Author Archive

Michael Ollove

Michael Ollove is a staff writer with Stateline.
Digital Government

Some states are cloaking prison COVID data

While most corrections systems have never provided much information about the spread of the virus in their institutions, lately it has gotten worse. Even less transparency is available from city and county jails and in juvenile detention facilities.

  • By Michael Ollove
Management

How COVID-19 in jails and prisons threatens nearby communities

With the highest incarceration rate in the world, the United States is particularly vulnerable to diseases spreading near correctional institutions.

  • By Michael Ollove
Digital Government

Reopening means contact tracing. Many states aren't ready.

With no national plan and scant federal dollars on the horizon, states are funding their own contact-tracing initiatives for what experts predict will be a massive undertaking lasting 18 months to two years, until a vaccine is developed.

  • By Michael Ollove and Christine Vestal
Infrastructure

States flubbed the rollout of their health insurance exchanges. Now they’re ready to try again.

State officials insist they can avoid past failures and state-focused websites can help more residents get insurance.

  • By Michael Ollove
Management

State prisons turn to telemedicine to improve health and save money

Vastly improved technology, electronic medical records and pressure to control ever rising medical costs have helped spur the growth of telemedicine in corrections.

  • By Michael Ollove
Management

Is 'telemedicine' virtually identical to the examination room?

Despite technological advances, advocates say telemedicine has failed to reach its full potential, due largely to policies in some states that make it difficult to practice, and pay for, such care.

  • By Michael Ollove