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An Arm and a Leg

An Arm and a Leg

NYT’s Ron Lieber: ‘These people are not going to win.'

Feb 5, 2026 · 29m

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About this episode

Thirty-six hours before his wife was scheduled for a major surgery, New York Times personal finance columnist Ron Lieber got a letter in the mail that sent him reeling. Insurance was denying prior authorization for the surgery. The only way forward would be to appeal the decision. But it was Saturday night, and the surgery was Monday morning. There wouldn’t be any time. Should they even go to the hospital? They decided to bet on being able to reverse the denial later on, but the last minute coverage questions left Ron’s wife, New York Times reporter Jodi Kantor, going into surgery that Monday with a brand new sense of stress and anxiety. And along with worrying how his wife's…