Georgetown CHIR & Association of Health Care Journalists Release Update to Health Insurance Tool

Interactive 50-state Media Guide Helps Journalists Navigate Complexities of U.S. Health Care System

The. U.S. health care system is a patchwork quilt of federal and state programs, laws and market forces, and recent events have shone a spotlight on Americans’ frustration with our health insurance system. Health care journalists provide a critical service by reporting on the policies, practices, and market forces that shape that system, but reporting on consumers’ experiences with health coverage can be a real challenge.

The Association of Health Care Journalists has just released a new and improved Guide to Health Insurance Across the U.S, first released in December 2023. Developed in partnership with Georgetown University’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms (CHIR) and supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Guide includes a national-level overview as well as guides to health coverage in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state guide provides data on residents’ sources of coverage, federal and state programs and policies that affect how that coverage works, and key data sources on health insurers and health plans.

The updated 50-state, interactive Media Guide provides a comprehensive overview of health insurance coverage and the federal and state policies, and regulatory agencies that govern the behavior of insurance companies and impact consumers’ experiences. It is designed to assist journalists reporting on issues consumers face navigating their health insurance coverage and access to services. The Media Guide includes:

• A national overview with key data on health insurance coverage, information about consumers’ rights, and links to national data sources about insurance companies and plans.
• An interactive state map with guides for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Each state guide contains key data about coverage sources, state regulatory agencies and officers, and links to local data sources about insurance companies and plans.
• A Glossary of key health insurance terms.
• A 2024 federal poverty level table denoting coverage eligibility levels under programs such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act Marketplace premium tax credits. 

The 50-state Media Guide on Health Insurance is available on the Association of Health Care Journalists’ website. The Guide was supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Additional work by CHIR researchers can be found here. CHIR is composed of a team of nationally recognized experts on private health insurance and health reform. For more on our work, please see our website, blog, and follow Georgetown CHIR on LinkedIn and @GtownCHIR on X (formerly Twitter).