Producer Ronan Sharkey and reporter Dean Cornish’s recent Dateline story on the state of the healthcare in the United States, examined the daily struggles of Americans trying to navigate a healthcare system that leaves many without the care they need.
For Ronan, the most emotional moment while reporting the story was meeting a couple whose daughter Laina has Leukaemia, and is going through chemotherapy treatment.
“What really struck me about these guys’ predicament is…they have this incredibly tough situation they’re facing where they have to keep their income low, in order to keep their daughter on the only government program that gives Americans anything like the coverage we get here in Australia,” he said.
“It’s called Medicaid – it’s the closest thing they have to a public health program, but it’s only for people who have a really low income.”
“So this family has to struggle financially, in order to be able to keep their daughter Laina on this Medicaid program so that she can get the treatment she needs to survive.”
Listen to his podcast with Dateline intern Eleanor Harrison here:
Watch Ronan’s full story here:
Dateline is an award-winning Australian, international documentary series airing for over 40 years. Each week Dateline scours the globe to bring you a world of daring stories. Read more about Dateline
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