Emily Bazar’s “Ask Emily” column addresses readers’ questions and concerns about the ACA. In some cases, Bazar was able to get answers for readers quickly. In most cases, however, she had to call source after expert after official, frequently hearing conflicting interpretations of the new law in her hunt for valid information. On at least two occasions, she brought to California officials’ attention mistakes or wrong information on their own health consumer websites. Bazar’s dogged reporting unleashed a torrent of consumer response. By year’s end, the column had elicited almost 1,500 comments and questions, including scores of thanks for the work she’d done on consumers’ behalf. One of her columns – on Medicare and the ACA — was the most-read article on a mid-sized paper’s website for the month of June.
