People who work in real-life emergency rooms have raved about how accurately the new drama The Pitt (Max) captures the dynamics and the medical details of their workplaces.

Here at An Arm and a Leg, we’ve been nerding out about how the show depicts the financial forces that shape the ER’s day-to-day problems like crowding, eternal wait times, and scary bills. 

For this episode, we got Dr. Alex Janke, an emergency medicine doctor and health policy researcher to nerd out with us. 

Here’s a transcript of this episode. 

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

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

People who work in real-life emergency rooms have raved about how accurately the new drama The Pitt (Max) captures the dynamics and the medical details of their workplaces.
Here at An Arm and a Leg, we&rsquo;ve been nerding out about how the show depicts the financial forces that shape the ER&rsquo;s day-to-day problems like crowding, eternal wait times, and scary bills.&nbsp;
For this episode, we got Dr. Alex Janke, an emergency medicine doctor and health policy researcher to nerd out with us.&nbsp;
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/WEB-TRANSCRIPT_S13-Ep16_The-Pitt-.pdf">Here&rsquo;s a transcript of this episode</a>.&nbsp;
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.
Of course we&rsquo;d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">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

Why ‘The Pitt’ is our fave new drama

A few months ago, we got a note from a listener named Meagan, who wanted to thank us. 

She said the stories she heard on this show had given her the advice and encouragement she needed to finally win a fight against a medical bill she didn’t owe — a battle she’d been waging for more than two years.

As Meagan tells us, those two years were filled with wild twists and turns and a lot of disappointment.

We hear what kept her motivated and encouraged despite all the setbacks – and after an insurance rep pointed her to a free legal resource — the tactic that finally led to a breakthrough. 

Here’s a resource we mention — with a spoiler alert: It’s the sample cease-and-desist letter that a lawyer shared with Meagan. 

We’ll break down the details — how a letter like this could work, in certain situations — in a future First Aid Kit newsletter.

Here’s a transcript of this episode. 

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

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

A few months ago, we got a note from a listener named Meagan, who wanted to thank us.&nbsp;
She said the stories she heard on this show had given her the advice and encouragement she needed to finally win a fight against a medical bill she didn&rsquo;t owe &mdash; a battle she&rsquo;d been waging for more than two years.
As Meagan tells us, those two years were filled with wild twists and turns and a lot of disappointment.
We hear what kept her motivated and encouraged despite all the setbacks &ndash; and after an insurance rep pointed her to a free legal resource &mdash; the tactic that finally led to a breakthrough.&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s a resource we mention &mdash; with a spoiler alert: It&rsquo;s the <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Sample-Ltr-Dispute-and-Cease-Desist.pdf">sample cease-and-desist letter</a> that a lawyer shared with Meagan.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll break down the details &mdash; how a letter like this could work, in certain situations &mdash; in a future <a href="http://armandalegshow.com/firstaidkit">First Aid Kit newsletter</a>.
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/WEB-TRANSCRIPT_S13-Ep05_Meagan-Wins.pdf">Here&rsquo;s a transcript of this episode</a>.&nbsp;
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.
Of course we&rsquo;d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">support this show</a>.

Winning a two-year fight over a bogus bill 

A federal agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — CFPB for short — has taken big steps to help people with medical debt. In early February, the Trump administration moved to effectively shutter the agency. 

We talked with credit counselor Lara Ceccarelli about how the CFPB has helped clients at the nonprofit where she works, and how she’s navigating the sudden change. 

And consumer-rights advocate Chi Chi Wu — an attorney with the National Consumer Law Center — describes the court battle she and her colleagues are mounting to slow down the agency’s dismantling — and where things could go from here. 

We’ll track this developing story in next week’s First Aid Kit newsletter, so if you’re not signed up, this is a great time to start: www.armandalegshow.com/firstaidkit.

Here's a transcript of this episode. 

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

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

A federal agency called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau &mdash; CFPB for short &mdash; has taken big steps to help people with medical debt. In early February, the Trump administration moved to effectively shutter the agency.&nbsp;
We talked with credit counselor Lara Ceccarelli about how the CFPB has helped clients at the nonprofit where she works, and how she&rsquo;s navigating the sudden change.&nbsp;
And consumer-rights advocate Chi Chi Wu &mdash; an attorney with the <a href="https://www.nclc.org/">National Consumer Law Center</a> &mdash; describes the court battle she and her colleagues are mounting to slow down the agency&rsquo;s dismantling &mdash; and where things could go from here.&nbsp;
We&rsquo;ll track this developing story in next week&rsquo;s First Aid Kit newsletter, so if you&rsquo;re not signed up, this is a great time to start: <a href="http://www.armandalegshow.com/firstaidkit">www.armandalegshow.com/firstaidkit</a>.
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/WEB-TRANSCRIPT_S13-Ep04_CFPB.pdf">Here's a transcript of this episode</a>.&nbsp;
<a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact/">Send your stories and questions.</a> Or call 724 ARM-N-LEG.
Of course we&rsquo;d love for you to <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/support/">support this show</a>.

A medical-debt watchdog gets sidelined by the new administration

Hey – real quick: some big news from the team at An Arm and a Leg. Our First Aid Kit newsletter is going weekly! First Aid Kit brings you advice from our show and more on how to survive and navigate America’s health care system. 

And allow us to introduce First Aid Kit’s new writer, Claire Davenport. 

When she was our intern last summer, she reviewed An Arm and a Leg’s entire catalog of episodes, and took notes along the way. Now she’s bringing the practical lessons from all that reporting straight to your inbox, every week. 

Get it while it’s hot: sign up for First Aid Kit here. 

Hey &ndash; real quick: some big news from the team at An Arm and a Leg. Our <a href="https://firstaidkit.substack.com/">First Aid Kit</a> newsletter is going weekly! First Aid Kit brings you advice from our show and more on how to survive and navigate America&rsquo;s health care system.&nbsp;
And allow us to introduce First Aid Kit&rsquo;s new writer, Claire Davenport.&nbsp;
When she was our intern last summer, she reviewed&nbsp;An Arm and a Leg&rsquo;s entire catalog of episodes, and took notes along the way. Now she&rsquo;s bringing the practical lessons from all that reporting straight to your inbox, every week.&nbsp;
Get it while it&rsquo;s hot:&nbsp;<a href="https://firstaidkit.substack.com/">sign up for First Aid Kit here</a>.&nbsp;

Why ‘The Pitt’ is our fave new drama

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