We asked: in online overtures, in newspaper invitations and in interactive chats. They answered from around our state: Some 790 readers responded to requests by Alabama Media Group to tell us their experiences with the Affordable Care Act. They represented 196 cities, and 48 of Alabama¹s 67 counties. And we shared these stories — dozens of them throughout 2014 — on digital and print platforms serving our company’s newspapers, The Birmingham News, The Huntsville Times and the Press-Register of Mobile, and their web partner, AL.com. These stories moved the “Obamacare” issue past the partisan battle lines, delivering a deeper understanding of the new law’s impact on the cost, availability and quality of health care in Alabama. Also, we established a database of the respondents, using it to create case studies and tapping it to seek opinions for other stories about health policies and health-issue politics. Often, these real-people voices exposed misconceptions and challenged the assurances of business and elected leaders. In particular, we heard the respondents express frustrations with their insurers. Given that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama dominates the market in our state, we dug into that company’s financial filings, to learn how it operates and how it performs. We found that compensation of the 10 highest-ranking Blue Cross executives (all over $1 million a year) had doubled in two years, even as many policy-holders were struggling to deal with increased Blue Cross premiums. Also during the year, we invited readers to participate in two interactive live chats online at AL.com featuring experts such as professors from the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Lister Hill Center for Health Policy. The number of comments exceeded 350, reflecting the interest and the vigor of the health care debate. These tactics — open invitations, a database, chats — helped us engage readers in pioneering ways for Alabama, reaching further than ever before. In fact, our stories about the ACA and its real-people impacts have received more than 1.8 million views at AL.com since our reporting efforts began.
