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Martha Bebinger
reporter
I expect to spend the rest of my health care reporting life talking about costs.
Articles
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The state is way ahead of the pack when it comes to publicly reporting the experiences of Medicaid patients.
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Sue Beder, who has had multiple sclerosis since she was 18, is one of America's most expensive patients. Journalist Martha Bebinger checks in to see how she's doing.
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<p class="MsoNormal">There's a vigorous debate underway in Massachusetts about how to control rising health care costs. This is pretty dense stuff that the public does not, for the most part, understand or have the stamina to take in. But it's really important.<span><br /></span></p>
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“I’ve had MS [multiple sclerosis] since I was 18 years old,” says Sue Beder, 65, as she begins to tell her story. “My husband passed away when he was 37, leaving me with two children. It was hard, but my parents were a big help. I’ve always had a lot of doctors.”
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<p>Mental health patients often don't get the physical health care they need. Journalist Martha Bebinger examines efforts to find these patients a new "medical home."</p>
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<p>What makes or keeps us healthy often has nothing to do with what happens in our doctor's office or a hospital. Angila Griffin made this discovery a few months ago when a community health worker stopped by to check on her kids, who have asthma. Jean Figaro came armed with vinegar and baking soda.
<p>The health coverage law Massachusetts passed in 2006 became a model for the national Affordable Care Act. But there is widespread recognition that attempts to expand coverage will fail unless the US figures out how to reduce rising health care costs. My project focuses on efforts to lower health care spending in Massachusetts, efforts that are putting the state, once again, in the national spotlight.</p>