Community Connection - April 28 2026 - Tina Cosby - Panel Discussion on Medicaid

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Yvonne, executive director of Common Cause Indiana, and of course
our voter education contributor, Julia.

Speaker 2 (00:05):
Welcome back. How are you doing today.

Speaker 3 (00:08):
I'm doing all right, doing all right.

Speaker 1 (00:11):
I wanted to share with you that I voted last
week early voted after CCB, and there was I mean,
it was a smooth sailing, very easy, and you know,
they almost over They were so helpful in the clerk's office,
almost over explained. And I appreciate that because we're going
to need that for people going in.

Speaker 2 (00:32):
But it was as simple there was you know I
was sharing. It wasn't that I won't call it a hiccup.

Speaker 1 (00:37):
And it was a strange occurrence because you know the clerk's officer.
I know, you know it well because you've been in
all these buildings, and so you know, when you come
in off of Delaware Street, there's only one way you
can go. There's only one place you can go because
they have it all blocked off, right, everything is blocked off.
And so as I was coming up, you know, it's

(00:58):
kind of a little ramp like as I was walking
in and getting ready to turn the left to go
into the clerk's office, a sheriff's deputy fully outfitted. You know, ma'am,
may I help you where you're going? And I was like,
you know, may I help you? Where are you're going?
And I said I'm going to vote? Because I was
really taken aback. I was like, man working, but I

(01:19):
didn't want to get smart. You know, It's just like
it was very you know, very direct, because I was
trying to look around to see where else could I
possibly be going, and I hope that that's not something
they're going to and maybe he just I don't know,
maybe he didn't have anything else to do and was
on break. I don't know, but I just felt that
was very strange because it's very obvious where I was going,

(01:39):
and it's very obvious you can't go, you can't go
anywhere else.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
But uh, and yeah, it would certainly be concern too
if it had happened someplace other than the city County building.
I mean, there are strict rules about law enforcement's presence
at Mowling places because it can be intimidating. Yeah, so
I appreciate you sharing that story, because you know, we did.

(02:04):
We were out the Election Protection Project has my volunteers
out and I was out over the weekend of early voting,
and you know, it was smooth most places, which it
would have been busier. I heard from most people. It
was steady but not exactly busy. So hopefully that'll pick
up a little bit for the last weekend of satellite

(02:26):
early voting. But here's the thing that I did observe
at a couple of locations that is really concerning to me,
and I would just call it over aggressive electioneering. You know,
we got a lot of competitive races in on the
Democratic side of the primary ballot this year. Some incumbents

(02:46):
are being challenged, and I just noticed a whole lot
of you know, party officials, current elected officials out at
polling places, sort of forcing voters to walk a gauntlet.
You know, they weren't going to get past these people
without engaging with them. And I've talked to some voters

(03:08):
who don't like this. You know, they really would much
rather be able to walk in, not get stopped by anybody,
not get glad handed, not get the pieces of paper
and the palm cards and the literature that everybody's hanging out.

Speaker 3 (03:24):
You know, they just want to vote.

Speaker 4 (03:26):
And again, and I know there are some people who
don't mind this kind of interaction. But I will tell
you that the number one kind of complaint that we
get at the Election Protection hotline is over aggressive electioneering.
So I know that there are some people who just
really resented.

Speaker 3 (03:45):
So I would.

Speaker 4 (03:47):
Encourage the candidates and the volunteers that are out and
you know, this is legal as long as you stay
out of the huts.

Speaker 5 (03:55):
You know.

Speaker 2 (03:56):
And that's what I was about to add.

Speaker 3 (03:57):
And that's it.

Speaker 4 (03:58):
There are some of them were violating that rule clearly,
so back it up and respect the people's ability to
vote uninterrupted. I would just again, and I think this backfires.
I think this really aggressive approach a lot of people.
It counts against you.

Speaker 5 (04:18):
It's not going to give.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
You any votes.

Speaker 4 (04:20):
So as one of the volunteers who thought there were
people going overboard, said to me, you know the sign
you're holding or your T shirt you're wearing, that should
say everything you need to need to say. You really
don't need to hound voters down and you know, escort
them into the polling place. So you know, just back
it up a little bit, volunteers in Canadas. I think

(04:43):
voters will really appreciate it, and I would encourage if
you go to vote and you are accosted like this
and you don't appreciate it. I would encourage you to
call eight six to six hour Vote and register a
complaint because one of the people who we called out
for being in the shoot said, well, nobody's complained about it,

(05:05):
so you know, we need to generate some complaints about it.
And this is actually an issue that you know, I've
been thinking about at the state level. I did some
research last year and found that this fifty feet is
one of the shortest shoots in the country. Most states
have something like one hundred one hundred and fifty and
in some states it's as much as two hundred and

(05:28):
fifty feet. So they have this barrier right where voters
can go into the voting room uninterrupted. So I'm you know,
thinking about asking policymakers to change this law in Indiana.
So it would really be helpful if voters who are
concerned about it, who feel like it's undue pressure, you know,

(05:49):
call that eight sixty six our vote hotline and let
us know that it's not something that you want to
see happening when you go to vote.

Speaker 1 (05:57):
Well, you know, Julia, now that you mentioned that, that's
exactly what happened to me as well. I mean, I
was just it was like when I when I started
walking it and I, you know, I I was held
my hands up like I'm good, I'm good, save a tree.
I don't need the Yeah, I don't need the literature.
And I appreciate it, but thank you. And one said, well,

(06:20):
can you just take it anyway? And I'm like, well,
you know, okay, and I'll do something productive with it
or recycle.

Speaker 2 (06:28):
I don't know, but yeah, I didn't. I don't. I
wouldn't say that I was annoyed. Guy. I just kept walking.
But yeah, I can see how that would be very
annoying too.

Speaker 1 (06:38):
And that has happened on more than one occasion when
I've gone to vote as well, although it wasn't quite
as aggressive as when I was down at the City
County building last week.

Speaker 2 (06:47):
Though it really wasn't. I thought that was.

Speaker 6 (06:49):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
I thought they were very uh, you know, very on it,
very aggressive, just running up and uh. And they had
said I did ask them because even though I'm I'm
there to vote, I have to ask, you know, how's
it been was turned out? Any problem, you know, anything
like that, And they said that it's been steadier than
most and pretty good turnout. They were really surprised at

(07:14):
the number of people that had been coming out. And
so we had a candidate who was here for Congress,
Destiny Wells, and she had just come from an event
I think in Hamlin County and or was it or
North Indianapolis. Anyway, someone had given her a figure that
voted you know, participation a year to date from the

(07:35):
time that you know, that last week or whenever she
was there, it was up like one hundred and twenty
five percent. I said, that's interesting because when I was
at the City County building, they were you know, they
were encouraged that, you know, it was steady, but you know,
steadier than most. So you know, I said, well, that's
a good thing. I said, so would you say up?
And they say, yeah, you know, probably up, but we'll

(07:58):
see the closer you know, it gets, but you know,
definitely steadier than usual for a primary, is what they said.

Speaker 3 (08:04):
So I, yeah, that is a primary.

Speaker 4 (08:06):
Yeah, primary turnout has really been horrible here, so certainly
all we can do is go up, and you know,
I credit that to the competition. There are actually some
races that voters will decide, you know, for too long
in Indiana, I think there's been complacency and we don't
have multiple people running for the same office.

Speaker 3 (08:27):
So competition is good.

Speaker 4 (08:29):
It is good for politics, it's good for government. It
is just a good thing. So I'm glad to see it,
and I'm sure that's one of the things that striving turnout.
It's also that, you know, our world seems to be
just out of control. So anytime that you know, people
are anxious about the future, that's going to help turn
out as well. But you know, these are all good things.

(08:50):
But again, the hounding of voters, the forming a gauntlet
that you that voters have to force themselves through, that's
just not cool and it's not respectful of voters. And
you know, I know that volunteers and candidates are out
there because they want voting to be a good experience
for people. So just just recognize that that turns a

(09:11):
whole lot of folks off. And I hope that we
don't get these kind of reports this coming weekend as
satellite early voting continues.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Yeah, and I hope whoever runs security at these places
these were there were two sheriff's deputies there that they
are mindful of the fact that they could, you know,
just their very presence can be intimidating, even though they
may not necessarily mean to. I guess I don't know,
but that that is something that need to pay attention,

(09:42):
have folks pay attention to as well.

Speaker 4 (09:43):
Yes, being mindful, those things are really important. And you know,
it is just you can't really, you know, predict or
fully understand how other people interpret things. But as I said,
there are rules about how law enforcement can be pressed
and at polling places. So that's you're clearly a recognition

(10:05):
that for some voters it's intimidating. So yeah, it's concerning
to hear me that you know, you were asked that
question if you were clearly headed to vote.

Speaker 1 (10:14):
Yeah, I was telling Eric, I said, it was the
equivalent of walking into the restroom several stalls and the
restroom attendant says, can I help you?

Speaker 2 (10:24):
What do you need?

Speaker 7 (10:25):
No?

Speaker 2 (10:26):
Where are you going?

Speaker 1 (10:27):
Because that's what he asked me, He said, where are
you going? What do you or can I help you?
Where are you going? And then so you'd be like,
you're in a restroom, It's like where are you going?

Speaker 3 (10:37):
What else is there to do?

Speaker 2 (10:39):
What else? What else?

Speaker 5 (10:41):
Hey?

Speaker 1 (10:41):
By the way, got a got some information on an
event that's coming up very shortly, My Church Votes.

Speaker 2 (10:49):
Can you tell us a little bit more about that.

Speaker 4 (10:51):
Yeah, thank you for mentioning that. Yeah, I wanted to
invite your listeners. We're really excited about it. We're co
sponsoring this event with the Harvest Initiative. I used to
be called Black Women Vote, but it's the Harvest Initiative
now and it's Sunday, May third, free event. In fact,

(11:13):
we're going to have lunch available for people, so come
on buy Sunday from one to three pm. And it
is called My Church Votes, My Community Votes, Navigating politics
for local Power, and so the idea is just to
have a really community discussion that's focused on building grassroots

(11:36):
power to meet the community needs and to help us
mobilize voters because, as I'm a broken record on this right,
our turnout is just too low and our voters are
not representative of the full community. So we need a
greater understanding across Indianapolis of why voting really matters. So

(12:00):
that's what we're going to be talking about May third.
We've also invited several candidates, the seventh Congressional District candidates
sheriff candidates, state legislative candidates. We're not endorsing anybody, but
we just want to have again this community conversation and
allow voters to hear from these people who are running

(12:23):
to serve us in the community. So because we are
providing a lunch, we need you to RSVP if you'd
like to attend. But again, we're really excited about this.
So you can go to our Facebook page that's Facebook
dot com slash common Cause Indiana and there's a QR

(12:47):
code there on the brochure. You scan that, the little
RSVP form will come out. Fill it out and we
will know you're coming and we will be excited to
see you again. That's Sun Day afternoon, starting at one
o'clock and it's at Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church, which is

(13:07):
at thirty eight oh one Forest Manor.

Speaker 1 (13:10):
Okay, yeah, very good. Sounds like a very good event.
And you know, I think it's a process, but the
process we need to have a sustained process in terms
of changing the narrative around primary elections. Primary voting in
primary elections, you know, people is it's kind of like

(13:32):
a shrug off. You know, it's the primary. It's the primary.
But that's where the work is done. And as you said,
right now, we have a few very crowded races for
their you know, their party's nomination, you know, to to
win their party's nomination for November. But and it's good
competition and you can tell the candidates are out there

(13:55):
really fighting, which is good.

Speaker 4 (13:57):
Yeah, nobodies should be anointed right now. Everybody should have
the work to get re elected.

Speaker 3 (14:04):
So that's why I think this is good.

Speaker 4 (14:06):
And I think it's really important. You know, I think
the churches are key to improving Black civic participation. I mean,
you know, it is just an important part of the community.
So we are really excited to work with Shiloh mist
Missionary Baptist Church with the Harvest initiative because you know,

(14:27):
I think in the black community that's just a really
good place to have these kinds of conversations. So again,
everybody in the community is invited. We're looking for you know, voters,
community members, business owners, everybody needs to have a say.
And so you know, let's start that conversation this Sunday.

Speaker 1 (14:50):
Okay, were you surprised speaking of conceding or just giving away?
Were you surprised that the Republicans did not feel a
candidate for sheriff of Marion County.

Speaker 4 (15:00):
I am, yeah, I'm very given what's going on, all
of the stuff with Ice, you know, and the you know,
the Monroe County sheriff is doing the state about the
new immigration laws. It's unconstitutional, and so you know, the
sheriff's office is more political than it's ever been, right,

(15:22):
And so yeah, I'm pretty surprised. But I think that
goes to show you why voting in the primary is
the ultimate of importance in a county like Marion County.
That's where these final decisions are going.

Speaker 3 (15:37):
To be made. I mean, here in our county.

Speaker 4 (15:40):
Where we have one party that is so dominant, this
is the most impactful election really. I mean, you know,
November is going to be the afterthought for most of
these races. So if you set the primary out, you
are really sitting out when your vote is going to
can the most. So you know, people who say, oh, no,

(16:03):
I you know, these primaries, I'm not really interested in that.

Speaker 3 (16:08):
You need to get in it done.

Speaker 4 (16:11):
That is where the real decisions are.

Speaker 2 (16:13):
Made, exactly.

Speaker 1 (16:14):
And if you can clear the primary, you're you know,
especially in a crowded field.

Speaker 2 (16:19):
That's that's good.

Speaker 1 (16:20):
So so what do we what do folks need to
know heading into the final weekend of early voting uh
and and the like, and you know as we go
into just we're one week away from from the election itself.

Speaker 2 (16:34):
So what is it that our voters need to know?

Speaker 4 (16:37):
Well, satellite early voting is open, so that the hours
on that are eleven to six. And you know, you've
got a location in each township, so if you don't
want to drive down to the city county building, you.

Speaker 3 (16:50):
Don't have to.

Speaker 4 (16:52):
I highly recommend people go check out the county's website,
which is vote dot indeed dot gov. There's just a
lot of useful information there, like all of the vote
center locations, sample ballot that we talked about last week.
You know, nothing too surprising on it, but you can.

(17:12):
All you have to do is click on you know,
are you going to vote in the Republican or Democratic primary?
You click there, then you put your address and your
own ballot will come up. So you know, the top
of the ticket is the seventh congressional district race and
then sort of the most obscure races are for your

(17:32):
state delegates. But you know that's really interesting to me,
and we probably have on my ballot. You choose eight,
and there must have been at least fifteen or sixteen.
And so you know, I know several of those people.
Some of them I know them, and I'll vote for them.
Some of them I know them and I won't be voting.

Speaker 1 (17:50):
For them, yes, But some of them I don't know.

Speaker 4 (17:54):
So now, because I've called up my sample ballot, I
have the ability.

Speaker 3 (17:59):
To do a little bit of research right.

Speaker 4 (18:01):
In Google them, and you can find out a little
bit of their biography and you know, help you feel
like you're making a more informed decision. So I highly
recommend that people use the vote dot ind dot gov
resource because it will really help you prepare yourself, be

(18:22):
a knowledgeable voter, and you know, get it done. The
four a week from today. Remember that polls will be
open on Alection Day six am to six pm. If
you're in line at six pm.

Speaker 3 (18:37):
You get the vote.

Speaker 4 (18:39):
They've got to let everybody in the line vote even
as the polls close. So again, we hope that turnout.
Certainly it seems like it's going to be better than
usual here in Marion County, and that's always a great thing.

Speaker 1 (18:55):
Three one seven for eight zero thirteen ten three one
seven for eight zero thirteen ten.

Speaker 2 (19:00):
Our guest Julia.

Speaker 1 (19:01):
Von, Executive director of Common Clause Indiana, also our Voter
Education contributor. She is always so generous with your time,
especially around this time, and we really appreciate you coming
on with us.

Speaker 2 (19:13):
So, Julia, the.

Speaker 1 (19:16):
Voter I D thing and the student where is that?
Do you know where that is with the state?

Speaker 4 (19:22):
Yeah, we are still under the stay ordered by the
Seventh Circuit and Word of Appeals, so we're still there.
I was kind of expecting a final ruling from the
federal district judge here in Indiana. There had been some
rumors that that was going to come out in the

(19:44):
last week, but that didn't happen. So don't know what
rules are going to be in effect right now. Public
university students are not allowed to use their student ID
per the law passed by the legislat Thur last year.
There was I think a two day window of opportunity

(20:06):
between when the injunction came down and then the Circuit
Court of Appeals stay. So you know, that's just really
frustrating that some students got to use that ID to vote,
but the bulk of them may not be allowed to
unless the final decision comes out, so that is still

(20:27):
sort of in limbo awaiting that final judge's decision.

Speaker 1 (20:31):
So do the students who were able to use their
student ID vote student ID to vote, do their votes
still count or are those votes considered non and void
or other voteailed.

Speaker 4 (20:42):
No, they are considered legal votes because those were the
rules of the game at the time they cast their ballot.
But you know, it is just patently unfair that students
who waited won't be able to take that opportunity. I
thought it was really interesting that the individual student plays

(21:03):
if he did cast his ballot in that very narrow
window of.

Speaker 3 (21:07):
Opportunity and used his student ID to vote.

Speaker 4 (21:11):
But you know, it is just frustrating because the state
has not shown one example of a public university student
misusing their ID to cast their ballot.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
So there is.

Speaker 4 (21:26):
Absolutely no reason for this law. It is targeting students
and simply wanting to make it more difficult for them
to vote in the state of Indiana. So I certainly
hope in the end this law will not be permanently
implemented in our state, But we're going to have to
wait a little bit longer to see what the end

(21:48):
of the story is.

Speaker 1 (21:50):
And so the number for any improprieties, any concerns, what
even I don't know, maybe even some then that that's
going on goods. You know, we always talk about the
our vote line if you have any problems, but I mean,
I'm sure if there are good examples of you know,
good things taking place, you'd want to hear about those

(22:11):
as well.

Speaker 8 (22:12):
Oh.

Speaker 4 (22:12):
Absolutely, you know there are places that do go above
and beyond the call of duty, and yeah, we would
love the opportunity to, you know, salute those folks.

Speaker 3 (22:22):
I mean, we do. You know, this is not just
about helping.

Speaker 4 (22:25):
People in real time and answering questions, though that's the
primary motive behind the hotline.

Speaker 3 (22:33):
We also take.

Speaker 4 (22:34):
All of the information that comes in, all of the
calls that people make, the problems that they have, and
we compile that together to see, Okay, these are the
problems that need to be addressed in Indiana in terms
of voting accessibility. But yeah, if you had a good
experience and you want to salute some of the election workers,

(22:54):
we'd love to hear that.

Speaker 3 (22:56):
Because one of the.

Speaker 4 (22:56):
Things we're also trying to do is work more closely
with local election administrators because they have one of the
hardest jobs in the world, and it has only been
made harder by all of the controversy that swirls in
our country around the elections, most of it completely unfounded
and you know, stirred up by the President of the

(23:18):
United States. So yeah, anytime you can say something good
about election workers, please do and you know, call the
county election board and let them know that you had
a good experience as well.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
Yeah, you know you don't have a good experience. Here's
the convertic call.

Speaker 8 (23:35):
Okay, eight six six six eight seven eight six eight
three and again that's eight six to six hour vote.

Speaker 4 (23:46):
And I should also mention that it is available in
a number of different languages, not just English, so there
are Spanish speakers on the other end, Asian language as
well as Arabic. So language should not be an obstacle
to communicating with the hotline.

Speaker 1 (24:06):
No, no, it should not be. And so it goes.
You'll see, And how Julia are you? I guess I
could look online and count because they may have account
But do you know on election day how many vote
centers that there will be, how many vote centers are
going to be available.

Speaker 2 (24:24):
Usually it's well over one hundred.

Speaker 4 (24:26):
Yeah, I believe that number is one hundred and eighty
p tag Okay, I could be I transposed numbers sometimes
at D and twenty eight, but yeah, it's one.

Speaker 3 (24:37):
Hundred and eighty something. It's a good number.

Speaker 4 (24:39):
And again, you know that the county has just done
a really good job of placing those vote centers on
you know, mass transit routes, sort of spacing them out
so they're you know, everybody's within you know, a couple miles.

Speaker 3 (24:56):
Of a vote center.

Speaker 4 (24:57):
It seems to me even if you live in the
most you know, far out.

Speaker 3 (25:01):
Parts of the county.

Speaker 4 (25:02):
So you know, there are some things that our county
election administrators do well, and certainly the administration of the
vote through vote centers has been a big benefit to
voters in Marrying.

Speaker 1 (25:16):
Canon, huge fan, huge fan of the vote centers. Although
the interesting thing is that with all of the vote
centers that are available that are out there, still the
easiest place for me to vote, it takes like one
minute to get there, is within my precinct, you know,
the school within my precinct. And so I've never taken

(25:37):
advantage of the vote centers, although I share with others
a lot and let people know you can take advantage.
But you know, I just make a loop, you know,
and is right there. So you know, vote centers are
good to know. I mean, it's better, what's the old singles,
is better to have and not need the need not have, right.

Speaker 4 (25:55):
So exactly. And you know last year I did switch
it up a little bit, did you. I have always
gone to the MLK Center. It's literally two blocks from
my house and so that's my spot. But I went
there last year and there was a line, and you know,
I was busy with the job, so I needed to
get in and out. So I ended up going down

(26:16):
to the place. I can't think it used to be
a nursing home. It's down at like thirty thirty fifth
and Boulevard, and I mean I was in and out
in five minutes.

Speaker 3 (26:26):
So that's it again.

Speaker 2 (26:27):
Yeah, there you go.

Speaker 4 (26:28):
You drive up and you see a line and you're like, noope,
can't do it, and you know, literally three minutes away
there's another vote center.

Speaker 3 (26:38):
So you know, ultimate of convenience.

Speaker 2 (26:40):
I'm telling you, I love it.

Speaker 1 (26:41):
And like you say, I sing the phrases because that
is a great thing that they did. Do alrighty, well,
we I guess the next time we get a chance
to talk to you will be primary election day and
we'll see how things are going.

Speaker 3 (26:53):
Then we'll we'll be in the middle of it though.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
Okay, good talking to you. Thanks Julia as always, and
we'll talk to you.

Speaker 2 (27:00):
Sing thank you, bye bye, bye bye, and we'll be
back with more Community Connection right after this.

Speaker 9 (27:16):
Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with
Tina Cosby, brought to you by Child Advocates, a champion
for justice, opportunity and well being for children on Praise
Am thirteen ten ninety five point one FM.

Speaker 1 (27:32):
And we're back with Community Connection and Eric, as we
were saying, Julia is just a wealth of information. Oh absolutely, yeah,
very much so. And you know, we're very grateful for
the thirty minutes.

Speaker 2 (27:44):
A week that she's able to give us.

Speaker 1 (27:46):
So unfortunately sometimes folks don't get their calls in in time.
But Reverend Phillips had a question for Julia. But Reverend Phillips,
what was your question. She had to go because she
had another meeting, so folks are on tight time, that's true,
But what was your question, Reverend Phillips?

Speaker 2 (28:02):
Hello, Hello, how are you.

Speaker 10 (28:05):
Oh, how you doing? Uh well, my questioned, I was
telling you your technician, Uh on the you tell the bills.

Speaker 2 (28:22):
Uh huh.

Speaker 10 (28:22):
It's kind of tricky, but if you if you understand,
what they did was when you get on injured systems,
when you get on injured systoms. The gas company telling
people they're only paying for gas. But you got the

(28:44):
water bill and the seward bill that supposed to be
underneath your landlord account.

Speaker 2 (28:54):
Well what whoa whoa whoa?

Speaker 1 (28:55):
Wait wait, hold on, hold on, different are you talking
about rentals? Yeah, okay, okay, and and landlords it can
act independently and create whatever however they want. I mean,
I don't think that there's any one particular rule that
says landlords always have to.

Speaker 2 (29:15):
Pay for this or pay for that, or what have you.

Speaker 10 (29:18):
When I was dealing with the landlord down there in
as Jim and I will live in the house, okay,
when when I get when I get paid, my landlord
used to call me. He said, red and phillips. I'm
gonna give you the mouth how much the water is.

(29:44):
So when I go to the Dame and get the rent,
I'm gonna get the money for the water bill. But
if now, if if is where when when? People cause

(30:04):
they won't know if you got in your sisted and
they paid just gas, that it is your sisty going
to pledge. Say your pledge might be say three hundred
as set they five three seventy five, so that's towards

(30:27):
your gas.

Speaker 2 (30:30):
But is it pledge or rent? I mean I don't
what's what's it all?

Speaker 10 (30:35):
Your water bill?

Speaker 1 (30:37):
Okay, well let me let me let me try to
sort some of this out for your rhymfields, because I
don't know how Evansville does.

Speaker 2 (30:43):
With their utility.

Speaker 1 (30:44):
I don't know the utility Serve, a company that services
Evansville and southwest Indiana.

Speaker 2 (30:50):
I don't know anything about that.

Speaker 1 (30:51):
I do know here in Indianapolis a Citizens Energy Group
for the most part, Citizen's Energy group. And you get
one bit and combined in that bill, is your gas,
water in sewage? If Citizens Energy bill is yeah, gas,
water and sewage is all combined. Some landlords choose to
pay whatever they may charge you, uh, you know what

(31:15):
they pay for water or they may charge you know.
Some landlords may say all utilities are included, which means
you know, your lights, you know, for totally electric some
landlords say no utilities are So it just depends on
the landlord, the contract and the way that they want.

Speaker 6 (31:31):
To do that.

Speaker 2 (31:32):
But what I'm saying, okay, this is the light.

Speaker 10 (31:37):
When you live in a pocket, your electric well.

Speaker 1 (31:46):
Again, it depends on the apartment in which you live
and the contract and the way that they have the
business side of your rent set up.

Speaker 2 (31:54):
Okay, Yeah, I can't.

Speaker 1 (31:56):
Say because what I'm saying is there's no one consistent.

Speaker 10 (32:00):
Was my my without without my husband. When I was.

Speaker 5 (32:05):
Talking to the gas company and.

Speaker 10 (32:09):
They when they've come and and like say you got a.

Speaker 11 (32:14):
Leak, okay, when the mat when the meat man, yes,
and yes to call the landlord to see do you.

Speaker 2 (32:26):
Have a leak? Well that that wouldn't be a question
that Julia could have. That wouldn't have been something if
it messed people up, it can.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
It really can if you don't know what to do, yes, yeah,
because it messed up.

Speaker 2 (32:41):
Yeah, it really can't.

Speaker 10 (32:43):
We have to be more educated and transparent. Oh how
they do things, because we see, uh, we see people
can get scam.

Speaker 2 (32:59):
Yes, especially when it comes to yes.

Speaker 1 (33:01):
Yes, especially when it comes and thank you, Reverend Phillips,
especially when it comes to rentals and and landlord rental,
landlord tenant affairs, all of those things. They can be complicated,
they can be troubling, they can be absolutely maddening. Because
Indiana is what's called Erica landlord friendly state. I mean,
it's probably one of the worst states for tenants' rights.

(33:25):
I think they rank consistently near.

Speaker 12 (33:26):
The bottom exactly.

Speaker 1 (33:28):
So they're that I do understand, But I also understand
what he's saying. I mean, you have to be careful
of the terminology that which you to, which you to
what you agree to.

Speaker 2 (33:39):
That's true, I guess that's true.

Speaker 1 (33:41):
And water bills here, like he said in the Citizens
Energy Group, there's no separate water bill, although if you
get a bill, you can see what your.

Speaker 2 (33:51):
Water and sewage charges are exactly.

Speaker 1 (33:54):
Now, if your landlord wants to charge you what the
landlord things can consistently he pays for as far as
water within that bill, then you know you're seeing the
landlord's paying for water.

Speaker 2 (34:07):
I guess I think you said, yeah, yeah, something like that.

Speaker 1 (34:11):
So and the landlord can track how much you're using
with water, gas, and sewage. You know, but so many
are totally electric now they are true.

Speaker 2 (34:21):
You either pay, you pay your like.

Speaker 1 (34:22):
I know, my son rented an apartment once and his
cable was paid. Yeah, you know, you have cable pay
His cable and internet were paid, but he had to
pay his electricity. You see what I'm saying. So it
just really depends on what's what the setup is Maryland?

Speaker 6 (34:39):
Go ahead?

Speaker 2 (34:39):
How are you hi?

Speaker 13 (34:42):
How's everybody today?

Speaker 2 (34:43):
Everybody's good? How about you?

Speaker 5 (34:45):
I'm doing well?

Speaker 13 (34:47):
So I want to talk about I want to talk first.
Let me make a comment about what revend Filmis was
talking about. I'm an homeowner and what happened to me
was when I signed up for the EAP, e EAP
and I got approved.

Speaker 5 (35:03):
I got EAP.

Speaker 2 (35:05):
Explain what's what's Explain what the AP.

Speaker 13 (35:07):
Is or the energy assistance?

Speaker 2 (35:10):
Okay, Energy assistance? Okay, go ahead.

Speaker 13 (35:12):
They awarded me fifteen hundred dollars.

Speaker 1 (35:14):
Right, okay, So how much of your award do you
want to pledge towards your utilities?

Speaker 2 (35:19):
That that's what he was saying.

Speaker 13 (35:20):
Yeah, oh okay, well all of it was supposed to
go towards my utility.

Speaker 3 (35:25):
Ah what they did.

Speaker 13 (35:28):
What they did was all of a sudden, they said
it only went towards they only applied it towards my gas.
My house is gas and electric, so all of a
sudden this year, electricity didn't get any of it, and
then all of a sudden, my water bill went up
about almost two hundred dollars a monment. And I called him,

(35:53):
I said.

Speaker 3 (35:53):
Pure value.

Speaker 13 (35:54):
What you're trying to do was still get money out
of me because I was awarded something from you know
for my uh uh that I was awarded, So you
still want to make me paid. You feel like, you know,
because there's no way the winter time that my water
bill is up over three, four or five times more

(36:15):
than whatever I said. I plant gardens and my water
bill never gets that high.

Speaker 5 (36:20):
But you know, you can't fight it.

Speaker 13 (36:22):
You can't fight it.

Speaker 5 (36:24):
I mean.

Speaker 13 (36:24):
So what we need is somebody that will step up
and step into regulate this to make sure that these
companies are not coming up with contracts and ways to
rip the people off the money, because that's what that's
what they simply did. Got the money for the EAP,
and then you raise our water bills, you can get

(36:46):
more money.

Speaker 1 (36:47):
So they manipulated, yes, manipulated massage the numbers and everything
so they maximize what they get out of it.

Speaker 2 (36:55):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, that's what they did.

Speaker 13 (36:58):
And then I want to say something about our weather.
I know a lot of people ain't gonna understand this.
A lot of people ain't gonna ugree. So for the
last couple of years, I've been noticing these airplanes that
go through and make the lines in the sky. Right, Okay,
not all airplanes do it, because when you see planes
from the airport, they don't let out these films, thisba

(37:20):
verse whatever it is.

Speaker 10 (37:22):
Okay.

Speaker 13 (37:23):
I sat one day and I just recorded all the
planes making the lines and what the line did. They
covered the sky with clouds. The clouds created a change
of temperature, which created a storm. And I said, oh,
this is how they can dictate what's coming, because they're
putting it out here. They're doing it and I've been

(37:44):
watching it and recording it for about two weeks now,
and every time it happens, every time I see this,
the sky get covers with clouds. These are not God
made clouds.

Speaker 5 (37:55):
These are mad.

Speaker 3 (37:59):
And it's real.

Speaker 13 (38:00):
Videos to prove it. I have videos to prove it,
and and it's and it's about a half hour ago
the planes were out there again, putting more clouds in
the more. It starts out as a low vaper coming
as a line in the sky. That line spreads until
it becomes a whole cloud. The sky becomes filled with clouds.
The clouds turned dark, storms are predicted and things happen.

(38:24):
It's it's just it's crazy. But what what our government
is doing today's crazy.

Speaker 2 (38:31):
Yeah, that's interesting.

Speaker 13 (38:32):
Anytime anybody want to see the videos, if you give
me your email, I'll uplow them to you.

Speaker 1 (38:38):
Okay, all right, I'm not familiar with that. Yeah, thank you,
thank you, Marilynd. I'm not familiar with that. Well, yeah,
thank you. And uh my understanding was has always been
that when you see those those streaks of those lines,
that it's it's a different it's kind of a plane
that can fly at a certain altitude.

Speaker 12 (38:59):
That's true.

Speaker 14 (39:00):
There has been some I don't speculation or discussion that
they're kim trails. Yeah, so what they're called, and there
they're being intentionally released to cast certain things that happen.

Speaker 12 (39:14):
Chemicals drop, that kind of thing.

Speaker 14 (39:16):
People have said they've seen X Marx a spot in
certain places.

Speaker 12 (39:20):
Yeah, that's that's been something that's been around for a while.

Speaker 2 (39:23):
Interesting that discussion. Well, thank you for that we'll have
to look into that.

Speaker 5 (39:28):
Uh.

Speaker 1 (39:28):
Also, Eric three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten.
Three one seven four eight zero thirteen ten is the
number if you want.

Speaker 2 (39:36):
To call in.

Speaker 1 (39:37):
And we got a few minutes and then we're going
to go to our next segment. But something you reminded
me of or made me aware of that and I've
been hearing about it as well. There's a new state
wide tracking site for gas prices. This is throughout the
state now. That app that people have been using for years,
what is it? Gas Buddy?

Speaker 12 (39:58):
Yes, buddy, I don't know if is that still around.

Speaker 2 (40:01):
I don't know, but I used to use that.

Speaker 1 (40:02):
I think it was mostly around It's kind of like
that around me app. Yeah, it just it just covers
a certain area. But if people are driving more, especially
this summer with vacations, and they're going to do what's
that old campaign, wander Indiana.

Speaker 2 (40:18):
Yeah, they wander India or what.

Speaker 12 (40:20):
I don't know, that was it? That was it?

Speaker 1 (40:22):
Okay, Then this site gives you statewide guest tracking you can,
so thank you for thank you for that heads up
on that.

Speaker 2 (40:32):
That's that's fantastic.

Speaker 12 (40:33):
You're welcome. I am actually looking at it now.

Speaker 14 (40:35):
Just seeing some of the lowest prices, and it says
that some stations in Carmel.

Speaker 12 (40:41):
Have the lowest prices right now. Really, and it just
it shows different locations.

Speaker 14 (40:46):
So I put in Indianapolis specifically, and Marion County. You
can put in the county, the city the brands are
fueled the lowest to highest price, that kind of thing.
Even the dates and for let's see, this is April
first through the today, so you can go back and
put in a specific date click today, and it'll give
you prices for today.

Speaker 12 (41:08):
It's a brand new site.

Speaker 1 (41:10):
Well, yeah, it's interesting because I've always been under the
impression that the further north you went, the more expensive
the gas prices were. The further south you went, uh,
the cheaper the gas prices.

Speaker 2 (41:21):
So let's pick up try.

Speaker 1 (41:24):
North Vernon, Jennings County, Jennings County.

Speaker 2 (41:28):
Is it a county?

Speaker 12 (41:30):
Yes? There, you got each county there, and what city in.

Speaker 2 (41:32):
Jennings Jennings County, North North Vernon, I.

Speaker 12 (41:34):
Guess North Vernon. Okay, let's go there.

Speaker 2 (41:37):
They always have pretty cheap gas.

Speaker 14 (41:39):
Because it seems the closer you are to Chicago, the
higher that.

Speaker 2 (41:43):
What That's what I would say.

Speaker 12 (41:45):
The prices.

Speaker 1 (41:45):
But Hamilton County is north of here. It is, I mean,
it's not that far north.

Speaker 12 (41:50):
But you said Mount Vernon, North North Vernon.

Speaker 14 (41:53):
Crack, okay, it's happening again.

Speaker 12 (42:00):
Here we go North Vernit Okay.

Speaker 14 (42:02):
It shows hmmm, on State Street it's like three it's wow,
three thirty what three dollars and some change a gallon
like three point six zero zero. A couple of stations
on State Street. One it's four dollars in something. There's
another the same. And then it also shows you how

(42:26):
I guess how low the price has gotten, how far
down it's gone minus forty seven percent?

Speaker 12 (42:31):
One station there? Yeah, in North Vernon.

Speaker 14 (42:34):
Yeah, but it has a list of all the stations
there by brand name.

Speaker 2 (42:39):
So for the most part, it's cheaper there, it's cheaper there.

Speaker 13 (42:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (42:42):
Okay, Well, then what I was thinking was you're correct, right,
And I don't understand that dynamic either.

Speaker 2 (42:48):
What is it?

Speaker 14 (42:50):
Why is it that I wonder why it's it's higher
north than cheaper south. But then in states like Tennessee
it's even cheaper.

Speaker 2 (42:57):
Mm hmm.

Speaker 1 (42:58):
Well, Kentucky, because you go across the bridge not too
far from where my family's from is across the bridge
in three minutes, and you're going to get gasoline that's
ten twelve cents a gallon cheaper.

Speaker 12 (43:09):
So why is that? That's that would be something.

Speaker 1 (43:11):
Well, it could have to do with excise gas tax
things in different states. What what rate they tax? You know,
when I used to live in Tennessee, we you know
you buughy. You know how you pay your excise tax
with your tags or your plates every year?

Speaker 2 (43:27):
Yeah, you didn't have to do that. I mean the.

Speaker 1 (43:29):
Tax was the roads used to but see they did
they their roads weren't as beaten.

Speaker 2 (43:33):
Up as ours.

Speaker 1 (43:34):
No, no they're not, and on the regular and you
know whatever, So you you just pay for your plates.

Speaker 14 (43:40):
I I heard our roads of the way they are
because we're the crossroads of America.

Speaker 2 (43:44):
Yeah, so that's the cross roads means bad roads.

Speaker 6 (43:47):
Yeah, looks like the.

Speaker 14 (43:48):
Road's going to be bad because you got a heavy
truck traffic more than usual.

Speaker 12 (43:53):
Okay, it could be it could that could be have
some time.

Speaker 8 (43:55):
You know.

Speaker 1 (43:55):
I certainly don't disagree with those who say Marion County
needs a commuter tax because of all of the excess
traffic coming in from our donut counties wearing things down.
So yeah, if it's a crossroads of America in terms
of the interstates, you know the interstates that are cross
and and who travels interstates more than truckers.

Speaker 12 (44:15):
That's true, And they're willing to pay that.

Speaker 14 (44:19):
Living outside of Marion County, I'd say I'll pay it, Uh,
I would, Yeah, I work here and live elsewhere.

Speaker 2 (44:26):
So yeah, well I wasn't. I wasn't talking about I wouldn't.

Speaker 1 (44:33):
I wouldn't trying to scream on you, but but I
do think that that would be good. But the the
representatives in those in those different Donut counties are not
having it. They are not going to tax their folks
more whatsoever. So they fight it tooth and nail. So
there's that. Also, as everyone knows or probably you know

(44:57):
just word of mouth, there is a new ICE office
open in Carmel, speaking of Hamlin County. Uh So there's
concern for that right now, it's administrative, but we'll see
where that goes. But there, you know, it was long
talked about, rumored that it was going to happen, and
we now have confirmation that it's there. The US Immigration

(45:22):
and Customs Enforcement has opened an administrative office in Carmel,
and some residents are not happy about their new neighbor.
And so again we'll see where that goes again mostly administrative,
meaning offices only, but there's that to see it. So Eric,

(45:45):
you had heard about it, right the Oh he's on
the phone.

Speaker 12 (45:48):
Oh go ahead, I missed it. I'm sorry.

Speaker 1 (45:50):
Ice office is now open in Carmel. But it's administrative.
It's administrative.

Speaker 12 (45:55):
Yes, I heard about that.

Speaker 2 (45:57):
Yeah.

Speaker 12 (45:57):
I also heard people.

Speaker 2 (45:59):
Worst kept secret around everybody who's been talking about.

Speaker 12 (46:02):
Well, that's true, and they weren't too happy. A lot
of people that were not.

Speaker 14 (46:04):
Happy about Oh no, no, they didn't want that office
there at all.

Speaker 1 (46:08):
No, no, no, no, But it is and I guess
it will be for a little while.

Speaker 2 (46:13):
So we'll see, we will.

Speaker 12 (46:16):
See interesting to see how that's going to turn out.

Speaker 3 (46:18):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (46:18):
And then also the BMV another thing you reminded me
of BMV, the Bureau of Motor Vehicles spot talking about
BMV extending their hours for the upcoming primary.

Speaker 12 (46:29):
Oh yes, yes, which is good election day. Yeah, on
the fourth and the.

Speaker 14 (46:34):
Fifth, extending their hours of operation on those days.

Speaker 2 (46:38):
Love it, love it, love it, love it.

Speaker 14 (46:41):
Branches Tina will be what eight thirty am. To eight
pm for the branches.

Speaker 2 (46:45):
Oh good, good, get everything covered.

Speaker 14 (46:47):
So folks, Monday, Monday, and on Tuesday it'll be open
from six am to six pm.

Speaker 2 (46:52):
Okay, So just.

Speaker 1 (46:53):
Know that the day before, in the day of the election,
if you got any business at the BMV, you can
do so because there not only will their offices be opened,
but they will have extended hours.

Speaker 2 (47:05):
Extended hours and if you're like me, wait till the
last minute.

Speaker 1 (47:09):
To get your registration renewals and things of that nature.
I always say I'm going to do it early this year.
Do you ever do that? Well, anyway, I tell you what.
Let's go ahead. We've got another segment coming up. This
panel discussion I was telling you about earlier, should be
really good. We're looking forward to that. Our good guy
Eric is back there on the phone working the phones.

(47:31):
What was that somebody called him, Oh, Reverend Philips, your technicians.

Speaker 2 (47:35):
Interesting?

Speaker 1 (47:36):
Interesting, interesting, interesting, But again for those who have business
to take care of at the BMV, and if you're
under a deadline and you can only do it on
the fourth and the fifth. Rest assured that the election
will not force any kind of closure. In fact, due

(47:57):
to the election, they're going to extend their hours. So yeah,
it's a welcome relief. Sigh of relief.

Speaker 12 (48:04):
So you want to squeeze in another call?

Speaker 2 (48:07):
We can if you Oh well I guess we could. Yeah,
if you say we can squeeze again, squeeze in another
I think, who do we have here?

Speaker 12 (48:15):
It looks like we have Jeff on three. Let's see
you go ahead, Jeff.

Speaker 15 (48:20):
Hey, Jana here, I'm gonna be real brief.

Speaker 5 (48:23):
Okay, hey, I saw the guy.

Speaker 10 (48:25):
You just sell it.

Speaker 15 (48:26):
But did you see that women still in champagne bottles
and wine bottles?

Speaker 2 (48:30):
First, I didn't see that.

Speaker 15 (48:32):
Oh my goodness, guy said I never had so much
fun in my life.

Speaker 1 (48:39):
You know what, though I did go back, even though
I told you I wasn't going to listen to it,
I did go back Jeff and listen to the Nora
o'donald and that was absolutely despicable.

Speaker 2 (48:47):
But it was discussing in fairness.

Speaker 15 (48:50):
He's got issue, he's got issuable women.

Speaker 1 (48:52):
Yeah, but you know what when he said, when he said,
just uh, let's let's just you know, move on so
we can finish this interview, that's where I would have said, well,
thank you, sir, I believe we're done because I would
have cut it off because all you're going to do
is sit there and just take more and more and
more abuse. And if he says, so we can finish
this interview, and I would just say, in a very

(49:12):
polite way, thank you, sir, I appreciate your time.

Speaker 2 (49:14):
I believe we're done.

Speaker 12 (49:17):
Said it all.

Speaker 15 (49:18):
You know what, Tina, you know what, Jennah, you know
what I am. You know what, here's a getting back
for my mental I'm just I'm turning this thing off.

Speaker 2 (49:29):
Yeah, you have to.

Speaker 15 (49:31):
You know, if Donald chose to invite me to a
golf game, I would not go.

Speaker 2 (49:35):
Oh, I wouldn't leave.

Speaker 5 (49:37):
I would not go. Yeah, I would not go.

Speaker 15 (49:42):
I mean, I'm doing you know what. You know, I
can't deal with this. This is a this is a
freak show. All we need is Rod Sterling to do
is monologue.

Speaker 2 (49:51):
Oh the Twilight Zone.

Speaker 1 (49:53):
Yeah yeah, but that it was.

Speaker 2 (49:57):
It was just so and I see what you were saying.
It was very offensive.

Speaker 1 (50:00):
But in that regard, reporters have to stop letting themselves be,
i mean, unnecessarily abused. If if he said let's let's
hurry up so we can finish the interview, there's a
very nice way, without cutting him off, without being rude,
with being totally respectful to the to the commander in chief,
the president. Well, sir, I believe we're just about done, soil,
thank you. I appreciate your time. Boom cut it off

(50:21):
because and.

Speaker 15 (50:22):
That would have devastated him.

Speaker 1 (50:25):
Well, yeah, because he didn't have a microphone and a
camera to continue the abuse anymore. And why they sit
there and let that happen, I don't know, but it's crazy.

Speaker 10 (50:33):
You know.

Speaker 15 (50:33):
When I saw those women stealing wine bottles and shamp
put in their person running off, I said, you know.

Speaker 3 (50:39):
What this is.

Speaker 15 (50:40):
This is no, no, no more.

Speaker 5 (50:42):
We're not doing it.

Speaker 2 (50:43):
It's the wild wild West.

Speaker 1 (50:44):
And you know, somebody bullets. Yeah, I saw that interview
with him.

Speaker 2 (50:52):
Eric saw the interview. Yeah, he was honest.

Speaker 1 (50:55):
He said, I got a bad back and I live
in New York and I want to get this.

Speaker 2 (51:00):
I didn't want to get the tucks dirty.

Speaker 16 (51:01):
And that sound.

Speaker 2 (51:02):
He did say. The salad was good too, didn't you
something good salad?

Speaker 15 (51:06):
So yeah, you had you had the guys at the
bar drinking. They were on phase about it, you know,
and it's like, you know what, No, I'm done.

Speaker 2 (51:16):
So the ladies were gathering up.

Speaker 1 (51:18):
Well, you know when you go to galas and dinner.

Speaker 15 (51:22):
And grab a wine bottles and put it in their bag.

Speaker 5 (51:25):
Off.

Speaker 1 (51:26):
Yeah, yeah, And then you know when you go to
galas and dinners and things like that, there are usually two,
maybe three different kinds of wine. You know, there's a red,
there's a white, and then there's like a bottle of
water or something for those.

Speaker 2 (51:39):
But anyway, well they have they took champagne too. They
took they took champagne.

Speaker 12 (51:43):
He wanted to go to waste.

Speaker 2 (51:45):
That's what it is there, you go.

Speaker 12 (51:46):
They didn't want it to go to waste.

Speaker 1 (51:47):
So if they were, well, nobody was coming back to
get it because the stab the White staff or whatever.

Speaker 2 (51:55):
I guess they get to take it home. So they said,
why not me? I don't know. I gotta see y'all.

Speaker 1 (52:00):
Tell me about these videos I got, I gotta I
guess I'm looking at the wrong ones anything that says
Trump I tended.

Speaker 15 (52:09):
The only thing was missing was rod Sterley.

Speaker 12 (52:11):
This the only day was missing Wilight.

Speaker 1 (52:14):
Twilight, So indeed, all right, Well, perhaps they enjoyed the
enjoyed the champagne.

Speaker 14 (52:21):
Oh, I would imagine, I guess so they they have
taken it back to their hotel rooms.

Speaker 1 (52:25):
Indeed, indeed, alrighty, we got we got a lot more
coming up, second half, second hour right after this.

Speaker 9 (52:34):
M h W t l C A m W two
three six C are Indianapolis broadcasting from the Praise Indy
Indiego Studios, Indiego Boldly Moving Indy Forward. It's Community Connection
with Tina Cosby, brought to you by Child's Advocates, a

(52:55):
champion for justice, opportunity and well being for children on
Praise A thirteen ten ninety five point what FM.

Speaker 1 (53:03):
And we're back with Community Connection heading into our second hour.
And how long do you think that Eric, the guy
with the salad is gonna. I mean, Jeff just told
us about the Champagne girls. But uh, the the image
of him with it that is enduring.

Speaker 12 (53:18):
That is that salad. I mean, you know the guy
was determined to enjoy a salad. He did.

Speaker 2 (53:24):
He did not see race, He did.

Speaker 12 (53:27):
Not want his tuck's dirty.

Speaker 14 (53:28):
He had a bad back, he said, why, he's from
New York, New York, the Bronx, so he was used
to you know, all of the shootings. Now, we don't
condone theft, of course, We don't condone that at all.

Speaker 1 (53:40):
We don't condone the people getting the champagne at all
without being a ticket for the.

Speaker 12 (53:46):
But it's just something happening there. You wouldn't expect it
to happen.

Speaker 2 (53:49):
I guess that thing, true, true, true, true, true.

Speaker 12 (53:52):
It'll be viral for a while.

Speaker 1 (53:53):
I think, Oh, I think that's that's gonna be one
like remember sweet Brown. So you start laughing right away, doctor,
He started laughing right away.

Speaker 6 (54:02):
Oh, this is a fine Jesus by Felicia forget.

Speaker 1 (54:07):
Oh bye, Felicia is a good one too, Yeah, yeah bye,
Oh my goodness.

Speaker 5 (54:11):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (54:12):
Anyway, as we were saying at the top, right off
the top of the show.

Speaker 1 (54:17):
We have a panel of experts here with us today
to weigh in on the recent Medicaid changes and their
impact on the black community. Back with us, sitting here
with us in studio again.

Speaker 2 (54:28):
We're back together. We're back together, face to face.

Speaker 1 (54:32):
Yeah, Doctor Denise Hay, psychologist and president of the Indiana
Chapter of the Association of Black Psychologists. And we also
have with us on the phone, Anita Harden Garland Gartland.
She is an attorney specializing in elder law, and Greg Gordon,
a community activist. So welcome everybody, Welcome, welcome, welcome, glad

(54:53):
to have you all here, Ken, miss Garland and mister Gordon.

Speaker 2 (54:57):
Can you hear us?

Speaker 5 (54:58):
Yes, I can.

Speaker 17 (54:59):
Thank you.

Speaker 5 (55:00):
Thank you for having me on your show.

Speaker 2 (55:01):
Well, thank you for being here. We really appreciate it.
So uh so, Doctor Hayes, we were talking.

Speaker 1 (55:09):
We always talk about stuff this, this, does and everything,
but you you you were saying that the enduring Why
are some of those things?

Speaker 5 (55:16):
So?

Speaker 2 (55:16):
Is it because they're true?

Speaker 1 (55:20):
You're a psychologist. Why does certain things stick with.

Speaker 16 (55:23):
Us because we resonates with us? So sweet sweet brown
when she said, I ain't got time for that. You know,
it's like that looks like my neighbor.

Speaker 2 (55:38):
And or me or me.

Speaker 1 (55:41):
People see themselves sometimes in these ways. And I I
remember when when I was on the street reporting and
we would do man on the street or people on
the street. We would get people in their realist realist
I think I just made up a word, but in
their their most their truest sense, their truest selves. And
I think when that's captured everybody, like you say, most

(56:02):
people can relate.

Speaker 6 (56:03):
Yeah, yeah, I think.

Speaker 2 (56:04):
So tell us what we are, what we're going to
be talking about to them.

Speaker 16 (56:09):
You know, there have been a lot of changes, and
we know that and sometimes programs need to be reviewed.
But the medicaid changes in Indiana that are you know,
spurred by what's happening at the national level, are really
impacting a lot of people here in Indiana. And of

(56:30):
course people that are low income, not just black folks,
people that are low income have disabilities, and our seniors.

Speaker 6 (56:39):
And so I've.

Speaker 16 (56:40):
Been talking with Attorney Gartland and she has been telling
me about some of the significant changes that are happening.

Speaker 6 (56:49):
And so we're longtime friends. We've known each other since
we were ten.

Speaker 2 (56:54):
And oh, my goodness, yeah a couple of years ago.

Speaker 6 (56:57):
Huh yeah, yeah, yeah, about ten years ago.

Speaker 2 (57:00):
Ten years ago.

Speaker 16 (57:00):
We went to grade school in high school together. And
she's a very caring person. And so the thing about
elder law attorneys is they don't just do law. They're
not like a criminal law in the way that a
lawyer is. The way I think of them, because she's
dealing with families when there's death, when there's a change

(57:23):
in families from somebody being healthy and being the leader
of the family to they have a catastrophic illness or
something like that, and her practice has a.

Speaker 6 (57:34):
Social worker, a Maryless.

Speaker 16 (57:36):
You know, a'm mary Less and she's a social worker.

Speaker 2 (57:39):
I think she's been on here, Okay, okay, and so.

Speaker 16 (57:42):
They try to access resources and support, and so I
just thought, you know, if you have financial struggles, if
you are a caregiver, if you've been a caregiver and
you're not one any longer because you can't do that,
then you're worried. We've talked about seniors, We've talked about
grandparents taking care of their grandchildren. All of these are

(58:05):
going to impact our mental wellness. And so these are
fewer financial resources and also fewer social services resources. And
so this last fall at a Good Shepherd, I was
talking to our deacon, Greg Gordon and ask him where

(58:25):
did he work and he told me he worked at
a nonprofit and I didn't know that, and he has
done that for many years, and so he has a
lot of knowledge about social services.

Speaker 6 (58:36):
So I thought.

Speaker 16 (58:37):
Today we could help people that might be struggling understand
what has happened with the laws and what are some
resources that are available.

Speaker 1 (58:47):
Okay, so well, speaking of the law, we'll go to
let's go to the attorney. First attorney Gardland. What are
the most significant changes impacting most people?

Speaker 5 (59:00):
Excellent question. One of the significant ones, and it's happened
over the obviously say past year and a half two years,
is that there is a waiting list due to a
short thought that the state of Uniana had in terms
of their budget. So now if a family wants to

(59:20):
get help for their loved one that's a senior citizen
are disabled in home, there used to be that, you know,
you supply the documentation and you could be on it
within you know, a couple of months or so, if
not less. But now because of the waiting list, you
have to get on the waiting lists, call up Maximus,

(59:43):
get on the waiting list, they do an assessment, and
then once they get you assessed, they have to invite
you over onto the waiting list. And then after that
they invite you on the waiting list. You have to
be able to only have one hundred and eighty days

(01:00:04):
to get approved, not to fly, but to get approved.
So if you do the math, if I want someone
to come in and take care of my mother or
father that's elderly an agency and for Medicaid to pay
for it, then I would have to probably do the
preparation a year in advance, because I wouldn't be able

(01:00:26):
to get their help probably for anywhere six months to
a year from now.

Speaker 16 (01:00:30):
And not only that, Anita, didn't you share that? Now
the recertification is not annual but every six months.

Speaker 5 (01:00:40):
That is for not for the elderly, but that has
changed for people who who need Medicaid that are getting
another type of Medicaid. Say they're younger and they're getting
another type of Medicaid, they are they may change the
lot later on, So that's even for older people. But yeah,

(01:01:01):
they are talking about that for other people, but it's
already an existence for people who are getting other types
of Medicaid and things like that and health care, but
not nursing home care. Right. Yeah, so that's major because

(01:01:23):
I have to tell people, well, yeah, I can get
you in home help, but when it actually starts, because
of the hooks we got to jump through, it might
be as long as a year from now, right, And
that's unfortunate. Another thing that's changed in terms of the
Medicaid is it used to be like if there's a

(01:01:45):
husband and wife and that's happened about a year or
more so, and say if the husband who or wife
who did not need Medicaid had retirement like an I
R A or something like that, that wouldn't be factored
into the equation in terms of get stitty down. But

(01:02:08):
now it is. So say, for example, if I don't
need Medicaid but my husband does, and we mean, they've
got the fact we may have to do some things
with my stuff, my stuff to get my husband qualified.
And a few years ago that wasn't the case. You

(01:02:31):
see what I'm saying. So that could cost some hardships financially.

Speaker 1 (01:02:36):
NOA, no, no, here, here's a question. Because a part
of the big beautiful bill that Congress passed, there were
certain portions of it cuts to Medicare and Medicaid.

Speaker 2 (01:02:51):
Medicaid is what we're talking about today. Though I want
to make.

Speaker 1 (01:02:54):
Sure we stay in the medicaid space, okay, but that
would not go into effect until after twenty twenty six,
the primary and off year election season, because the Republicans
did not want to lose popularity because of the unpopularity,
they know that these cuts that are coming or that

(01:03:17):
will be implemented, are going to be so unpopular that
they pushed them to twenty twenty seven.

Speaker 2 (01:03:22):
So that they could at least get through the election cycle.

Speaker 6 (01:03:25):
That might be the federal but that's not the state's.

Speaker 1 (01:03:28):
Well, it's what the federal provides to the states, is
what I was wondering.

Speaker 16 (01:03:32):
They've already made some changes based on what Anita has
been Yeah.

Speaker 2 (01:03:37):
Yeah, So in regard to.

Speaker 5 (01:03:40):
Changes you may be talking about, even though it's federal,
all states have to comply that there are certain things
you can opt in or you can opt out. So,
as you know, one of the changes, but it doesn't
so much apply to my clients or elderly have applies
more to younger people, like if they're getting, okay, some

(01:04:00):
kind of food under snap, there's certain things that cannot
be purchased. Now I see that.

Speaker 1 (01:04:07):
Yeah, we had to talk yesterday about hot food in restaurants,
I mean in grocery stores that that was not allowed.
Rotissery chickens because at Costco you can get a rotisserie
chicken or Walmart or Myer or Kroger or whatever for
like four or five bucks. Right, but you get a
whole chicken and take it home and cook, it's going

(01:04:28):
to cost you ten to twelve dollars just to get
the chicken, right, because old chickens.

Speaker 2 (01:04:32):
But you know, so none of that that part doesn't
make sense.

Speaker 1 (01:04:35):
So I think that there was a move underway to
wasn't it eric to change that provision in snap benefits
that you could buy in grocery stores.

Speaker 16 (01:04:46):
And there have been incidents of where they were preventing
people from using food stamps for desserts and cannies, foods
and pizza and things like that. And there actually have
been a city situations where people have challenged them, like
a cashier challenged them in the grocery store or other

(01:05:06):
customers have challenged them. So you know, there's another whole
story to talk about how people are treated exactly when
they are.

Speaker 6 (01:05:17):
When they need medicaid.

Speaker 16 (01:05:19):
You know, no one wants to have it, and the
majority of people don't want to have it is their circumstances. So, Greg,
what would you like to join in and say.

Speaker 17 (01:05:29):
I'm happy to be here. I think I'm certainly in
essence of what we shared. Resources are unfortunately dwinning the
needs are going up. It makes it frustrating and difficult
for everyone, I think across the board just to find
adequate resources. I think a good point that was already
shared is that at this point in time. The benefit

(01:05:52):
that people can do for themselves is plan ahead of time.
Sometimes people will say that, hey, I'm independent, I don't
need help, but what does things look like a year
from now, two years for now? And if that's the
case where you anticipate that some of these services are needed,
although there's a wait list, that's true going through services

(01:06:12):
like SOCOA and some of these others. Although there's a process,
that still is going to be the best way to
get the help that you need, especially if people don't
have quite the support system that's needed. You still want
to go through the process. It just is a matter
of starting earlier and just identifying what things are out there.

Speaker 1 (01:06:32):
So what do you say about that? That drain on
individuals with more process? Process in and of itself is stressful,
and then the fact that there are more hurdles to
clear now to get less and the process, So how
do you how do you navigate that?

Speaker 16 (01:06:50):
So I think having the community is so important. And
you know when when Greg, I always calling Deacon Greg,
but I'm gonna call you Greg today. Of what kind
of things should people be looking at? So is it
just age when you get sixty five? Are you suggesting

(01:07:12):
that they set up. Okay, well what we might what
might we need in two or three years? Are we
in a home that's on one floor, you know? Do
we have money set aside? Are those the kind of
things you're thinking about.

Speaker 17 (01:07:27):
Greg, Yeah, and that's a good point. I'm kind of
more or less focused on the fact based on a
person's let's say, medical needs, especially for adults, the state
has certain criteria in terms of what eligibility looks like.
So some good examples might be, Hey, if a person's
having some ambulation needs, Now, if they're falling a lot,

(01:07:50):
they have problems with transferring. Typically we think of geriatrics
and those who are aging, but that also could be
someone who has a disability.

Speaker 2 (01:08:00):
Yeah, onset.

Speaker 17 (01:08:02):
Yeah, Yeah, So there are things that are there there.
So the big thing now are what we consider community
health workers. I think they have been like the team
or positions that's tried to help fill in the gap
to some of these deficits. There are those that are
available that can help people kind of navigate and walk
through those steps. People can also call into our intake

(01:08:26):
department at a lot of different places, especially like with SOCOA,
where they can help a person at least kind of
like lay out what the plans are. And even when
people are on the weight list for services, sometimes someone
that can help them walk through the steps. So okay,
now I'm on the wait list, I don't have any

(01:08:46):
other support. What else is out there? And there are
people that are trained to kind of help like pinpoint things,
especially when people are overwhelmed with what things are going on.

Speaker 16 (01:08:56):
So but when you mentioned I guess my thought is
when you mentioned someone is falling, to me, that's too
late to start planning. You You really need to start
planning before that. Maybe one fall, you know, as opposed
to falling you know frequently or you know, two or
three times a year, that first time should be a

(01:09:20):
clue that.

Speaker 6 (01:09:21):
Okay, even even before that.

Speaker 16 (01:09:23):
You know, I've turned, you know over over retirement, and
so I don't want to be in a house with stairs,
you know, or you know, does your home is it
wide enough for a wheelchair if you're looking at an apartment,
things like that.

Speaker 6 (01:09:42):
So I think there's some.

Speaker 16 (01:09:43):
Things we can do even before we get to that stage,
you know, to talk with your children or your your
social group, wherever your supports are.

Speaker 6 (01:09:55):
Is what what are we doing? What are we going
to do you know when you start you know.

Speaker 16 (01:10:01):
That's that's kind of what I would suggest as people
start thinking even sooner because the need is there, because
a year or a year and a half could end
up with people being in a critical situation.

Speaker 17 (01:10:13):
Right, that's a very good point, I mean excellent point,
I think, And.

Speaker 5 (01:10:19):
May I just say that.

Speaker 17 (01:10:20):
I think in some cases it's a matter of planning
soon enough and ahead of time. And then I know,
like myself, sometimes as long as we can do it,
we don't think nothing about it, and then once the
situation arises, you're like, well, wait a minute, I got
a year wait two year weight So it's just like
you kind of share it before and making those contacts
ahead of time is one thing. Something else just to

(01:10:43):
keep in mind, even like with updates and things, you
don't necessarily always have to have waiver services to get
some of those things done. Like home Repairs for Good
is an organization that does pretty well. There's the Safe
at Home program. I know through some o that that
might be something too, So just kind of to your point,

(01:11:04):
let me explore what's out there now, even if it's
something that I may not need now. And everyone has
a nephew or a cousin, even if you're not technology savvy.
But there are some places that do incorporate people like
community health workers, navigators, people at the doctor's office. Their
job is to help connect people to some of these resources.

Speaker 16 (01:11:26):
So let me let me just hone in on these,
the community navigators and the community health workers.

Speaker 6 (01:11:33):
Where do you find those?

Speaker 17 (01:11:36):
So typically, I know, the doctors, A lot of the
medical medical entities have community health workers now I know,
like Rafael Clinic and some of these others, they will
have a community health worker or at the very least
a social worker that can help connect you so CoA

(01:11:57):
with services. In the Annapoli in the surrounding counties, they
now have community health workers that can go out to
people's homes okay and kind of health assess, make referrals
on that persons behalf as well. So a lot of
our a lot of our medical places community you know,

(01:12:19):
community area agencies on aging. Those are the places may
have community health workers, okay.

Speaker 16 (01:12:24):
Okay, So if you if you live somewhere and there's
a community health center close by, and you go in
and just could ask questions or you could just call
and ask questions, okay. As a starting place. Okay, thank you,
that's really that would be really helpful. Recently, I went
into a doctor's office with some family members. There's some

(01:12:47):
changes happening, and there's a program called Healthy Aging Treatment Services.
I think it's PATS. And so this was a kind
of a comprehensive. So there was the nurse practitioner that
was doing the intake. There was a social worker actually
as part of this, and and so they were they

(01:13:12):
were looking at the whole person. There was some some
elements of decline that family were concerned about, and so
then they they took some of the family out and
asked what their observations were while they were assessing the
person of concern. It was very comprehensive, and they talked

(01:13:34):
about a.

Speaker 6 (01:13:35):
Lot of different things. And so I think there's some resources.

Speaker 16 (01:13:39):
And I really appreciate what you're saying, Greg, is is
there's some other resources. Is not just medical. You know,
you still have to have the finances. When they start
cutting the finances, that's you know, that's catastrophic.

Speaker 6 (01:13:52):
But there are some.

Speaker 16 (01:13:54):
Other things maybe while waiting is kind of what you're suggesting,
So the Home for Good and things like that.

Speaker 1 (01:14:02):
So when we talked when you're talking about changes to
Medicaid and the impact that those changes are going to
have or do have or will have.

Speaker 2 (01:14:12):
I guess on on the black community, what should I mean?

Speaker 1 (01:14:17):
Medicaid is not the Medicaid of today and going forward
obviously or apparently is not going to be the Medicaid
system today.

Speaker 2 (01:14:28):
You know that that you had two or three years
ago or what have you.

Speaker 1 (01:14:32):
So how can people I know you're talking about, you know,
what's the mindset? Just get ready to understand that even
though it's going to be I guess, as you were
saying Attorney Garland that the weight, you know, prepare for
the weight, But what else you know, can can folks
do to I guess to protect their mental health and
just kind of get in the right mindset to this

(01:14:54):
is how it's going to be.

Speaker 2 (01:14:55):
And I got to work with this part of it.
Is it just the time? I'm the the timeframe?

Speaker 1 (01:15:02):
I guess I should say, what's the word the amount
of time? I guess the amount of time that that
it takes to get things processed and to get things through.

Speaker 2 (01:15:11):
The resources are fantastic.

Speaker 1 (01:15:13):
That that people are trying to go around it because
a lot of people are doing what we call creative
financing and and just finding creative ways around it. But
in terms of maybe I should ask how should we
look at it going forward? Now we can't look at
it like we used to, so how should we look
at it now?

Speaker 16 (01:15:32):
So Anita probably will talk about this, but I just
know that I'll put it like this. Anita, can you
talk some about that look back process and how that
might be helpful for people to look at sooner rather
than later.

Speaker 5 (01:15:50):
Yes, I will. Currently there is a five year look
back which means that if my loved one needs medicate
and I have assets that I don't want medicate to
potentially get or healthy liquidate, they have an asset verification

(01:16:11):
system that goes back five years to see if I've
transferred cards and houses and funds, and it looks at
bank accounts and everything. So one of the planning things
you have to do is if you want to leave
a legacy for your loved ones, you have to probably
anticipate while you're still healthy. We'll go to talk to

(01:16:33):
your investment plann or your state planner, your CPA to
start having creative ways to transfer property. Because if I
transfer it to day to my loved one and I
need medicaid in a year. That's going to totally mess
me up because it's within the five years.

Speaker 1 (01:16:52):
So is that one area of the changes that has
not been touched so to speak?

Speaker 5 (01:16:57):
Five years that has not in touching the last time
it was changed with Brown in November of two thousand
and nine because they used to only look at three years,
and then after November two thousand and nine they changed
it to five years.

Speaker 1 (01:17:14):
And I know, we know so many people and families
that have been devastated by that that five year look back,
and so that's what I so they that that has
not been changed or touched or shortened or anything at all.

Speaker 5 (01:17:26):
Now, if anything, it will get longer because from three
years and no two thousand and nine to five years,
and it could possibly end up the seven you know
what I'm saying. Another thing too, I was, well, I'm
just saying they're not to do that, but it will
get longer. For example, I was at a seminar the

(01:17:48):
other day and there it hasn't happened, but there are
talks about changing the age is for DySp medic here,
but it's not it's not in law. So I don't
want people from sixty five to sixty seven or something. Well,
if that happened, that that will impact a lot of

(01:18:09):
other things in concluding medicaid, because now you have to
be sixty five or disabled in order to get medicaid.
To get medicaid, you have to And by medicaid, I
mean there's different kinds. I mean it could be nursing home,
assistant living, It could be anything care home or something

(01:18:35):
like that. Yes, that includes it.

Speaker 10 (01:18:37):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:18:37):
And another change that happened about a year and a
half ago too. Was it used to be if I
wanted to pay my loved one to take care of me,
I could, and you know, you might just write a
check or something and then you could justify it later.
With Medicaid, they changed the law about a year and
a half ago whereby if your loved one, if you

(01:18:57):
are paying them to take care of you, you you
had they had. There has to be a written and
signed contract that's not the right between me and the
loved one, And there has to be logs of what
every single thing I do, just like with a professional agency.
Now there are some agencies that a loved one could
get hired on and still get paid, but they would

(01:19:19):
get paid the same as any other home health agency.
So if you want to do it privately, you have
to it has to be set up a certain way
if you anticipate needing medicaid, because if you don't do
it the right way and they send it to their
legal apartment, all that money that your loved one pays
you to take care of this they'll consider as a

(01:19:41):
gift which will fall within that five year look back,
which will cause you to have problems even getting medicaid.

Speaker 2 (01:19:48):
So the reason that our.

Speaker 1 (01:19:49):
Community, as you were saying, doctor Hayes, needs to be
more concerned, uh is is.

Speaker 5 (01:19:55):
Why it because usually in our community, our biggest asset
typically is usually our real estate, our home. And so
if I'm going to need to go in a nursing
home or get in home help, and what medicaid to
pay for it, and I have a home in one
of these hot districts that are under gentrification, like the

(01:20:17):
four six two one eight four six two oh a,
I can just name these these in costs that people
that are transitioning and not I noticed that most of
the time these houses are paid for. So what happens
is which.

Speaker 16 (01:20:34):
Has been our goals, right, That's been our goal to
do that.

Speaker 5 (01:20:38):
I'm sorry, we're gonna get to pass it down because
of the five year look at, but if we plan accordingly,
then we can anticipate. Yeah, I'm healthy now, so let's
do some creative.

Speaker 1 (01:20:51):
I was going to say, there's got to be a workaround.

Speaker 5 (01:20:56):
Around with it in the five years look back. If
I have an adult child that lived with me at
least two years before I need Medicaid, I can go
ahead and transfer, but I have to prove that they've
been living with me and they have no other Or
if I have a child that is on disability but
they may not be living, I can transfer it. So

(01:21:18):
those are two work.

Speaker 2 (01:21:20):
Around Okay, all right, more to come? Where to come?
We gotta take a quick break right here, he's playing
their music as we'll be right back.

Speaker 9 (01:21:32):
Let's get back to the conversation. It's Community Connection with
Tina Cosby, brought to you by Child Advocates, a champion
for justice, opportunity and well being for children on Praise
Am thirteen ten ninety five point one FM.

Speaker 1 (01:21:48):
And we're back with Community Connection three one seven four
eight zero thirteen ten three one seven for eight zero
thirteen ten. Our guest doctor Denise Hayes, attorney Anita hard
and Garland and community is Greg Gordon. We're talking about
changes to Medicaid and how our community should be concerned
and some of the things that we need to know

(01:22:10):
about because there are cuts. There's just because there's just
not going to be as much money to go around.

Speaker 2 (01:22:18):
And again, doctor Hayes, if you could quickly, we probably
should have done this off the top of the show.

Speaker 1 (01:22:24):
The difference between Medicaid and Medicare, and most people don't
have both, or do you know some people do.

Speaker 2 (01:22:31):
I don't know. I don't know how many.

Speaker 16 (01:22:32):
So once you retire, and Anita might be better at
this than me, but for me, I could retire at
sixty seven and one month. Then they changed it and
I think full retirement now is sixty seven and six
months or something like that. So when you start getting

(01:22:55):
Social Security and you are no longer working where you
have employer insurance, that's you don't have to you can
continue to work and have employer insurance and uh, you
can still get your check, but you but when you
need that insurance to replace your employer insurance, then you're

(01:23:19):
on Medicare.

Speaker 12 (01:23:20):
M hm.

Speaker 16 (01:23:20):
That's that's what happens there and so and that's that's
that's just what that is. It's just a retirement insurance.

Speaker 1 (01:23:31):
A program that we've all paid into as long as
we've worked, you know, we pay sols and security.

Speaker 6 (01:23:35):
Yes, ma'am. Yes, yes, it's not a it's not a
government gift.

Speaker 1 (01:23:40):
No, it is not an entitlement program at all.

Speaker 2 (01:23:45):
Get that in your heads. It is not an entitlement program.

Speaker 16 (01:23:48):
But Medicaid is something that anybody, if their circumstances uh
justify it. So a disability, a catastrophic illness, things like that,
low income, then you can apply for Medicaid. And so

(01:24:09):
that's very different, but it's it is attached almost always,
I believe with a disability and low income. Indeed, is
that is that how you understand it? Greg and Anita?

Speaker 18 (01:24:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 10 (01:24:25):
Yeah.

Speaker 5 (01:24:26):
For example, Medicare is a government insurance premium program that
provides Medicare A, which is hospitalization take care, B which
is doctors visits medicare, which is private insurance by medicare.
And this combines A and B. And where do you
see this Medicare C Like if you're watching TV at

(01:24:48):
nine PERI, you might see the medical they're called the
Medicare advantage programs and and so that's one four. And
then there's Medicare for prescriptions. And once you get sixty
A sixty five or if you're under the age of
sixty five you must be disabled, you can get Medicare

(01:25:12):
where Medicaid is a benefit based upon your monthly income
and your assets which they call resources, and that typically
kicks in for things like nursing homes and uh. And
then under the Medicaid thing, eaither has things for younger people,

(01:25:32):
like you know, for tout as far as toutbirthing things
like that. So Medicaid is more based upon neat like
Denis said.

Speaker 2 (01:25:41):
Yeah, yeah, So.

Speaker 1 (01:25:45):
The like I have a friend her her her niece.

Speaker 2 (01:25:49):
Is she she's.

Speaker 1 (01:25:53):
Disabled and cannot live on her own, has been living
in you know, a group home or what have you.
Nonverbal just she simply needs them. But she has been
told she is no longer eligible I mean extremely unable
to care for herself and on her own or whatever.

(01:26:14):
And so their family is now struggling and trying to
figure out and work around how she is no longer eligible.

Speaker 2 (01:26:21):
And I mean if someone like that with she.

Speaker 1 (01:26:24):
Has pretty severe disabilities and they kick them off and
say you're no longer eligible. These are stories that we're
hearing and seeing on the regular.

Speaker 6 (01:26:36):
I was just reading.

Speaker 16 (01:26:39):
About medicaid, and I was looking at medicaid and mental health,
and so medicaid for children with mental health issues, there
are some exclusionary criteria. One is, if they are in
an institution, they're not eligible for medicaid. If they have

(01:27:00):
a pervasive disability such as autism, ar and they're not
our adhd uh. There were several things. If they had
a substance use disorder, they weren't eligible. And it just
seems so lacking in humanity means spirited, yeah, and so

(01:27:23):
h yeah, So it doesn't surprise me. That's that's some
of the that's where it is now.

Speaker 18 (01:27:28):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:27:28):
And the sad part is that her father is he's disabled,
and so he's you know, he's struggling to keep his
he's a veteran, so I mean, he has some coverage,
but you know, to take care of her and then
to take care of himself and his own disabilities, it's
just it's just not a good place to be. And

(01:27:48):
and you know, when you there's less and less and
less of the pie to go around, it's it's so
good to know about resources like what you're talking about,
Greg and and people like you Attorney Garland, you know,
elder that specialized in elder law. Because folks are gonna
need every it's gonna have to be all hands on deck,
I think for people to navigate this thing. We have

(01:28:10):
a caller that has a question. Joyce, you have a
question about medicaid.

Speaker 7 (01:28:15):
I do have a question about Medicare and Medicaid.

Speaker 2 (01:28:20):
We're talking about medicaid.

Speaker 7 (01:28:21):
Now, all right, So I also have a cosmetologist license
and a commercial driver's license for over twenty years, so
I'm getting stuff under assume names. I don't know. I mean,
I retired from the government, so I would think that
would all be under that umbrella. But I know you
ain't talking about the government, but that would be Medicare.

(01:28:44):
And they told me I only need it be not
SE or A. But you know these I'll be quiet.

Speaker 1 (01:28:54):
Go ahead, no, go ahead, But you're getting back to
med I'm just saying that the folks that we have
joining us on the panel our skills and have the knowledge,
and we're talking about medicaid.

Speaker 2 (01:29:05):
Do you have a Medicaid question?

Speaker 7 (01:29:07):
I don't get sick at all. But I've been paying
in the medical for over fifty years and without health
issues the government pays.

Speaker 2 (01:29:15):
For Do you receive medicaid?

Speaker 7 (01:29:17):
I am receiving nothing, social Security or apps.

Speaker 2 (01:29:20):
Okay, so what is your medicaid question?

Speaker 7 (01:29:24):
Am I eligible for it? If I have a cosmetologist
license and a commercial cab license? How about that? Let's
start there.

Speaker 16 (01:29:32):
So this is not what we are talking about today,
and we don't have the knowledge for that. So perhaps
another day you can call back and we can talk
about Medicare. And medicaid is related to income and an
illness or a disability.

Speaker 6 (01:29:49):
So that's where we are today.

Speaker 1 (01:29:51):
Yeah, yeah, and a lot of people are in crisis.
I mean, like I was saying, my friend and by
the way, attorney, she is an attorney as well, and
she she it's her brother and her niece and she's
they're all moving heaven and nerve, trying to figure out
how to how to get it balanced and how to
how to do things, and is if that's the way
it's got to be. I guess we all got to start,

(01:30:11):
you know, be more forward thinking. I guess that's what
we got to do those Yeah.

Speaker 16 (01:30:16):
So maybe Anita you feel comfortable starting to talk a
little bit about trust.

Speaker 5 (01:30:23):
Yes, as we transition into the trust topic, trusts are
a form of putting your assets into a trust so
that when you die. If it's a revocable trust, you
don't have to probate it. And inner trust you can
stipulate how to handle your assets if you're alive and

(01:30:44):
say it could become incapacitated in upon debt, and if
it's really valuable, because you can protect loved ones from predators,
the whole bit. And also it's a way of childing
grandchildren and great grand children so that there's money there for,
you know, once they want to go get married, college

(01:31:08):
mailbox money, however, and you can put real estate, you
can put cash, You can put everything into a trust
and need you don't have to probate it.

Speaker 6 (01:31:19):
And how does that work with Medicaid?

Speaker 5 (01:31:23):
Well, that's an excellent question. If it's a revocable living
trust or revocable family trust, they see it as the
same as yourself and so it doesn't protect you from
Medicare assets. However, if it's irrevocable, it will protect Medicaid
from getting your assets. But then you have to look

(01:31:46):
at the five your look back. So if I transferred
my house and my assets into a revocable living trust,
I have to make sure that I won't need medicaid
within five years of doing that.

Speaker 2 (01:31:59):
If ever, both like a yeah, Greg, medikaie.

Speaker 5 (01:32:04):
I always looked at can I get a hold of
that money? I say, I can get hold of that money.

Speaker 1 (01:32:09):
That's what my my cousin was saying, because she had
the same situation with her father that she moved here
from another state. And it was needless to say, very
very very trying.

Speaker 2 (01:32:21):
Mister Gordon, Greg, you were about to say something.

Speaker 17 (01:32:23):
Go ahead, Oh I wasn't you know what. I'm just
kind of listening.

Speaker 2 (01:32:29):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (01:32:29):
I thought you were about to say something like that. Okay, No, okay,
go ahead.

Speaker 17 (01:32:36):
No, if there are some like and then the other
thing too, if there are some specific resources medicaid is
what we're talking about today. Yeah, and then in some cases,
with what we've kind of shared with the wait list,
the certain lem can try to do what I can
to point people in the right direction.

Speaker 1 (01:32:52):
Absolutely, we have we do have a caller that has
a question about medicaid. Michelle, go ahead, how are you hi?

Speaker 18 (01:32:59):
I'm fine, great. My question is my grandson is three,
and he got a new confirmation of diagnosis for global
developmental delays, and I was told that in order for
him to get on the Medicaid waiver, he's currently on
Medicaid MHS, and I was told that in order for

(01:33:21):
him to get on the waiver, he has to have
traditional Medicaid. Do we have to reapply for him to
be on traditional Medicaid or to get on that or
is there another process that we need to go through
just to get him covered, because there are resources available
on the waiver that will help him.

Speaker 5 (01:33:42):
Yeah, once you get on the medication. So tell me
again what type of Medicaid he's on there with services
he's getting.

Speaker 18 (01:33:49):
He's on MHS and he's getting speech, physical therapy, developmental therapy,
and occupational therapy and also feeding therapy, and he has
developmental developmental therapists as well. He was born extremely prematurely
at twenty four weeks gestation, so he was four months early,

(01:34:13):
and so he's always had a lot of medical interventions,
but he's not been on traditional Medicaid, and so we
were trying to get him on the waiver because right
now he's in developmental preschool and so you know as
he grows like he aged out of first steps. So
in order for him to be covered with the resources

(01:34:35):
he needs, traditional medicaid is what he's going to need
to be on. They said that or United and I
don't you know, I don't know what process we need
to take because he is already on medicaid.

Speaker 5 (01:34:49):
Okay, that's an excellent trowth. So there's all kinds of
different medicaid, so to get on the one you call
it traditional so he can get the waiver. You may
not have heard me at the top of the but
what you need to do is you need to contact
Maximus m A x I, m U S and then
tell them that you want medicate waiver. That's the one

(01:35:12):
where they say, okay, we will call you back to
do an assessment. I heard you get invited on the
waiting list and there from there you have to make
sure you meet certain financial criteria in which he sounds
like you would. So in that case, if you cannot
do it yourself or see services through MAXIMUMS VERSUKOA, then

(01:35:33):
you would probably need to hire an elder law attorney. Okay,
this you because okay, now he was financial resource qualifications
for the waiver. But first get on the waiting list. Okay.

Speaker 18 (01:35:49):
Okay, so he did get denied by Maximus, but that
was before he got a new diagnosis.

Speaker 5 (01:35:56):
Okay, so try again. And the key is he's don't
say can you do certain things or may want to
know about their doct and if he needs assistance with things,
even if he can do, he should be able to
get it. So try again.

Speaker 10 (01:36:10):
Okay.

Speaker 5 (01:36:11):
You might want to get with an underlaw attorney so
they can help you maneuver it, or you know, talk
to the co Okay, you caught it an elder law law.
The difference between the CoA and the elder laws to
pay us. But you might be able to get the
services or can you assist that with that? I mean

(01:36:34):
maybe the panel can assist with that.

Speaker 6 (01:36:36):
Correct. Can you offer her any assistance.

Speaker 17 (01:36:41):
In terms of like direction or where to go in terms.

Speaker 5 (01:36:44):
Of the waiter because I say go to for free services.
You might want to talk to uh the coast, but
you got to deal with Maximus and a lot of
these services like Maximimus, you is to be covered by
the COVID okay, but now they kind of fotize it

(01:37:06):
in mexicansto. Okay, great, thank.

Speaker 2 (01:37:09):
You thank you so much for thank you.

Speaker 1 (01:37:12):
Let's let's squeeze in one more call. Another caller has
a question about medicaid.

Speaker 2 (01:37:16):
This is Bobby. Bobby, go ahead till.

Speaker 19 (01:37:20):
Good evening to you and your guests. I would like
to know if you I'm sixty sixty six, if I
get a folk security check, what is the mount that
keeps you from being able to get made a key?

Speaker 13 (01:37:38):
Yeah?

Speaker 5 (01:37:40):
What keeps you from being medicaid? If you okay? For example,
if you have life in your policy that are whole
life and their catting, their value is more than two thousand,
then you have to do something about that that might
block in. If you have a lot of in the
beast that's like with Midlochy, JP Morgan or things like that,

(01:38:05):
that will keep you because basically they're saying, we want
you to not have more than two thousand dollars and
then your monthly income has to be less than twenty
nine hundred and eighty two four twenty twenty six, or
we have to do a Miller's truck. But it's mostly
they look at your investment. You can have a car,

(01:38:25):
you can have a house, but your investments are the
key things and your life insurance.

Speaker 2 (01:38:32):
All righty, thank you, thank you, Bobby. We really appreciate
it very quickly.

Speaker 1 (01:38:36):
How can everyone get in touch with you, Attorney Harden,
with you Deacon Greg Gordon, and of course with you
Doctor Hayes.

Speaker 16 (01:38:44):
Yes, so I know Attorney Harden's number is area code
three one seven three four zero four one three oh
three four oh four one three oh and I don't
know your number Greg, by heart.

Speaker 17 (01:39:03):
Sure my number is three one seven seven three zero
thirty one thirty.

Speaker 1 (01:39:09):
Any any websites, No, you just have a website for
Anita for the attorney is w w W dotheardinolderlaw dot com.

Speaker 5 (01:39:20):
It's a that's the web.

Speaker 16 (01:39:22):
Dot yep h A h A R D I N
correct d h A r d E N Yes, okay.
And my number is three one seven three four oh no,
that's not my number. Three one seven two grade seven
two zero seven eight eight.

Speaker 2 (01:39:43):
Yes. Indeed, thank you all so much. You know, the
time goes by so quickly, but you've given some really.

Speaker 16 (01:39:49):
Greg and I really appreciate you joining us. Thank you,
thank you. They're both really carrying. Oh and one quick thing,
Anita would come to churches, our communities and things like
that to give more information like that, and that might
be another way for people to do some pre planning
help them.

Speaker 2 (01:40:08):
Okay, so she's available, yes upon request?

Speaker 3 (01:40:10):
Right?

Speaker 2 (01:40:11):
Is that correct?

Speaker 1 (01:40:12):
Boy an attorney that's available upon request. You'all better jump
on that.

Speaker 2 (01:40:15):
That's right.

Speaker 6 (01:40:16):
Thanks, thank you so much, Greg, and we appreciate it.

Speaker 1 (01:40:19):
Thank you all right, Thank you all, and thank you
doctor Hayes and and our listeners of course, as always,
we thank you. Willie Moore Junior on the radio is
up next. Our website is Praiseindi dot com. Please continue
to be safe, be well and to stay informed.

Speaker 2 (01:40:33):
We're back tomorrow.

Speaker 1 (01:40:35):
Until then, for Eric and myself, I'm Tina Cosby in
this community connection