- http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/medicaid/medicaid-overhaul-causing-pain-some-pharmacists/
- http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/medicaid/taxpayers-increasingly-foot-bill-bariatric-surgery/
- http://www.texastribune.org/texas-health-resources/medicaid/medicaid-fraud-investigations-controversial-tool/
- http://www.texastribune.org/library/data/texas-weight-loss-surgeries-interactive/
Provide names of other journalists involved.
Emily Ramshaw, editor, Texas Tribune Becca Aaronson, reporter, Texas Tribune
List date(s) this work was published or aired.
June 15, 2012 June 24, 2012 July 20, 2012
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
The stories are part of a running “Mending Medicaid” series on the consequences of state efforts to curb spiraling health costs. On one hand, you have lawmakers overhauling Medicaid to cut costs in a way that is forcing family-run pharmacies out of business. On the other, they’re trying to stave off the cost of obesity complications by increasingly footing the bill for expensive bariatric surgeries. And they’re turning to the state’s Medicaid fraud division to try to alleviate budget pressure, but using controversial tactics that are leaving doctors and medical practices hanging in the balance.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
All three stories were produced using a range of open records. There was a months-long wait for federal and state Medicaid spending on bariatric surgery (followed by weeks of data analysis). A hunt for letters the state’s health agency had sent accusing doctors of fraud, and demanding they repay millions of dollars before an investigation was complete. And there was an email chain sent by a senior level official at CVS that indicated the company was using the state’s reduced dispensing fees to poach family pharmacies.
Explain types of human sources used.
Human sources included physicians who use taxpayer dollars to perform bariatric surgeries on Medicaid patients, family-run pharmacies feeling the pinch from state efforts to ease budget woes and family physicians with their careers on hold as they suffered through months-long Medicaid fraud investigations.
Results:
Lawmakers are threatening to put together limits on the use of bariatric surgery among Medicaid patients and the state’s medical association has taken legal action to slow Medicaid fraud investigators’ rampage against family doctors.
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.
There have been no corrections, clarifications or challenges to the accuracy of our reporting.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
There’s hardly anything more wonky than the intersection of the state budget and Medicaid costs. Don’t be afraid to find the great stories lurking in the data, and to consider the alternate effects of lawmakers trying to solve their own budget woes. Where there are cuts, someone is usually feeling the brunt of them.