Who’s making a buck: rapid test edition. Rapid, at-home COVID tests are pretty much essential if you want to see friends and family this holiday season, and stay safe. 


But they’re freaking expensive and can be hard to find. What the heck happened? 


When ProPublica reporter Eric Umansky went looking for COVID tests recently, he came back empty handed. He and fellow reporter Lydia DePillis investigated, tracing the US’s rapid testing problem all the way back to the FDA and other government agencies. 


Plus, Dr. Celine Gounder talks about why these tests are so important in the first place and how best to deploy them this holiday season — if you can find some. 

Here’s a transcript of the episode. 

Send your stories and questions: https://armandalegshow.com/contact/ or call 724 ARM-N-LEG


And of course we’d love for you to support this show.

UPDATE: We've pushed past the amount the NewsMatch campaign has funds to match(!)

... and we can keep going with your help. And earn a bonus.

If we raise $5,000 to match funds folks have already donated, the Knight Foundation will give us a $1,000 bonus.

Please help us now! Gotta get it done by Dec. 31. Here, go for it. 

Who’s making a buck: rapid test edition. Rapid, at-home COVID tests are pretty much essential if you want to see friends and family this holiday season, and stay safe.&nbsp; But they’re freaking expensive and can be hard to find. What the heck happened?&nbsp; When ProPublica reporter Eric Umansky went looking for COVID tests recently, he came back empty handed. He and fellow reporter Lydia DePillis investigated, tracing the US’s rapid testing problem all the way back to the FDA and other government agencies.&nbsp; Plus, Dr. Celine Gounder talks about why these tests are so important in the first place and how best to deploy them this holiday season — if you can find some.&nbsp;Here’s a <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Web-Transcript-S6-EP10_Rapid-Tests-dec-17-draft.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">transcript of the episode</a>.&nbsp;Send your stories and questions: <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://armandalegshow.com/contact/</a> or call 724 ARM-N-LEG And of course we’d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">support this show</a>.UPDATE: We've pushed past the amount the NewsMatch campaign has funds to match(!)... and we can keep going with your help. And earn a bonus.If we raise $5,000 to match funds folks have already donated, the Knight Foundation will give us a $1,000 bonus.Please help us now! Gotta get it done by Dec. 31. Here, <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/match/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">go for it</a>.&nbsp;

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

Who’s making a buck: rapid test edition. We got the scoop from ProPublica’s Lydia DePillis and Eric Umansky. Plus, infectious-disease expert Dr. Celine Gounder on why these tests are such a vital public-health tool.

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