Health Reporter

If you’re a journalist who can help people understand one of today’s most important and complex issues, you might be the next health care reporter at CalMatters. 

With Californians spending nearly $400 billion per year on health care, it’s a rapidly-changing story that affects everyone. More than a third of Californians receive their health care through the state Medi-Cal program, and the new administration in Sacramento is expanding coverage toward a goal of single-payer, universal coverage.

We seek a reporter who’s excited about telling this story. Someone who will closely follow evolving state policies and industry lobbying efforts. Someone who will hear from patients and advocacy groups about their challenges and experiences with the health system. Someone who’s an excellent writer with the skill to craft narratives that weave human experience with politics, policy and data. Someone comfortable in social media, on the radio, in front of a camera and at public events. 

In four years, CalMatters has become the largest newsroom covering California policy and politics. We’re a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization, and we give our coverage at no cost to more than 180 media outlets in California. As a health care reporter, you’ll be a crucial part of our effort to serve the 40 million Californians who represent one-eighth of the U.S. population. 

Responsibilities include:

• Report and write longform and short stories and multimedia presentations about California health issues with close attention to state policies and legislation, health outcomes, patient experience, industry behavior and advocacy positions.
• Think creatively about formats and tools for communicating health issues to a broad, statewide audience.
• Participate in radio shows, public events and live video.
• Work with our data, visual and social media journalists to create the best presentations of health stories.

These would be a plus:

• Based in Sacramento
• Fluent in Spanish
• Experienced at health coverage
• An understanding of health policy, especially in California

We are an expanding and collaborative newsroom, successfully forging a new model for sustainable, intelligent, nonprofit journalism. We’re committed to diversity and especially encourage members of underrepresented communities to apply. If you’re interested, please provide a resume, a cover letter that outlines how you would approach the job and links to at least six online samples of your work. Write to [email protected] with the job title in the subject line. You can view the posting on our website: