Julie Appleby, senior correspondent, has reported on the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, health care treatments and costs, trends in health insurance, and policies affecting hospitals and other medical providers. Before joining KFF Health News, Julie spent 10 years covering the health industry and health care policy at USA Today. She also worked at the San Francisco Chronicle and the Contra Costa Times in Walnut Creek, California. She helped launch the Association of Health Care Journalists’ Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism in 2004 and oversaw it for more than a decade while serving on the association’s board. She holds a master’s degree in public health.