‘An Arm And A Leg’: Journalist Learns The Hard Way That CPAP Compliance Pays

By Dan Weissmann July 17, 2019

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When Eric Umansky discovered that the machine that helps him breathe at night was “transmitting” his sleep habits to his insurance company, he was not happy. He was also less than pleased to learn that his insurer wanted to use that information to avoid paying for the treatment his doctor prescribed.

Irked, Umansky — who’s a journalist — recruited an investigative reporter in his newsroom to get to the bottom of the story. Later, both men spoke with podcast host Dan Weissmann.

Episode 6 of “An Arm and a Leg” uncovers some surprising rules and regulations designed to get consumers to shoulder a bigger share of the cost of medical equipment.

Season 2 is a co-production of Kaiser Health News and Public Road Productions.

To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” subscribe to the newsletter. You can also follow the show on Facebook and Twitter. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers would love to hear from you.

To hear all Kaiser Health News podcasts, click here.

And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on iTunes, Pocket Casts, Google Play or Spotify.

This story was produced by Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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‘An Arm And A Leg’: Journalist Learns The Hard Way That CPAP Compliance Pays

By Dan Weissmann July 17, 2019

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<p><em>Can’t see the audio player? <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/whoa-this-medical-device-is-spying-on-me-in-my-sleep-so-my-insurer-can-deny-me-coverage/">Click here to listen.</a></em></p>

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<p><em>Can’t see the audio player? <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/whoa-this-medical-device-is-spying-on-me-in-my-sleep-so-my-insurer-can-deny-me-coverage/">Click here to listen.</a></em></p>

<p>When <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/eric-umansky">Eric Umansky</a> discovered that the machine that helps him breathe at night was “transmitting” his sleep habits to his insurance company, he was not happy. He was also less than pleased to learn that his insurer wanted to use that information to avoid paying for the treatment his doctor prescribed.</p>
<p>Irked, Umansky — who’s a journalist — recruited an investigative reporter in his newsroom to get to the bottom of the <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/you-snooze-you-lose-insurers-make-the-old-adage-literally-true">story</a>. Later, both men spoke with podcast host Dan Weissmann.</p>
<p>Episode 6 of “An Arm and a Leg” uncovers some surprising rules and regulations designed to get consumers to shoulder a bigger share of the cost of medical equipment.</p>

<p>Season 2 is a co-production of Kaiser Health News and Public Road Productions.</p>
<p>To keep in touch with “An Arm and a Leg,” <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/newsletter/">subscribe to the newsletter</a>. You can also follow the show on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/armandalegshow/">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/armandalegshow">Twitter</a>. And if you’ve got stories to tell about the health care system, the producers <a href="https://armandalegshow.com/contact-us/">would love to hear from you</a>.</p>
<p><em>To hear all Kaiser Health News podcasts, <a href="https://kffhealthnews.org/news/tag/podcast/">click here</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>And subscribe to “An Arm and a Leg” on <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/an-arm-and-a-leg/id1438778444">iTunes</a>, <a href="https://play.pocketcasts.com/web/discover/podcast/6e9e33e0-b911-0136-7b93-27f978dac4db">Pocket Casts</a>, <a href="https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9hcm1hbmRhbGVnc2hvdy5jb20vZmVlZC9wb2RjYXN0Lw%3D%3D">Google Play</a> or <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3wBgLSbYPKT3gnd9KGjz5t?si=jEMzB2soS_ayOsYbK0cmnQ">Spotify</a>.</em></p>
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<p>When <a href="https://www.propublica.org/people/eric-umansky">Eric Umansky</a> discovered that the machine that helps him breathe at night was “transmitting” his sleep habits to his insurance company, he was not happy. He was also less than pleased to learn that his insurer wanted to use that information to avoid paying for the treatment his doctor prescribed.</p>
<p>Irked, Umansky — who’s a journalist — recruited an investigative reporter in his newsroom to get to the bottom of the <a href="https://www.propublica.org/article/you-snooze-you-lose-insurers-make-the-old-adage-literally-true">story</a>. Later, both men spoke with podcast host Dan Weissmann.</p>
<p>Episode 6 of “An Arm and a Leg” uncovers some surprising rules and regulations designed to get consumers to shoulder a bigger share of the cost of medical equipment.</p>

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