http://www.cjr.org/ Columbia Journalism Review: The future of media is here en Copyright 2013 Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss By Trudy Lieberman Elizabeth O'Brien's May 15 Marketwatch piece on proposed changes for Medicare is one of the best I have seen since the government's health program for elderly and disabled people surfaced last year as a likely target for the federal budget axe. It still is a target, and that makes O'Brien's effort all the more important. Her story acknowledges an... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_who_should_pay_who_can_pay.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_who_should_pay_who_can_pay.php The Second Opinion Tue, 21 May 2013 11:00:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Last week's release of the wildly varying prices that hospitals charge Medicare may no longer be news du jour, but it's worth revisiting the topic, because it was and is an important story, it was an important step by the government, and it offers important follow-up opportunities for the media. And there's more to glean from the reaction to... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_insanity_of_hospital_prici.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_insanity_of_hospital_prici.php The Second Opinion Thu, 16 May 2013 15:08:04 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Rate hikes just keep coming. The latest we've heard about come from Blue Cross Blue Shield in North Carolina, which just warned 125,000 customers who bought individual policies to brace themselves for unusually large increases. CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield of Maryland announced hikes averaging 25 percent for its individual policies and about 15 percent for small businesses.... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/untangling_obamacare_whats_beh.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/untangling_obamacare_whats_beh.php The Second Opinion Mon, 13 May 2013 12:38:03 -0500 By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont The emergency department (ED) is not only the most inappropriate and expensive place to deliver primary healthcare, it's a gateway to unnecessary hospital admissions for people who could be better served in the community. For people with chronic conditions--such as diabetes, asthma, and hypertension--proactive monitoring and management of medication regimens and physical exams is especially important to prevent both avoidable... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/keeping_it_chronic.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/keeping_it_chronic.php The Second Opinion Thu, 02 May 2013 15:10:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Covering Obamacare poses big challenges for journalists, from piercing government spin and deciphering GOP rhetoric to unraveling and simplifying the complexities of insurance. Today we begin a series of posts that aims to help reporters, editors, and the public understand what this law is really about and how it is being implemented. Will insurance premiums go... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/untangling_obamacare_rate_shoc.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/untangling_obamacare_rate_shoc.php The Second Opinion Wed, 01 May 2013 14:28:05 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman You have to give the AP an A for effort, for at least trying to tell its huge audience about one aspect of the president's major Medicare proposal. But when it comes to judging the quality of the AP's story, a grade of C minus might be more appropriate. The piece conveys the nub of the president's plan... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_figuring_ou.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_figuring_ou.php The Second Opinion Tue, 16 Apr 2013 15:29:05 -0500 By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont Leave it to Fox News Channel's Dr. Manny (Alvarez) to scare the audience away from open and honest discussion about emergency contraception. In his April 5 column on foxnews.com, Alvarez, FNC's senior managing editor for health news, characterizes the recent court order to make Plan B One-Step available over the counter for women of all ages as... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/on_plan_b_a_dart_for_dr_manny.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/on_plan_b_a_dart_for_dr_manny.php The Second Opinion Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:16:02 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman As we report in a companion piece here on CJR.org--"Medicare uncovered: What's not on the table"--the president's budget proposal, to be delivered tomorrow, reportedly contains a provision that takes a baby step toward discounted drugs for some poor people on Medicare. It would allow the government to obtain rebates from pharmaceutical makers for drugs covered under Medicare,... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/big_pharmas_army_of_messengers.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/big_pharmas_army_of_messengers.php The Second Opinion Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:18:02 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman The leaks from the White House and the circulation of pre-budget talking points on Friday made it clear that fixes to Medicare will come from cutting benefits to seniors and disabled people. For the last several months, certain politicians have been building support for options that could involve raising the eligibility age, making more people pay higher... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_whats_not_o.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_whats_not_o.php The Second Opinion Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:02:29 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman What Congress giveth, it can also taketh away. And there's no clearer example than a provision in the Affordable Care Act that has the potential to make consumers plenty mad. At a time when millions of Americans still know nothing about the subsidies to help them pay for health insurance, the Associated Press now comes along to tell them... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/covering_an_obamacare_clawback.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/covering_an_obamacare_clawback.php The Second Opinion Fri, 05 Apr 2013 11:00:00 -0500 By Sibyl Shalo Wilmont http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/doctors_and_nurse_practitioners_beyond_the_turf_war.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/doctors_and_nurse_practitioners_beyond_the_turf_war.php The Second Opinion Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:00:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman The lead of Politico's story on the battle over Medicare Advantage cuts didn't pull any punches: "The insurance industry chalked up one of its greatest political victories in recent memory Monday," Brett Norman and Jennifer Haberkorn wrote, detailing how the trade group America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) vanquished the forces of government evil--i.e., bureaucrats at the Centers for Medicare... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_health_insurance_industry_wins_a_big_one.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_health_insurance_industry_wins_a_big_one.php The Second Opinion Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:50:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Inc.'s Adam Bluestein and Julie Weed of The New York Times have come up with an interesting way of covering the business angle of the Affordable Care Act--by profiling several businesses and showing the options they face under its new rules. For that clarifying coverage, they deserve a tip of our hat. Why is this important? The business... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/obamacare_and_the_business_angle_innovative_coverage_by_new_york_times_and_inc_magazine.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/obamacare_and_the_business_angle_innovative_coverage_by_new_york_times_and_inc_magazine.php The Second Opinion Wed, 03 Apr 2013 11:00:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Last week Katharine Raley, who heads the Ventura, CA, office of the state's Health Insurance Advocacy and Counseling Program, got a warning call from a representative of Blue Cross. The insurance rep told Raley that an industry-backed advocacy group called the Coalition for Medicare Choices would be phoning beneficiaries in the county about a planned 2.3 percent reduction... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_the_insurers_latest_campaign_ahip_battle_against_medicare_advantage_cuts.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/medicare_uncovered_the_insurers_latest_campaign_ahip_battle_against_medicare_advantage_cuts.php The Second Opinion Fri, 29 Mar 2013 15:05:00 -0500 By Trudy Lieberman Bravo for Jordan Rau, the author of a piece produced by Kaiser Health News, that at last untangles the proliferating hospital ratings schemes that may do more to confuse patients than enlighten them. Some of these ratings schemes, notably ones from Healthgrades and U.S. News & World Report, have been around for years and no... http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_great_hospital_ratings_derby.php http://www.cjr.org/the_second_opinion/the_great_hospital_ratings_derby.php The Second Opinion Wed, 27 Mar 2013 11:00:00 -0500