And again — we’d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support this show</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

From the archives: a family tragedy, a 40-year tradition, and a $1 million in medical debt erased.

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