New York Times investigative reporter Chris Hamby and STAT reporter Bob Herman, who covers the business of health care, will be featured in a May 21 webinar on how journalists can report on the hidden and lucrative alliances health insurers have with cost-containment companies, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and employee benefits consultants.
The webinar is the second in a collaboration between The Association of Health Care Journalists and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE) and is being offered as part of the organization’s “Follow the Money” series, with financial support from NIHCM.
In April, Hamby reported that MultiPlan, a company in New York City that helps health insurers keep costs down, and its health insurer clients have a large and mostly hidden financial incentive to cut payments for policyholders’ claims as much as possible. The result can be patients paying more than they would otherwise.
During this webinar, hosted by AHCJ health policy beat leader Joe Burns, Hamby and Herman will discuss the tools and outline the tips and strategies they used to uncover these hidden agreements and how all healthcare journalists can report on this important story.