This column explores how health reform is changing the ways in which we pay for and deliver health care in the U.S. It also highlights the ways in which our current system is falling short on measures of coverage, access and affordability. On any given week, that could mean a look at how Republican plans to repeal Obamacare could reshape the individual insurance market, how the safety net system is adapting to new financial pressures, or how the trend of doctors and hospitals merging into ever-larger entities is driving up costs. We also explore health care costs and whether the Affordable Care Act or its successor plans can live up to the promise to rein them in. Throughout, we keep watch on how the goals of health reform intersect with the shaping power of markets and human behavior. Contributors include veteran health journalist Trudy Lieberman and independent health journalist Kellie Schmitt, with occasional contributions from independent journalists such as Susan Abram and Sara Stewart.
Journalists are playing a key role in highlighting outrageous health care price tags. Why this flood of stories now? And will they make a difference?
The expansion of Medicaid has been key to getting more homeless people permanently housed in Los Angeles and beyond.
Federal officials told tribal leaders in January they cannot exempt Native Americans from Medicaid work requirements. Tribes strongly disagree.
After a near-fatal illness, columnist Trudy Lieberman returns with renewed conviction on how essential health coverage is for all Americans.
NYT's Katie Thomas shares how she finds and vets stories of real people stung by ever-rising drug prices, and expert panelists provide key context for rounding out coverage.
What to do when history supersedes the thrust of your project?
Critics fear a two-tier health system where the rich take priority over the rest. They argue concierge care will rob the system of needed physicians and hurt access to care for poorer patients.
“What is unique at this time is that the difference between what the private sector is paying and what the public sector is paying for health care is starting to diverge,” says John Hopkins' Gerard Anderson.
Looking for story leads on the underlying factors driving health in your community? The 2018 County Health Rankings offer a wealth of datapoints on what influences a community’s health.
A tour of four communities across America revealed a common theme when it comes to the health reform: "Over and over we heard the same thing: people feel forgotten. They feel Washington is not listening."
