The article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon, Oct. 25, 2013: Dear Beaconites -
News organizations usually cover what's happening. But sometimes what's not happening is just as interesting. This week, the Beacon paid attention to three dogs that didn't bark.
Reporter Hilary Davidson focused on a health-care crisis that hasn't happened -- at least yet. Several weeks ago, ConnectCare announced plans to end specialty clinics and services for the poor in neurology, cardiology and several other fields. That raised the prospect that vulnerable patients would be cut off.
"We put a call out to all the major providers in town and said ‘help,’" explained Robert Fruend, director of the St. Louis Regional Health Commission. An emergency planning group secured commitments to provide services and transportation for hundreds of patients. “Our communities rallied. We got folks rescheduled,” Fruend said.
That doesn't mean the problem is solved for good. Missouri's refusal to expand Medicaid means many poor people will remain uninsured. About 193,000 adults in Missouri will fall into a gap -- not poor enough for Medicaid but too poor for health insurance through the exchanges. Beacon health reporter Robert Joiner and presentation editor Brent Jones combined on a story and graphic that explain their plight.
A second significant non-happening is structural political reform. The federal government shutdown prompted discussion of the underlying forces that feed institutional gridlock. A big one is polarization within congressional districts. In many instances, lines have been drawn to maximize partisan majorities. That makes candidates in these districts more likely to cater to the extreme wings of their parties to avoid primary challenges.
Next week, Beacon political reporters Jo Mannies and Jason Rosenbaum will be looking at alternative approaches, including Iowa's requirement that congressional districts be drawn based on geography, not political leanings. No such change seems to be brewing in Missouri.
Beacon contributor Michael Dulick highlighted a third example of the significance of what doesn't happen -- that is, St. Louisans' failure to perceive our connection to others around the world. He writes regularly about his experiences living among the poor in Honduras. Life there intersects with life in St. Louis in ways that most of us don't notice.
He recently discussed those connections with students here, Dulick wrote this week. He told them: "Many Cardinals shirts are 'MADE IN HONDURAS,' as are Parkway’s, St. Louis University’s, and lots more. Honduras is as close as the clothes on your back. If you let the poor make your clothes, then let them touch your heart."
Dulick continued: "In fact, 'poverty' ... is best defined not by what folks DON’T have but by what we all share, our common humanity. I had to spend years in Honduras to appreciate that revelation."
As the Beacon continues to cover news that matters, we'll remain mindful that what matters most may sometimes be what we don't see happening.
Sincerely,
Margie