Even as the ACA transforms the nation’s health care system, its future remains uncertain. But no matter what happens, the law and its impact will remain a central subject for health care journalists for years to come, as AHCJ 2015 panelists Sarah Kliff and Julie Appleby explained.
Health Equity & Social Justice
Without Medicaid expansion, South Florida’s low-income residents have found out the hard way that the healthcare safety net designed to catch people before they hit bottom is no substitute for insurance.
With legislators seemingly deadlocked on Medicaid expansion in Florida, residents in the “coverage gap” are stitching together their medical care through personal ingenuity, half doses of medicines and low-cost clinics. It’s exhausting work, especially when you’re sick.
A recent report found big differences in how counties are handling California’s estimated 3 million uninsured. Some county safety net programs are serving very few residents, raising questions of whether such counties are adequately adapting to meet the needs of the remaining uninsured.
A new survey based on text messages finds that most Californians with health insurance are satisfied with their coverage and ability to get appointments. But the survey also found the coverage sign-up process poses big hurdles for the majority of uninsured respondents.
A documentary premiering on PBS on Monday tracks the lives of Chicago teens struggling to regain their footing and stay in school after their home lives have fallen apart. The film's three heart-wrenching human stories give deeper meaning to the abstractions of statistics.
New federal immigration rules could potentially reduce California's pool of remaining uninsured by up to half a million people. But even if the new rules survive a current court challenge, the barriers to coverage are still high.
Radio reporter Veronica Zaragovia of KUT in Austin focused her reporting series on the rollout of the ACA in Texas, especially some of its unanticipated effects. Here she reflects on a few of the lessons she learned along the way.
When reporter S.E. Ruckman set out to tell the story of how the ACA rollout was faring among Native American communities, she found little help and few resources. But she pushed forward, and found value in persistence and serendipitous connections.
In Baltimore, violence has marred countless lives. But Baltimore Sun reporter Andrea McDaniels wanted to explore the deeper, long-lasting effects of violence. Her extended reporting crystalized in an award-winning three-part series. Here she shares the challenges she faced and lessons learned.