- http://newamericamedia.org/2012/11/as-end-nears-cancer-patient-struggles-with-cost-of-long-term-care.php
- http://www.reportingonhealth.org/2012/11/28/end-nears-cancer-patient-struggles-cost-long-term-care
- http://www.healthycal.org/?s=Cancer patient, viji sundaram
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Cliff Parker
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
Nov. 26, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Sixty-four-year-old Eileen Hadidian’s 10-year struggle with bone cancer has ravaged her body so much that she suffers from spontaneous pathological fractures. The hospice care she’s been in for the last one year has depleted her family’s savings to a level that she may soon qualify for Medi-Cal, the safety net for the indigent. The story shines a spotlight on how middle-class families like hers are driven to bankruptcy because the US health care system has little to offer by way of long-term care for the disabled and the elderly. Sadly, Obamacare has failed to address this issue.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I only used internet resources to help me better understand some of the provisions in the Affordable Care Act.
Explain types of human sources used.
Most of my reporting was based on interviews with health care advocacy groups, the cancer patient I profiled in my story and her friends. I was fortunate to have been able to interview the patient just days before she slipped into coma.
Results:
The website, Rough & Tumble, which gives a snapshot of California Public Policy and Politics, has posted my story on the website, which suggests that it has come on the radar of the state’s lawmakers.
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.
N/A
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
Dry statistics seldom makes a reader sit up and take notice. Make sure you capture the voices of those who move the story forward. If you are web-based media outlet, use multi-media whenever possible — the video component makes a story that much more compelling.