Provide names of other journalists involved.
Editor: Brian Fung
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
6-Aug-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Florida’s controversial Medicaid privatization program has made the system more difficult to navigate over the past decade, according to patients and health advocates. This article explores possible future scenarios for the state’s Medicaid system in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to allow states to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion. It also discusses the difficulty many low-income people have had obtaining care in counties where the program has been privatized.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used online documents from numerous government and foundation sources. Many are linked in the article. These documents helped me explain the state’s Medicaid program, its pilot privatization program, and the state’s economic problems. The sources include: The US Bureau of Labor Statistics The National Center for Education Statistics The Georgetown University Health Policy Institute The Florida Agency for HealthCare Administration Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts The Kaiser Commission on Medicaid Facts The Winter Park Health Foundation The Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy Florida Today The Florida Community Health Information Action Network Wellcare Health Plans The New England Journal of Medicine The U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
Explain types of human sources used.
I interviewed Medicaid recipients and their family members, as well as several social workers and legal aid attorneys who have worked with Medicaid recipients. I also interviewed numerous subject experts, including researchers from the Florida Center for Fiscal and Economic Policy and the Florida Community Health Information Action Network.
Results:
The article subsequently ran on the Florida Health News website as well as KevinMD.com. I can’t say that it had any specific result, other than to inform the debate about Medicaid expansion and the possible repercussions of the Supreme Court’s decision. Governor Rick Scott is now re-considering his opposition to Medicaid expansion after the outcome of the presidential election.
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.
“This was a great article. You really got it right” – mother of a Florida Medicaid recipient. No challenges to its accuracy.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
It took me a while to find a patient who was willing to go on the record. Be persistent in your search. Because this was a complicated topic, I needed to spend a significant amount of time studying reports and learning about the Medicaid program’s history before embarking on interviews.