An Arm and a Leg

“Your Money or Your Life”: Dr. Luke Messac’s book on the history of medical debt


Listen Later

In 2019, Dr. Luke Messac was a medical resident who found himself spending his day off in a courthouse archive. He’d heard about hospitals suing their own patients over unpaid medical bills. He wanted to know if the hospitals he worked in were doing the same. They were. 


Trained as a historian, Messac then set out to trace the history of this phenomenon, and the story of medical debt in the U.S.


His new book, Your Money or Your Life is the result of that research. 


Luke Messac sat down with us for a chat about how he got interested in medical debt, how medical debt became the massive problem it is today, and what he thinks people who work in health care can do to start to fix it.


ALSO: Hey, it’s the BEST time to support this show with a donation. Thanks to NewsMatch, any gift you make, up to $1,000, will be doubled. It’s a great deal, and it will set us up to kick maximum butt in 2024.

Here’s the link, go for it!


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

An Arm and a LegBy An Arm and a Leg

  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8
  • 4.8

4.8

1,064 ratings


More shows like An Arm and a Leg

View all
Radiolab by WNYC Studios

Radiolab

43,944 Listeners

This American Life by This American Life

This American Life

90,431 Listeners

Freakonomics Radio by Freakonomics Radio + Stitcher

Freakonomics Radio

32,121 Listeners

99% Invisible by Roman Mars

99% Invisible

26,114 Listeners

Death, Sex & Money by Slate Podcasts

Death, Sex & Money

7,712 Listeners

Reveal by The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX

Reveal

8,074 Listeners

Explain It to Me by Vox

Explain It to Me

7,829 Listeners

Embedded by NPR

Embedded

11,962 Listeners

Code Switch by NPR

Code Switch

14,516 Listeners

The Daily by The New York Times

The Daily

112,814 Listeners

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?' by KFF Health News

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?'

468 Listeners

Today, Explained by Vox

Today, Explained

9,995 Listeners

Throughline by NPR

Throughline

15,801 Listeners

This Is Uncomfortable by Marketplace

This Is Uncomfortable

3,505 Listeners

Tradeoffs by Tradeoffs

Tradeoffs

383 Listeners