TRICARE, why care?
((Ahem... If you are looking for teeth bleaching or Convo's cat, it's the previous entry.. you're almost there!))
"TRICARE, why care?"
I called it that because unless you are directly affected and are having a hard time finding a doctor, you might wonder why this is an issue you should care about.
<<scrape, scrape.. the sound of me dragging my soapbox over>>
Access to healthcare is one of the top medical stories out there. Period. And it affects just about every person in every country. And if you think it doesn't affect you, it still does because on some level you're paying for it. Bringing local stories to light helps create a clear picture of the way our health care system works.
In short, we need to know what's going on.
As for TRICARE.. the people I interviewed for the story all like TRICARE and the coverage it provides. That's not the issue. The issue is not enough doctors are accepting TRICARE patients because the reimbursements are too low. I'm glad to hear TRICARE has made strides. But there is more to do (isn't there always, in life?).
Here's a link to TRICARE: http://www.tricare.mil/
And this is an older audit by the GAO, but has some good data!!
http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d03928.pdf
Response Time!!
Amy writes: I just finally got a chance to watch your "vlogs" and they are great!! How fun...are you enjoying them? You look like you are but I was curious ;) Hope your Monday goes well even though it is Monday...our Mondays in this house are always busy so I end up being loaded on coffee and hit the ground running! I have about 20 minutes of downtime at the moment before we are off to take my older son to kindergarten (and I'm volunteering in the classroom today!) and drop off the younger son with a buddy for a couple of hours. Come to think of it, I may need another cup-o-joe before we head out! :) Can't wait to hear about the teeth whitening story tonight... I haven't done it yet but it's been on the back of my mind for a while so I'm curious what you have to say! Happy Monday!!
Hi Amy!! Happy Monday back 'atcha. Wow, your older one is your kindergartner? You ARE busy!! You know, I DO like the vlogs, but I'll let you in on a little secret. I feel a little weird doing them in the newsroom. And, really, that's weird in and of itself. I can do "Cam4" hits (newsroom camera where we often have a reporter 'front' the story live). I can stand outside and prattle on about that one snowflake that fell an hour ago by the Sylvan overpass. But I find myself talking in a hushed tone when I do my vlog in the newsroom. The thing is: EVERYONE CAN SEE IT AS SOON AS I UPLOAD IT!! So, why in the world would I do them quietly.
Yup, I totally got off on a tangent there. I see loads of fun potential with the vlogs. I mean, that last one on what stories I am working on took just a few minutes. It's faster than a typed one, really. Plus, the cord on that little camera is just long enough too that I can turn it around and show you other stuff besides my 'whispering' mug. Maybe I will try and catch one of the anchors doing thier newsroom updates.
Blog buddy Joe writes: That dog is HUGE....it is part Shar-pei, right? Or maybe it is shar-pei sized, and you are exceptionally tiny. "Is Stephanie a Smurf? Film at 11pm.." (kidding!) Hmm..
Nice job on the video blogs. I've only had time to check out one of them, but very nicely done. I might have to get one at home, and do my own video blogs...
Hey..I tuned into KGW just before 9AM on Sunday and noticed Kelli Love, and some production folks telling Jim Donovan not to cry..is he leaving?
My dog is kind of big, huh. He's about 60 pounds of pure lazy, couch potato-ness. He's tall, which is what gives him the illusion of size, too. Definitely taller than a Shar-Pei, which is one of the (many) reasons we suspect Greyhound. The video blogs (vlogs) are well worth the relatively small investment in the camera and software.
No, Kelly is not coming back and Donovan is not leaving. Our long time producer Wayne has retired. He's done that weekend morning show for a very very very long time and we will all miss him. CONGRATULATIONS Wayne!! :-)
I got a great email and photo from Kimberlee. I did a story with her daughter Katrina back in 2001!! This photo from that day is still on my desk. It's a picture of Katrina during her horseback riding session.
She was attending Camp Quality (the organization used to have a camp here). It's a summer camp where kids with cancer can just be kids. It was a memorable story and Katrina is a memorable girl! Here's the latest photo! Everyone is doing really well, and it was just awesome to get the update!
