Reporting Tips for Covering High Risk Health Insurance Pools

A Call to all ME-P Citizen and Investigative Journalists

By Hope Rachel Hetico RN, MHA

[Managing Editor]

According to our colleagues from the Association of Health Care Journalists [AHCJ], the federal government and states are scrambling now to create temporary high-risk pools for the medically uninsurable by July 1, 2010. As one of the first provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to go into effect, it will serve as a test case for implementation of the new law and it should be closely followed.

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Some states with existing high risk pools are passing laws to ensure their programs comply with the new federal rules and are eligible for some of the $5 billion in federal funding. Other states are refusing to alter their programs and ceding responsibility to the federal government.

But, apart from being a policy story, it’s of great interest to all our ME-P readers, viewers or listeners who have pre-existing conditions and are struggling to find coverage. 

Avoid HI Scammers

Finally, don’t be scammed into buying fake health insurance. With unemployment high and complicated health care changes under way, scammers see big opportunities. Here’s how to avoid getting hurt. 

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Insurance/InsureYourHealth/scams-peddle-fake-health-coverage.aspx

Assessment

And so, we now ask our ME-P citizen journalists or investigative reporters to cover this topic for story tips, suggestions, comments and related posts. We hope to add your insights and resources as the story develops. 

Conclusion

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Battered Health Journalists

9 of 10 Would Repeat Career Choice

By Staff Reportersred-appple

According to the Association of Health Care Journalists on March 12, 2009 pia@healthjournalism.ccsend.com, and on behalf of the Association of Health Care Journalists news@healthjournalism.org; a new survey cited newsroom cutbacks, lack of time for research and travel, and fewer opportunities for training at their news organization as factors making their jobs more challenging than ever; so says the recently released survey in conjunction with the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Fewer Drawbacks in Health Reporting

Moreover, while about 3 in 4 respondents said that US journalism was headed in the wrong direction, just more than half felt that way about health journalism. And two-thirds of respondents said health care journalism was headed in the right direction at their media outlet.

A Hardy Career

Fortunately, health journalists are a hardy bunch. Nearly three-quarters of health journalists surveyed said the amount of coverage given to health care topics has stayed the same or increased at their news organization and two-thirds said the quality of coverage has been stable or gotten better over the past few years.

Link: http://www.healthjournalism.org/resources-articles-details.php?id=94

Assessment

Despite the challenges and the uncertain times, 88 percent of respondents said if they had to make their career choice over again they would still go into health journalism. Interestingly, that was the same percentage of respondents who said they had health insurance.

Conclusion

And so, your thoughts and comments on this Medical Executive-Post are appreciated. Does this positive career choice percentage for health journalists match that of physicians today? Was this career choice query even asked of doctors two decades ago?

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com  or Bio: www.stpub.com/pubs/authors/MARCINKO.htm

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Our Other Print Books and Related Information Sources:

Practice Management: http://www.springerpub.com/prod.aspx?prod_id=23759

Physician Financial Planning: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/0763745790

Medical Risk Management: http://www.jbpub.com/catalog/9780763733421

Healthcare Organizations: www.HealthcareFinancials.com

Health Administration Terms: www.HealthDictionarySeries.com

Physician Advisors: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.com

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