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In November 2017, the Foundation invited a group of journalists from regional news organizations with a strong focus on health policy and state health reform to participate in a three-day fellowship focused on health care costs, coverage and access issues, and the changes proposed by the Trump Administration under debate at a state and federal level. The site visit, which took place at KFF’s Washington, D.C., office, gave the journalists the opportunity to learn from experts about the latest developments, trends, and possible changes to the Affordable Care Act, insurance marketplaces, Medicaid, and Medicare, and the implications for different states. A panel discussion moderated by KFF Health News Chief Washington Correspondent Julie Rovner provided political context to the briefings; and during a working dinner, the journalists discussed health policy topics and reporting challenges with invited Congressional and Washington-based journalists.
2017 Washington, D.C., Site Visit Agenda
Participants – Regional News Organizations
Cathy Candisky, statehouse reporter/health & human services, The Columbus Dispatch, Columbus, Ohio
-“Health insurance could be free for some after subsidy changes,” The Columbus Dispatch, November 26, 2017
Andy Davis, staff writer/health reporter, The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Little Rock, Arkansas
– “Insurance plan paring to one state,” Arkansas Online, December 3, 2017
– “Jan. 1 to deliver insurance shock for some,” Arkansas Online, November 24, 2017
Holly Fletcher, healthcare reporter, The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee
Ariel Hart, enterprise team reporter, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia
-“Some ACA premiums fall while others spike; enrollment keeps surging,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, November 20, 2017
Stephanie Innes, health reporter, Arizona Daily Star, Tucson, Arizona
Joe Lawlor, health and human services reporter, Portland Press Herald, Portland, Maine
-“Sen. Collins criticizes some provisions of Republican tax reform bill,” Portland Press Herald, November 15, 2017
Tony Leys, health care reporter, The Des Moines Register, Des Moines, Iowa
Megan Messerly, politics/health care reporter, Nevada Independent, Las Vegas, Nevada
Sabriya Rice, business of healthcare reporter, The Dallas Morning News, Dallas, Texas
Participants – National & Washington, D.C., journalists
Rachel Bluth, Peggy Girshman web reporting fellow, KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Meghan Hoyer, data editor, The Associated Press, Washington, D.C.
Gisele Grayson, senior producer science desk, NPR, Washington, D.C.
Joanne Kenen, executive director for health care, POLITICO, Washington, D.C.
Noam Levey, national healthcare reporter, The Los Angeles Times, Washington, D.C.
Rachana Pradhan, health care reporter, POLITICO, Washington, D.C.
Carmen Heredia Rodriguez, web reporter, KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent, KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Margot Sanger-Katz, Upshot reporter, The New York Times, Washington, D.C.
Diane Webber, senior project editor, KFF Health News, Washington, D.C.
Misty Williams, health care policy staff writer, CQ Roll Call, Washington, D.C.
Jeff Young, senior reporter, HuffPost, New York