Coverage of insurance exchanges needs context
Filed under: Government, Health care reform, Health journalism
During the past few days, I have read quite a bit of local coverage about health insurance exchanges from about 10 different states (some “blue,” more “red.”) I was looking for good stories to hold up as an example of what’s at stake here.
New tip sheet
Affordable Care Act: The politics of health care, year two
The Affordable Care Act just hit the one-year mark, but that’s not likely to change the political dynamic in D.C. and many state capitals. Indeed, it may intensify as the 2012 campaign approaches. Following the complex legislative and budgetary procedures in Congress from a distance can be daunting. Joanne Kenen, AHCJ’s health care reform topic leader, has written a brief guide to some of what’s unfolding and likely to unfold in the next year or two.
I did not read every single state story from the whole country so maybe I missed something great. But I did read enough to conclude that most of the stories, unfortunately, were awfully heavy on process. They described political finger pointing: Republicans say no, Democrats say yes, the state legislature equivalent of he-said, she-said . There was very little explanation to readers about what exchanges are, and what kind of decisions states have to make about them , what’s at stake or why the heck the reader should care.
In case you are tempted to say it’s too complicated to explain in a short daily story: Look at Felice Freyer’s March 31 story in The (R.I.) Providence Journal. That is a short daily story, not a big takeout. But see how much context and explanation she was able to weave in with a deft clause here and there.
Sarah Kliff, of Politico, takes a slightly different tack that is also useful. It’s not a policy story, but politics, a state roundup. She makes two good points, which might help some of you covering the politics of implementation in your own state. First, how successful the Tea Party has been in driving the state-level implementation conversation to the right, and second “a widening rift within the Republican party, between those who say states should implement the law, retaining more power as it moves forward, and others who favor completely opting out of a law they because they believe it to be unconstitutional.”
I pulled together some resources about exchanges for the tip sheet on covering the first anniversary of reform. I’ll gather some more for a future update. If you see more good articles on the exchange, let me know by sending a note to joanne@healthjournalism.org.
Fact-checking Pawlenty’s health reform claims
In some parts of the country, health care-related posturing for the 2012 election is already in full swing. Over at CJR.org, AHCJ Immediate Past President Trudy Lieberman applauds a forceful bit of health care reform fact-checking by Minnesota Public Radio reporter Lorna Benson. In her piece, Benson carefully picks apart claims made by former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty as he touts his health reform record as a key piece of his 2012 presidential campaign.
Pawlenty’s two big health talking points are his “baskets of care,” or bundled payments for certain procedures, and his pay-for-performance plan. While both sound promising on paper, Benson found that some gaping holes had opened up as soon as the rubber met the road. See Benson’s full piece for the details of how any real change has been difficult to track or, indeed, even to detect at all.
Health care reform implementation glossary debuts
Filed under: Health care reform, Health journalism, Tools
HealthReformGPS, the George Washington University and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation project aimed at making health reform implementation easier to understand, has come out with a glossary of more than 200 key reform terms.
It keeps each entry brief while still covering general ideas, such as “Patient Protections,” as well as more specific ones, such as “Urban Indian” and “Culturally and linguistically appropriate and competent services.” All of this makes it perfect for bookmarking, or for a quick refresher. Take a minute to scan the list and I’m sure you’ll stumble across at least a couple entries that make you say, “Oh, so that’s what that really means.” Chances are, you’ll also come away with a story idea or two to boot.
Report examines health reform implementation
Filed under: Health care reform, Health policy, Hot Health Headline
A special report just released by The American Prospect looks at the implementation of health care reform. For the wide-angle view, read Paul Starr’s road map of where the battle lines will be drawn in the implementation effort.
AHCJ members Joanne Kenen, Jonathan Cohn and Rebecca Ruiz contributed to the 12-part report. Cohn discussed the construction and implementation of insurance rules, Kenen looked at Connecticut’s push for a local public option and piecemeal reform implementation in individual states.
Other elements include:
- Keith Wailoo’s evaluation of the pain management reform components of the bill, which amount to the promise that “we’ll look into it and maybe throw a little grant money in that direction.”
- Maria Abascal examines how reform will impact immigrants, legal and illegal alike. Legal immigrants, which make up a substantial portion of the nation’s uninsured, stand to benefit — as long as they can prove citizenship. Illegal immigrants don’t.
- Harold Pollack looks at health reform’s massive blind spot, the period between now and January 2014. Stopgap measures won’t be adequate for the majority of the uninsured, and Pollack pushes for an accelerated timetable.
Related
A briefing from the Alliance for Health Reform, cosponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, looks at “50 Ways to Implement Health Reform: State Challenges and Federal Assistance.”
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