1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Boomers Hit 65: Are Californians Ready? By Emily Bazar, California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting By April Dembrosky, Sacramento Bee
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
December 26 and 27, 2010 in The Sacramento Bee
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
This project was a partnership between the California HealthCare Foundation Center for Health Reporting and the Sacramento Bee. The arrival of a long-awaited demographic moment — when the leading edge of the baby boomers hits 65 — finally has arrived. But despite decades worth of lead time, few institutions and few boomers are ready. We've known for quite a while that the federal government wasn't going to be ready, that it wouldn't overhaul Social Security and Medicare before the initial wave of 75 million boomer retirements began to hit. This project focuses on two new salient facts:
1. California state and local governments aren't ready, either. At a time when the health-care system needs new innovations and new limits to contain out-of-control health costs, California governments aren't providing either. Instead, they're retrenching on things like in-home health services and adult day care that have been among the bright homes for reducing acute-care services. 2. California boomers are not ready, either. They haven't saved well, many lack pensions and, unlike the parents, they have fewer children to help care for them. Most important, they are almost certainly overestimating the ability of government to continue senior income supports and health services the way their parents have known them. Especially for the younger boomers, they need to assume that government's ability to finance their health care needs in retirement is going to decline.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
This project made extensive use of demographic data on California, which were critical to the text as well as extensive graphics. Also prominent: a dissection of state and local government expenditures on health programs.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
The principal areas of human sources were: state, local and federal government officials; state, local and federal health policy experts; and Sacramento area baby boomers. A strong element of the project was a convening of state and local experts on health at the aging before the reporting began. Among the 10 attendees were the state aging director and the county social services director. Their input was extremely helpful in shaping our reporting.
6. Results (if any).
The Sacramento Bee published an editorial that focused on one of the project's central areas — the issue of long-term care. The editorial's recommendations were in line with the project's findings: Government needs to preserve programs like in-home health services that can head off a cycle of acute care, and individuals need to shoulder more of the burden and purchase long-term care insurance. See Page PDFs or project's URL to see editorial.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
The new administration of California Gov. Jerry Brown is taking shape as this is being written. We expect the project to be an agenda center for the new assembly and government.
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
For a big, sprawling project, forming a pre-reporting panel of experts can really sharpen the reporting and the project's definition.