Dan Weissmann
“An Arm and a Leg” senior producer Emily Pisacreta not too long ago misplaced a job that offered her with medical health insurance. So now, for the primary time, she will likely be signing up for Obamacare.
Her search is off to a rocky begin. Pisacreta provides listeners a sobering have a look at how the excessive value of medical health insurance plans might change her life and people of hundreds of thousands of others searching for Affordable Care Act plans, as premiums, on common, are projected to increase by greater than they’ve in recent times.
Joined by “An Arm and a Leg” host Dan Weissmann and KFF Health News senior correspondent Julie Appleby, Pisacreta examines how latest price range cuts by the Trump administration for navigators — the people charged with helping people, households, and companies join ACA plans — might make it tougher to search out the precise plan and to pinpoint what individuals can anticipate in November when open enrollment kicks off.
Dan Weissmann
Host and producer of “An Arm and a Leg.” Previously, Dan was a workers reporter for Marketplace and Chicago’s WBEZ. His work additionally seems on “All Things Considered,” Marketplace, the BBC, “99% Invisible,” and “Reveal” from the Center for Investigative Reporting.
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Transcript: The Struggle To Afford Insurance in 2026 Hits Home
Note: “An Arm and a Leg” makes use of speech-recognition software program to generate transcripts, which can include errors. Please use the transcript as a instrument however test the corresponding audio earlier than quoting the podcast.
Dan: Hey there–
Over the summer season, our buddies at KFF Health News revealed a narrative with the headline: “Insurers and customers brace for double whammy to Obamacare premiums.”
Basically– whammy primary — insurers are planning to boost premiums for 2026 —
And whammy quantity two: federal subsidies for Obamacare insurance policies are scheduled to get quite a bit much less beneficiant.
Together, these whammies imply hundreds of thousands of individuals will likely be taking a look at paying a LOT extra each month — like a whole bunch of {dollars} extra.
Folks are going to wish as a lot advance warning as attainable, to determine the right way to put together for successful like that.
Meaning: This is our sort of story.
And this one hits just a little near dwelling. Because a kind of of us is An Arm and a Leg’s senior producer, Emily Pisacreta.
Emily: Yeah, it’s a wild time. I’ve by no means had to do that earlier than. Cuz I’ve at all times had medical health insurance by work. I’ve completely formed my life round that as a result of I’ve diabetes, and with out medical health insurance, I can’t afford what I want.
Dan: But that medical health insurance has by no means come from An Arm and a Leg. When Emily began working right here as an intern, she was the primary particular person apart from me to work quite a lot of hours per week. We didn’t have an worker well being plan as a result of we didn’t have staff.
And we’re nonetheless so tiny, so tiny. Apart from summer season interns, there’s nonetheless solely ever been one different particular person working quite a lot of hours per week apart from the 2 of us. I’m nonetheless the one full-time particular person, and we nonetheless don’t have an worker well being plan.
Emily: And till not too long ago, that labored for me– I had one other part-time job, and it had well being advantages.
Except my contract with that job simply ended.
So for the primary time, like greater than 20 million different individuals, I’m taking a look at open enrollment. And I gotta say, it’s one hell of a 12 months to do this.
Dan: You’re a double-whammy case examine.
And to get a broader perspective, the 2 of us talked with Julie Appleby, the reporter who wrote that “double-whammy” story, and since then you definitely’ve continued to do extra homework.
Emily: It’s been fairly intense!
Dan: For actual. And I’m just a little little bit of a case examine too:
Suddenly I’m discovering out what our nation’s “system” — the place medical health insurance will get tied to jobs — appears to be like like … from the employer facet. It’s a complete new journey.
We don’t know precisely what we’re going to do. Honestly, I don’t suppose anyone does.
But we’ve discovered a ton. About what we’re up towards — together with hundreds of thousands of different individuals — and our choices.
And by tackling this proper now — six weeks earlier than open enrollment begins — I hope we may help numerous different individuals begin planning early with strong data. Let’s go.
This is An Arm and a Leg, a present about why well being care prices so freaking a lot, and what we are able to possibly do about it. I’m Dan Weissmann. I’m a reporter, and I like a problem. So the job we’ve picked on this present is to take some of the enraging, terrifying, miserable components of American life, and produce you a present that’s entertaining, empowering, and helpful.
So, we began by checking in with the particular person whose reporting first bought us taking a look at this story.
Julie Appleby: It’s recording. It appears to be like prefer it says 10, 11,
Dan in interview: good.
Julie Appleby: I’ve notes and I’ll attempt to not rattle the papers.
Emily in interview: I imply, if now we have a reporter on tape rattling papers, I really feel like that’s in all probability okay.
Julie Appleby: Okay. That’s a plan, man.
Emily in interview: Yeah. Why don’t we begin out, might you identical to, inform us your title and what you do and the place you’re employed?
Julie Appleby: So that is Julie Appleby. I’m senior correspondent at KFF Health News.
Emily in interview: What kind of stuff do you cowl?
Julie Appleby: I cowl healthcare coverage, however that’s a broad time period. So every part from value to, the Affordable Care Act, to what’s occurring with Medicare, every kind of various issues involving well being care applications and insurance coverage.
Emily in interview: So we have been actually excited to speak with you, as a result of we wished to cowl, you already know, all of the modifications to {the marketplace} plans, that you just’ve been writing about. And, it simply so occurs that I have to enroll in a market plan.
Julie Appleby: So let’s provide you with sort of the rundown. There’s like, there’s sort of like two issues occurring right here. One of them is that simply premiums are going up as they do yearly. Although this 12 months it’s larger than it’s been since 2018. So the median enhance nationwide, and that is in accordance with some information analysis by KFF, is about 18%. So that’s a giant bounce, proper?
Emily in interview: Yeah. Yeah. In your reporting you referred to as it a double whammy. Rates are going up, enhanced subsidies are in all probability going away.
Julie Appleby: Right. That’s the second half of the double whammy.
Dan: OK, breaking in right here– gonna do that a few instances for Obamacare vocabulary. Emily simply talked about an necessary time period, glided by kinda quick: enhanced subsidies. Obamacare has at all times included subsidies for most individuals — that’s a part of the “Affordable” a part of Affordable Care Act. But for many individuals, Obamacare insurance policies nonetheless have been… fairly costly!
So, in 2021 — like, as a part of a COVID restoration package deal — Congress added additional subsidies for Obamacare insurance policies: Enhanced subsidies.
Julie Appleby: Basically, they made the protection extra beneficiant on each ends of the revenue spectrum. In reality, I feel I used to be taking a look at some statistics this morning and one thing like, 80% of people that have protection proper now have a plan that’s $10 a month or much less.
Dan: These are of us with decrease incomes — the place paying sixty or eighty {dollars} a month is a giant chunk. With “enhanced” subsidies, that grew to become ten {dollars} — and even zero.
But individuals with increased incomes additionally bought assist. Before the improved subsidies, individuals with incomes above a sure stage didn’t get ANY subsidy. People referred to as it an “income cliff.”
For the final 4 years these enhanced subsidies, sort of erased that cliff. If your revenue was increased, you simply paid a proportion of your revenue. Enhanced subsidies picked up the remainder.
But the improved subsidies weren’t everlasting. They’ll expire on the finish of this 12 months, except Congress extends them. Otherwise…
Julie Appleby: individuals who make greater than the 4 instances the federal poverty stage is not going to qualify for any assist with their premiums beneath the Affordable Care Act. There will likely be that cliff.
Emily in interview: Right, proper.
Dan: And it seems Emily is mainly standing on that cliff. She exhibits Julie the numbers.
Emily: We discovered this calculator from KFF that makes an attempt to indicate the modifications in premiums if the subsidies expire. And possibly I’ll simply share my display screen and we are able to have a look at – we are able to have a look at what I’m taking a look at.
Okay, you guys see KFF? Maybe simply reload and I can enter some Emily figures in right here. So, they ask you about the place you reside and your yearly family revenue.
Dan in interview: what’s the quantity that you just’ve entered as revenue?
Emily in interview: I’ve entered $63,000. And it says, with out enhanced subsidies, you’ll probably lose monetary assist. Because my revenue is 418% of the federal poverty stage.
Dan: Oy. just a little extra Obamacare vocabulary. First: Federal poverty stage. Four instances that stage is the place you fall off the revenue cliff, no subsidies. 400 %. And the calculator – which we must always say, is a 12 months out-of-date, so the numbers aren’t exact, however they provide us an concept– that calculator says Emily’s at 418.
And subsequent: Obamacare plans come in numerous “levels,” like Olympic medals: Bronze, Silver, Gold… Bronze plans are the most cost effective, and canopy the least.
If Emily bought a subsidy, the calculator says a silver plan could be like 400-and some {dollars} a month, however it says Emily wouldn’t GET a subsidy, so…
Emily in interview: It could be about $880 a month for a silver plan, or $675 a month for a bronze plan. So for me, that’s irritating to learn.
Julie Appleby: That’s some huge cash. 880 bucks a month. So you’re within the scenario the place you don’t get any, subsidies as a result of your revenue is over that quantity. But I performed round with one among these calculators too once I wrote a narrative not too long ago. And I additionally plugged in someone, let’s say who’s earnings are sort of on the decrease finish of the revenue scale, say simply over 150% of the federal poverty stage. So they’re nonetheless gonna pay extra. They’re, it’s gonna go from paying kind of a nationwide common of about $2 a month to 72 bucks a month, or $864 a 12 months. And bear in mind, that is someone who’s making 23,000 a 12 months. So $864 is some huge cash.
Dan in interview: Emily, can you place that calculator again up on the display screen for us?
Emily in interview: Sure can.
Dan in interview: The scary calculator. I imply, what would occur in case your revenue have been just a bit bit decrease? If you simply shave $3,000 out of your revenue, what does it look
Emily in interview: So possibly like 60?
Julie Appleby: I wager you may even shave just a little bit much less. Why didn’t you make it 62?
(Sfx: Buzzer)
Dan: How about 61? What does 61 do for us?
Emily in interview: Can I get a 61
(SFX: Buzzer)
Dan: how about $60,500?
(SFX: Buzzer)
Dan in interview: I really feel like that is like an public sale reverse.
Julie Appleby: in reverse.
Emily in interview: I do know that is just like the public sale from hell
Dan in interview: Yeah, we’re, we’re decreasing your revenue. So let’s hold going. $60,200,
(SFX: Ding!)
Dan in interview: That is it. Holy crap it’s a large cliff. It’s a $5,000 cliff
Dan: Breaking in a single final time: Five thousand {dollars} is how a lot cash Emily would possibly save on Obamacare premiums if her revenue stays under that 400 % line. Put one other method: It’s how far more she’d need to pay if she steps over that cliff.
Dan in interview: Julie, what does that seem like to you, seeing that?
Julie Appleby: I feel this additionally, this illustrates numerous issues. I imply, persons are gonna need to understand that cliff for subsequent 12 months if these tax credit aren’t prolonged. This is a projection, that is what you suppose you’re going to earn subsequent 12 months. So that’s one factor that to bear in mind, okay? And one thing might occur. Emily might, I don’t know, possibly she wins the lottery or she goes to the on line casino and wins a bunch of cash and that places her over.
Emily in interview: Or gives me, you already know, a contract job that’s actually attention-grabbing. It doesn’t pay that a lot, however simply places me over, you already know?
Dan in interview: You need to say, I’m sorry, that freelance job is gonna value me greater than $5,000 to simply accept.
Dan: So, Emily: listening again to that dialog now. What are you feeling?
Emily: I imply, I used to be attempting to remain calm however internally I used to be freaking out. As Gen Z likes to say, I used to be crashing out.
Dan: It was actually emotional. We each wanted time to chill off, simply to place this story collectively.
Emily: Yeah, this example is irritating. I don’t know for positive how a lot cash I’m even going to make subsequent 12 months. And it feels sort of bizarre to place all this out right here. I don’t understand how any of this sounds to different individuals. Because possibly it feels like 400% of the federal stage is some huge cash. And in some components of the nation it undoubtedly is. But I reside in New York City. So my revenue doesn’t go that far. And that $880 bucks a month we have been speaking about? That’s truly a giant hit.
Dan: Yeah and — to not pile on, however: the info behind the calculator the place we bought that quantity, 880 — that’s final 12 months’s information. So it doesn’t embrace the massive premium will increase that Julie was writing about. The precise quantity you’d be paying each month could be larger. And you appeared up the deductible: greater than 4 thousand {dollars}.
Emily: Right, which I received’t have mendacity round at first of subsequent 12 months both. Yeah so truthfully, all of it nonetheless makes me wish to scream.
Dan: Yeah, and also you’re a case examine for a LOT of individuals. Julie learn us a very sobering quantity, the place one consulting group estimated that with this double-whammy Obamacare enrollment might drop by like half or extra.
And, in truth, one of many causes insurers say they’re elevating costs this 12 months is– with out the improved subsidies, they determine numerous wholesome individuals will simply choose out.
Emily: I can see why individuals don’t enroll. I imply, I don’t have that alternative. But so as to get a subsidy, I’d need to decrease my revenue, and to a really particular quantity – which is lower than I reside on now. And watch it to verify I don’t absorb a penny extra.
Dan: While nonetheless paying a whole bunch of {dollars} a month for Obamacare – even with a subsidy.
Emily: And look. This is a factor lots of people do. All the time. –deliberately restrict their revenue to qualify for help.. To hold Medicaid, individuals skip out on jobs, careers, marriage.
So my scenario is NOT distinctive. It’s undoubtedly not the worst.
Dan: You’re our in-house case examine. You can’t stand in for everyone.
I imply, simply so as to add yet one more wrinkle: If you didn’t reside in a super-expensive metropolis, your premiums would truly be decrease..
I used that calculator to lookup what you’d pay for a silver plan in … Chicago, like the place I reside? Way, method cheaper. Like, unsubsidized? Quite a bit lower than a New York plan *with* a subsidy. I’m simply saying.
Emily: That’s… wild. No shade on Chicago But I don’t suppose I’m able to make a protracted distance transfer for medical health insurance but.
Dan: I’m simply saying…
Emily: But whereas we’ve been looking forward to 2026 insurance coverage, I’ve truly had a more-immediate choice to make.
Dan: Right.
Emily: LIke I mentioned earlier than, I had insurance coverage by my previous employer. But that’s ending. While we have been doing this story, I had to determine medical health insurance for the final three months of 2025.
Dan: You ended up getting some assist from an actual skilled.
Emily: I positive did.
Dan: And: I referred to as up An Arm and a Leg’s insurance coverage dealer.
Because like we mentioned: If Emily’s a case examine, so am I. We’re so small, and I’m the one one right here who’s wanted medical health insurance from this tiny little enterprise. Now, issues are just a little completely different.
What we’ve discovered, and what’s subsequent. That’s simply forward.
This episode of An Arm and a Leg is produced in partnership with KFF Health News. That’s a nonprofit newsroom masking well being points in America. Their journalists — like Julie Appleby — do wonderful work. We’re honored to be their colleagues.
Emily: Julie Appleby left me with just a little recommendation: Connect with an ACA navigator.
Dan: Navigators: These are of us who can information you thru the method of signing up for Obamacare. They’re not brokers, they don’t make a fee. They’re paid by the federal government.
Emily: But they’re not authorities staff — native organizations work on government-funded contracts.
Dan: Which is sensible– Obamacare plans themselves are mainly native: The menu of plans to choose from, they don’t simply fluctuate from state to state: They could be completely different from one county to a different.
Emily: And I wished just a little perspective on how the entire navigator program works.
Dan: And it seems: We know somebody on the group that coordinates all of the navigators in New York state.
Elisabeth Benjamin: My title is Elizabeth Benjamin. I’m Vice President for Health Initiatives on the Community Service Society of New York.
Dan: We’ve spoken with Elisabeth earlier than — a bunch of instances — about her work pushing hospitals in NY to give up suing individuals over medical debt.
And sure, it seems her store additionally runs the community of navigators all through New York.
Emily: But once we talked, it turned out, her connection to the navigator program is just a little completely different than I’d anticipated.
Elisabeth Benjamin: I don’t, you already know, run it everyday, however I, myself do assist individuals individually enroll. Because it’s actually necessary to grasp what persons are experiencing, what their issues are. I’ve like a small group of people who I assist yearly, Lots of pals, kids.
Emily in interview: Oh, that’s superior. Okay. Yeah, I wager you’re like an awesome like auntie to have..
Elisabeth Benjamin: You know, people who flip 26 and the mother and father are like, I do know, please, will you assist me?
Emily: She was like: Look, everyone wants assist.
Elisabeth Benjamin: The backside line is, you already know, it isn’t for the faint of coronary heart. It is difficult to work by these web sites. I imply, they’re as person pleasant as attainable, however there’s like little sort of little moguls that it’s a must to sort of ski over and it’s simple to sort of miss a mogul and faceplant, and we don’t need that to occur.
Emily: And once I instructed her about how my story suits into this episode, she was instantly like.
Elisabeth Benjamin: Oh, nicely, I may help you.
Emily: Not with my complete 2026 dilemma: there’s simply no details about 2026 plans on the market but. But for my instant query — what do I do about the remainder of 2025 – she was like, I’m fairly free tomorrow.
Elisabeth Benjamin: You can tape your enrollment.
Emily in interview: Oh my gosh, that will be wonderful.
Dan: Seriously wonderful. I imply, it appeared like good tape, which we at all times like.
But additionally — we talked that day, you and me: You have been actually weighing some massive choices.
Emily: I imply one was: Do I join Obamacare for the remainder of the 12 months, or do I keep on my previous employer’s plan?
Because a legislation referred to as Cobra means they’ve to permit me to purchase in — however I’d need to pay the entire month-to-month premium, which was SUPER excessive. More than a thousand {dollars}.
So Obamacare was wanting good. Those additional subsidies are nonetheless in place by the top of the 12 months.
Dan: There was a draw back.
Emily: Yeah — beginning a brand-new plan would imply beginning with a model new deductible– cash I’d need to pay out of pocket earlier than the brand new insurance coverage kicked in for many issues.
Dan: Those could be like 1000’s of {dollars}.
Emily: Yeah, however then there was a tremendous shock: In New York, the place I reside, a brand new state legislation implies that all Obamacare plans embrace insulin with no copay. Even if you happen to haven’t paid out and hit your deductible. That’s a deal I’ve *by no means* gotten from any insurance coverage, ever.
AND this deal included different diabetes provides — like my steady glucose monitor. That stuff could be vastly costly.
So my pondering was like: I’ll seize the most cost effective Obamacare plan– and get all my diabetes provides — and I’ll attempt to not go to the physician for the remainder of the 12 months.
Elisabeth Benjamin: Okay, so prepared?
Emily in interview: I’m prepared.
Emily: The subsequent morning, I confirmed up at Elisabeth Benjamin’s house.
Elisabeth Benjamin: All proper. So Emily, right here you might be, you’re on my dashboard. Oh, wait, right here I could make this simpler for you. Let’s do the massive display screen. Okay.
Emily: Elisabeth began strolling me by the appliance. Name, date of beginning, tackle… fairly routine to start out.
Elisabeth Benjamin: That’s your telephone quantity…
Emily: And at this stage I’m questioning if I ought to’ve simply finished all of it myself and left poor Elisabeth alone.
But after some time — as soon as we began truly taking a look at plans, I used to be like: Oh wow. Elisabeth was capable of like actually zip by issues. It was a complete vibe.
Elisabeth Benjamin: Hold on one second. That’s not, that’s not necessary I wanna see if that is in community…
Emily: And she noticed issues I’d have completely missed.
Elisabeth Benjamin: So that is sort of an attention-grabbing plan. ’trigger you’ll have the ability to go to a health care provider or a specialist earlier than the deductible.
Dan: Wait, you may do a health care provider go to earlier than you spent that deductible? That’s a factor?
Emily: Yeah, in that one plan, I assume? But even Elisabeth needed to actually dig to determine that out.
Elisabeth Benjamin: Like see, it’s kind of just a little irritating since you wouldn’t, you couldn’t actually inform that from this. This is why it’s useful to have a navigator
Emily: I imply, super-helpful: With Elisabeth’s assist, I bought a plan
Elisabeth Benjamin: and also you’re finished.
Emily: the place OK, I can’t truly SEE a health care provider earlier than the deductible. Not in particular person. But I CAN do telehealth. So if god forbid I get some sort of bizarre an infection, I might get a prescription. Oh, and my precise physician, like my endocrinologist, is roofed. And the deductible is far, a lot decrease than the opposite plans I’d been taking a look at. I imply, it’s nonetheless scary as hell, however HALF as scary-as-hell?
Dan: And the one catch is: You have to do that once more in November or December. Except then — except Congress extends the additional subsidies — you might be taking a look at a lot increased month-to-month funds.
Emily: Right. Actually, let’s come again to me in a minute. Because the excellent news in my case: At least I’ll have the ability to get Elisabeth’s assist once more. Like, she provided to, which was so good. But additionally: even when she’s super-busy, I’ll have the ability to discuss to a different navigator. Because I reside in New York.
Dan: Yeah. This is without doubt one of the issues we discovered from Elisabeth. It goes again one of many causes we wished to speak along with her within the first place. Because there’s one other massive change with Obamacare this 12 months: the federal authorities is reducing funding for navigators by like 90 %. We wished to listen to from Elisabeth — how is that gonna have an effect on her group’s work.
Emily: And — this was a shock: She mentioned it received’t have an effect on her work in any respect– as a result of New York navigators are funded by the state authorities. Turns out the identical factor is true for about half the states. But I talked with Elisabeth’s counterpart in a state the place that’s not the case.
Nicholas Riggs: We usually are not gonna have the ability to attain the variety of individuals we did earlier than. That’s simply actuality. You can’t do extra with much less. People will lose their protection due to this.
Emily: That’s Nicholas Riggs. He runs the NC Navigator Consortium.
Nicholas Riggs: We cowl all 100 counties. We’re the one navigator entity in North Carolina.
Emily: He says a giant piece of their work is definitely outreach– discovering individuals who could not know they will get this sort of assist.
Nicholas Riggs: You know, there’s no checklist of the uninsured.
Emily: And they don’t simply assist individuals choose Obamacare plans– they assist individuals join Medicaid. A 90 % price range reduce hits all of that. He says they’re searching for extra volunteer navigators, however it received’t be the identical as having skilled workers.
Nicholas Riggs: What you’re shedding is institutional data. Volunteer navigators are nice. But generally it takes a number of years to essentially get a deal with on some extra advanced circumstances.
Dan: I imply, Emily — you skilled first hand how massive a deal it was to hae, like, an actual skilled stroll you thru this course of.
Emily: Elisabeth spent virtually an hour with me!
Dan: Lots of people received’t have entry to that sort of assist. It’s yet one more crummy factor we’re attempting to assist individuals plan for. You discovered a map that exhibits which states fund their very own navigators. We’ll put up a hyperlink — so individuals can see what the deal is of their state.
And Emily, let’s come again to you for a minute: You’re fortunate to have entry to the world’s biggest navigator, however except Congress extends the improved subsidies, that subsequent dialog along with her is gonna be quite a bit more durable.
Emily: I imply, except I get one other job with medical health insurance first.
Dan: So, about that: While you have been having your first dialog with Elisabeth, I used to be speaking with An Arm and a Leg’s medical health insurance dealer, Kurt Kaufman.
Because I used to be like: What can I do to make it attainable for Emily to stay round?
I requested Kurt, might we set issues up for Emily to purchase into An Arm and a Leg’s plan? Like, in any respect?
Our insurance coverage is from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois. Could it cowl Emily in New York? He was like
Kurt Ok: Yeah, that’s nice.
Dan: Then she,
Kurt Ok: one hundred percent.
Dan: She could possibly be insured on our Illinois primarily based plan,
though she’s in New York.. Is that proper?
Kurt Ok: All day lengthy.
Dan: All day lengthy,
Kurt Ok: yep.,
Oh, yeah.
Dan: So I used to be like: Um, how a lot wouldn’t it COST?
He mentioned, primarily based in your age — insurance coverage will get dearer as you become old — like, 5, 600.
Emily: That’s a LOT lower than what the scary calculator mentioned I’d pay for a Silver plan with no subsidies. That was displaying like 9 hundred {dollars}.
Dan: Yeah. I imply: These are 2025 numbers, identical to every part else we’ve been taking a look at. Everything in 2026 is gonna be increased. But it looks like An Arm and a Leg will get a greater deal than you’d get with Obamacare. However, there’s a however. You’d must be full-time.
Emily: Aha!
Dan: Yeah. I imply we’ve bought you at 20 hours per week.
Emily: Yeah.
Dan: I used to be like Oh my god. I’d need to DOUBLE that? But Kurt was like: Actually, no. The method insurance coverage appears to be like at it, if you happen to have been working a mean of 30 hours per week, then you may qualify.
Kurt Ok: She could possibly be assembly that definition of quote unquote full-time worker.
Dan: Which, you already know, isn’t in my price range for subsequent 12 months– and I’m nonetheless working to verify another components of our scrappy little price range get funded– however it’s not DOUBLE. I’m beginning to consider it– like, a stretch objective. I imply, I’d LOVE to have extra of your time. I dunno.
Emily: I imply I like the concept quite a bit! But there are only a lot of unknowns, proper?
Dan: Yeah, right here’s the place we’ve landed: You’ve bought medical health insurance lined up for the remainder of 2025. And after that, there’s a lot we don’t know. Will I discover extra money? Will you are taking one other job?
And: Will Congress prolong the improved subsidies? When we first began engaged on this story, over the summer season, consultants have been like, “That’s not gonna happen.”
But in the previous couple of weeks, SOME Republicans have been proposing it. We undoubtedly don’t know — and it’s nothing we are able to depend on.
It’s all, truthfully, just a little scary.
Emily: Honestly, greater than just a little.
Dan: BUT: We know greater than we did. We’ve began actually confronting the scary numbers and the unknowns. You’ve taken a observe run at selecting insurance coverage.
Emily: That was truly sort of a giant factor.
Dan: It was, proper? And: I’ve began fascinated with stretch targets.
We’re extra ready.
And — right here was the purpose of doing this complete case examine– I HOPE we’ve simply helped numerous different individuals get extra ready, to start out planning.
We’ll hold you posted on how issues go for us. Some updates will present up in our First Aid Kit publication.
If you’re not getting First Aid Kit, go test it out.
Emily: While we have been reporting this story, we revealed a information there: Get prepared, emotionally and financially, for 2026 medical health insurance.
Dan: It has hyperlinks to sources we talked about right here, and we’ll have extra on this week’s First Aid Kit.
What you wanna do is go tor at Arm and a Leg present dot com, slash, first help package.
You’ll discover the entire archive there — together with notes about truthfully, some extraordinarily thrilling initiatives that Arm and a Leg listeners are doing — and how one can pitch in.
We’ll be again with one other podcast episode in a number of weeks. Till then, maintain your self.
Emily: This episode of An Arm and a Leg was produced by me, Emily Pisacreta
Dan: and me, Dan Weissmann.
Emily: With assist from Janmaris Perez and Lauren Gould.
Dan: And edited by Ellen Weiss.
Dan: Adam Raymonda is our audio wizard. Claire Davenport is our engagement producer.
Dan: Our music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Sessions.
Dan: Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations.
Big due to Lynne Johnson, who simply wrapped up her run as our operations supervisor. Lynne, your work has finished SO a lot to make our work extra sustainable. I can’t thanks sufficient.
Dan: An Arm and a Leg is produced in partnership with KFF Health News. That’s a nationwide newsroom producing in-depth journalism about well being points in America — and a core program at KFF: an unbiased supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism.
Dan: Zach Dyer is senior audio producer at KFF Health News. He’s the editorial liaison to this present.
Dan: An Arm and a Leg is Distributed by KUOW — Seattle’s NPR station.
Dan: And due to the Institute for Nonprofit News for serving as our fiscal sponsor.
Dan: They permit us to simply accept tax-exempt donations. You can be taught extra about INN at INN.org.Dan: Finally, thanks to everyone who helps this present financially. You can take part any time at Arm and a Leg present, dot com, slash: assist.
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