A South Florida native, I grew up reading The Miami Herald, and feeling informed, entertained and amazed by the stories and photos in its pages. After earning a bachelors degree in English from Florida International University, I began my journalism career in 1995 at The Orange County Register in Santa Ana, California. In 2000, I joined The Herald, covering arts news and Spanish-language TV on the features desk. I later covered cities, and general assignment news for the city desk. I began covering healthcare in March 2013. My project proposal will focus on the uninsured population in Miami-Dade County, where many must navigate a highly-competitive and disjointed safety net healthcare system.

Articles

How the Miami Herald told stories of lives caught in the ‘coverage gap,’ without falling into the politics trap

Despite the numbers of Floridians stranded in a health policy no man’s land – earning too much for Medicaid but not enough for subsidies – the “coverage gap” was getting little attention from policymakers and media. A reporter at the Miami Herald set out to change that, by telling their stories.

Environmental Health
Healthcare Regulation and Reform
Health Insurance and Costs

Miami-Dade mayor: State should fill loss of federal healthcare fund

Miami-Dade County does not have the money to cover the potential loss of $200 million a year in federal funding that helps Jackson Health System, the county’s public hospital network, provide medical care for the uninsured and Medicaid patients, Mayor Carlos Gimenez said Tuesday.

Miami-Dade’s safety net system for the uninsured has been described as a highly competitive and disjointed network.

Navigating the coverage gap

In Florida, an estimated 750,000 residents will fall into the coverage gap, where they earn too much to receive Medicaid and not enough to qualify for a premium subsidy to buy a private plan on the Health Insurance Marketplace....