Before I joined WPR and Wisconsin Watch, the newsroom received a tip about the displacement of Medicaid recipients from a local assisted living facility. My first assignment was to give the tipster a call.
Dale Huhnke answered the phone and took time to share what it was like to navigate the state’s long-term care system for his mother. He detailed the process of learning her assisted living facility stopped accepting Medicaid and finding her new care. Later, he sat with me in his kitchen and spent well over an hour answering even more of my questions.
My favorite stories to report come from tips, like Huhnke’s.
When someone takes time to write to our newsroom, answer my questions over the phone and even invite me into their home, it’s easy to see why an issue matters to Wisconsin residents.
Since the story was published, I’ve received multiple emails and phone calls from people, like Huhnke, who have issues with the state’s long-term care systems. It’s clear there are more stories to tell. So, I’m continuing my reporting on Medicaid and long-term care.
If you or a loved one receives care through the state’s Family Care or IRIS programs, please reach out at acostello@wisconsinwatch.org. And if you have any other stories you want to share, send our newsroom a tip.
Addie Costello is WPR’s 2024-2025 Mike Simonson Memorial Investigative Reporting Fellow embedded in the Wisconsin Watch newsroom.
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