We’re ClearHealthCosts — telling people what stuff costs in healthcare and helping them navigate this messy and complicated world. Welcome to our industry newsletter!
We won! We won!
Our partnership with KXAN TV in Austin won the prestigious Edward R. Murrow national award for “excellence in TV innovation” for large markets from the Radio and Television Digital News Association.
In partnership with the KXAN News investigators, we researched medical debt in Texas, and its effects on ordinary people. The investigation began with an anonymous tip. The more we investigated, the more we learned that the scope of the problem is vast in Texas alone. The work won a regional Murrow award in May. More here on the work with Josh Hinkle and his award-winning team.
Here is the KXAN Medical Debt work, In May, in the wake of this investigation, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas signed a medical cost transparency bill that requires hospitals asking for money from patients to send them a written, understandable, itemized invoice before sending them to collections.
The Murrow awards are a really big deal. We won one before — for “exemplary public service” with our partners at WVUE Fox 8 Live and NOLA.com I The Times Picayune in 2018.
That’s not all the good news!
Our partnership with Epicenter-NYC and TBN24 to deliver Covid vaccines in an undervaccinated neighborhood in New York City’s borough of Queens has been named a finalist for the national public service award for LION Publishers, the U.S.-Canada group for local independent online news publications.
Winners will be announced at the LION awards ceremony Oct. 3 .
We told you last time that this same partnership with Epicenter-NYC and TBN24 to deliver Covid vaccines in an undervaccinated neighborhood in New York City won this year’s digital innovation award for “Best Audience Listening Strategy” from the Local Media Association.
The judges wrote: “This project is truly inspiring. Partnering to bring a life-saving vaccine to a community in need brings new meaning to journalism’s mission of ‘serving the public.’ … This line right here says it all: ‘Meeting people where they are. Engagement. Listening.’ This is how journalism changes peoples’ lives.” Read more here.
We are deeply honored. And as always, thank you so much for your support!
Cheers, Jeanne and the team
A Tweet if you want it:
Journalism that changes lives: @KXAN_News and our friends @Chcosts, in partnership, won a prestigious Edward R. Murrow prize for innovation from @RTDNA for their investigation into medical debt in Texas. Congrats! More: bit.ly/3sfu4i4
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