“Medical Maze” chronicled the tortuous journey of an uninsured breast-cancer patient through the U.S. health-care system. The patient, Shirley Loewe, could have received government-subsidized care had she gone to a clinic just three hundred yards from the hospital she checked herself into. But by walking through the doors of the wrong medical facility, she lost her eligibility for assistance. The article drew attention to a little-known loophole in a federal law that affects thousands of breast- and cervical-cancer patients each year, and shined a spotlight on the many tears in America’s safety net. “Uncovered” showed that getting medical care can be a challenge even for millions of Americans with health insurance, as employers limit coverage and insurers deny claims. It told the story of a woman who fought numerous roadblocks and had to wait a year before she could see a doctor able to diagnose her genetic disease. “Maxed Out” vividly illustrated the growing problem of medical debt by recounting the story of Jim Dawson, who survived a catastrophic illness only to face a catastrophic hospital bill that threatened to bankrupt him. Situations like Mr. Dawson’s are becoming more common, as health providers heavily pad their bills and health plans refuse to raise their outdated caps to reflect the soaring cost of health care.
