CU-CitizenAccess to host conversation on local impact of Affordable Care Act

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A series of short videos will show the impact of the Affordable Care Act on Central Illinois at a community conversation on Tuesday, May 2.

The films profile members of the community for whom the ACA is not an abstract piece of public policy, but rather has real life implications, whether that be access to a quality of care not previously available to them or a sudden rise in insurance premiums that unexpectedly cuts into the family budget.

A panel of local experts will discuss that impact following the screening of the videos, produced by a team of University of Illinois student journalists led by Assistant Professor Charles Ledford.

“My students spent a good part of the semester reporting on the ACA, finding local perspectives on a story of national importance,” Ledford said. “Because of their very narrow focus, these short films distill a numbingly complex issue down to its human fundamentals in a way I don’t think we’ve seen locally. It should be a very interesting evening.”

Join local health professionals, a small business owner and an independent insurance agent as they discuss the local impact of the Affordable Care Act. This panel discussion will be followed by a question-and-answer session with the audience.

CU-CitizenAccess and the Knight Chair of Investigative Reporting, the Journalism Department at the College of Media, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, with support from The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting, are hosting a public conversation on this issue on May 2 from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m at the Champaign Public Library.

Brant Houston, Knight Chair of Investigative Reporting, Journalism Department at the College of Media, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, will moderate.

The event is free, but RSVPs are required. Light refreshments will be served.

CU-CitizenAccess is a community online news and information project based at the College of Media, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, devoted to investigative and enterprise coverage of social, justice and economic issues in east central Illinois.

The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting is a non-profit newsroom based in Champaign that covers agribusiness and related topics such as government, environment and energy. As part of our mission, we also hold events to help inform the public about the areas we often cover.

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