List date(s) this work was published or aired.
13-May-12
Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
In May, 2012, the federal government agreed to give Oregon nearly $2 billion to support changes in the way the state delivers health care to low income people. Oregon’s Democratic Gov. John Kitzhaber, a physician, had personally lobbied the Obama administration for the waiver that would allow Oregon to spend Medicaid money in new ways. That shift put Oregon at the forefront of health care reform. Kristian Foden-Vencil has been covering policy changes to the state’s health care system. He has a knack for humanizing complex policy stories. These stories explain the changing health care landscape. He received training as part of a partnership with OPB, National Public Radio and Kaiser Health News. Many of his stories have been picked up by NPR. This story delves into why Oregon received money from the federal government to change its health care delivery system, and explains what the state plans to do with the money.
Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
na
Explain types of human sources used.
Gov. John Kitzhaber; an Oregon patient suffering from chronic illness; a health care outreach worker who helps the patient track his medicines and treatment; a Republican legislator who is skeptical about the governor’s plan.
Results:
na
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.
Kristian filed a similar story for NPR on May 30th.
Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
When dealing with something as large and overwhelming as health care reform, I think it’s best to focus on one small aspect of change. That way, listeners truly understand what’s going on in that small area. But it’s also important to place that small area into the context of the larger change. I recommend doing that with just a few explanatory sentences, rather than trying to cover everything.