March 11, 2025 • 36 mins
Medicaid, the United States’ largest public health insurance program, currently insures over 72 million people with low incomes. Medicaid covers a host of health needs, including those related to sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Madeline Morcelle, Senior Attorney at the National Health Law Program (NHeLP) and co-chair of the National Coalition for Gender Justice in Health Policy, sits down to talk with us about how Medicaid is indispensable for SRH coverage and how recent proposed cuts would impact those who are enrolled.
Medicaid plays an essential role in securing SRH for those with low incomes and other underserved communities, including Black, indigenous, and other people of color, people with disabilities, women and LGBTQI+ people, young people, and people with limited English proficiency. States are required to cover family planning services and supplies, pregnancy-related care, and abortion within the Hyde Amendment’s exceptions. The House recently passed a budget resolution that requires at least a minimum of $880 billion in budgetary cuts from the Energy and Commerce Committee—who’s vast majority of financial jurisdiction is centered in Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Assuredly, proposed cuts would cause states to limit eligibility for Medicaid insurance and impact million’s access to SRH care.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Repro Fight Back a podcast on all
things related to sexual andreproductive health rights and
justice. Hi repro. How'severybody doing? I'm your host
Jenny Wetter and my pronounsare she her. So y'all , I am
still, I feel like in this bigball of chaos and stress , uh,
(00:25):
we have our new report cardthat's coming out next week and
I'm very excited to get it outinto the world, but there's
just been a bajillion and onethings that have needed to
happen to get it ready to go.
Um, we have some new thingsthat we're releasing this year
and I'm so excited for y'all tosee them. But it has added like
this whole extra layer of workand it's just been a lot. It's
(00:46):
been a lot y'all. And that ison top of all of the casts the
administration is suing andother work related things that
are still going on and need tobe done even while I am
desperately trying to get thisreport ready for a release next
week. So it's just, it's been alot and my body has started to
like really absorb all of thatstress and is, you can feel, I
(01:09):
can feel it, I can feel the waythat my body is, is taking on
all of that stress. I have likeone of those big stress balls
on my shoulder, like on myshoulder blade and it's, it
hurts and I just, I need to bebetter about meditating. I've
really fallen off on that andhave not been good about it. So
putting this out into theuniverse so y'all hear it and
(01:32):
maybe it'll help hold meaccountable to myself by saying
it. I need to get better aboutfinding time to meditate, to
get rid of some of that stress.
If you have any greatrecommendations for how you are
dealing with all of the stressof everything happening, I
would love to hear it. Um, I'msure we all would like we could
all use recommendations for how, how to release some of that
(01:55):
and not internalize it. Notgood for my body and I need to
be better about dealing with itin ways that are not just
holding onto it. That is mygoal for right now. Um, let's
see. I don't feel like I've hada ton going on. I feel I've
been so focused on all of thiswork stuff that I feel like
there's not been a ton of otherthings happening. I mean my
(02:17):
birthday, the last episode cameout after my birthday, but it
was recorded before my birthdayso it was lovely. I had a
really chill day, lots of sweetmessages from friends and you
know , getting together withsome people. Some people know
who I love. Cheesecakes sent mecheesecakes. Unfortunately them
and I had two big cheesecakeswhile they were both delightful
(02:38):
and delicious and everything Iwanted two cheesecakes for one
person was a lot. Um, luckily Iwas able to free some so uh, I
will have some more later. Butyeah, it was a lovely day and
you know, just made me think oflooking forward to the year
ahead. Like I said, I have somebig trips coming up this year
that I am very much lookingforward to. So , uh, trying to
(03:01):
focus on those things to get methrough this like little ball
of chaos and stress that I amfinding myself in right now. I
don't really feel like talkingabout administrative chaos
right now. There's a lot goingon and a lot to take in, but
the episode is gonna befocusing on some, some of it.
So let's not do that right now.
(03:21):
Maybe let's just turn to theepisode. One of the things that
is happening is houserepublicans have put forth
their budget resolution thatwould slash a huge part of
Medicaid. So it felt like agood time to revisit
conversation, a conversationabout Medicaid and talk about
what it is, why it's such animportant sexual and
(03:42):
reproductive health program andwhat these proposed cuts would
look like and how it would beabsolutely devastating if these
cuts were to take place. And Icouldn't think of a better
person to have with me to talkabout this than Madeline Morsel
with the National health lawProgram to talk all about
Medicaid and why we need tocare about what is happening
right now and get involved andtake action because it is all
(04:05):
hands on deck y'all. It is timeto get loud. Okay, with that,
let's go to my interview withMadeline. Hi Madeline, thank
you so much for being heretoday.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Thanks for having me on Jenny ,
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I'm so excited to talk to you. But before we get
started, do you wanna take asecond and introduce yourself
and include your pronouns?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Sure. My name is Madeline Marcel . My pronouns
are she her a senior attorneyat the National Health Law
Program and I work on a rangeof sexual and reproductive
health equity issues inMedicaid and non-discrimination
rights.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So there is so much happening around Medicaid right
now so I'm very excited to haveyou here to talk about it. But
I thought it was reallyimportant to maybe take a step
back first for people whoaren't as familiar with
Medicaid and just talk aboutwhat Medicaid is real quick.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah, so Medicaid is our country's largest public
health insurance program.
Currently over 72 millionpeople with low incomes are
enrolled in Medicaid's free orlow cost coverage. The program
covers one in five people inthe US including four in 10
kids, over eight in 10 kids inpoverty, almost half of adults
(05:18):
in poverty. And because ofstructural barriers to wealth,
it covers a higher share ofpeople of color and people with
disabilities. It's worth notingsome states have their own
names for Medicaid. Forexample, when I was in grad
school I was covered by MassHealth , which is Massachusetts
me Medicaid program. Wisconsincover calls Medicaid,
(05:39):
BadgerCare , Tennessee calls itTencare, California calls it
Medi-Cal and and so on.
Medicaid is jointly financed bythe federal government and the
states but administered by thestates within broad federal
rules, states are currentlyguaranteed federal matching
funds called a federal medicalassistance percentage or fmap
(06:03):
without any cap for qualifiedservices provided to eligible
enrollees states receive a baseFMAP and then enhanced FMAP PS
for certain populations andservices. For example, under
the A CA, the federalgovernment picks up 90% of the
cost of covering Medicaidexpansion enrollees Medicaid
(06:25):
covers a broad range ofservices including preventive
services, prescription drugs,outpatient and inpatient care.
Long-term care, it's actuallythe leading payer of long-term
care services in the USdisability services and much
more coverage facilitatesaccess to care, improves health
(06:47):
outcomes, lowers the risk ofpremature mortality, narrows
health inequities and providesfinancial protection from
medical debt. And it's worthnoting that Medicaid is popular
In recent nationallyrepresentative polling from KFF
more than three quarters of thepublic supported Medicaid
(07:08):
including six in 10 Republicansand at least eight in 10
independents and Democrats,both Trump and terrorist voters
want policymakers to focus onimproving Medicaid instead of
cutting it. And among thoseenrolled in Medicaid, both
Trump and Harris voters valuetheir Medicaid coverage and the
access to health services andmedications for themselves and
(07:32):
their children that itprovides. They also value
Medicaid because it helpsprotect them from financial
disaster. Alleviates stress,improves health health outcomes
and often supports theirability to work. People say
that losing Medicaid would bedevastating and lead to serious
consequences for their physicaland mental health and
(07:55):
exasperate preexistingfinancial challenges.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
There are so many things that Medicaid covers and
I think people really think oflike broader healthcare , but
Medicaid is actually also areally big sexual and
reproductive health program. Dowe wanna talk about some of the
ways that Medicaid is um,covering things to do with
sexual and reproductive health?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, so Medicaid plays an essential role in the
struggle for equitable sexualand reproductive health care
access for people with lowincomes and many underserved
communities including black,indigenous and other people of
color, people withdisabilities, women and LGBTQI
plus people, people withlimited English proficiency and
(08:37):
young people states arerequired to cover family
planning services and supplies,pregnancy related care and
abortions within the HydeAmendment's exceptions under
Medicaid. Medicaid alsoincludes a number of special
protections to ensure thatpeople can access family
(08:58):
planning services and suppliessuch as giving people freedom
of choice to visit any Medicaidprovider and to obtain those
services. And also providingstates within an enhanced FMAP
rate for those services, whichgives states a strong incentive
to provide these services.
(09:20):
Medicaid also allows states toprovide family planning
services and supplies to manyindividuals who are not
otherwise eligible to receiveMedicaid coverage. That limited
scope Medicaid coverage is ESespecially important in states
that have not yet expandedMedicaid. And in addition to
(09:41):
family planning services, allstates provide access to
life-saving breast and cervicalcancer treatment via Medicaid
and many programs cover aspectsof gender affirming care. Some
are starting to cover fertilitypreservation services and
Medicaid also covers criticalpreventive and treatment
services for HIV in everystate. In practical terms,
(10:05):
Medicaid covers more than 40%of US births and 65% of black
women's births Medicaidexpansion has lowered maternal
mortality and narrowed racialmaternal health inequities.
It's the leading source offamily planning coverage in the
United States. It covers 40% ofnon elderly adults with HIV. It
(10:31):
has been critical in the fightto end the HIV epidemic and
it's critical sexual andreproductive health coverage
makes it a strategic target forthose who wish to restrict
access for millions across thecountry.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
I love like how much I think I know about all these
things but every time I get totalk to an expert, like I
always learn like new nuggetsof things that Medicaid covers
or people that are impacted byit's programs. Like it is
amazing how many people arebenefiting from these services
(11:08):
and what a big role it plays incombating the really high
maternal mortality rate in thiscountry.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, absolutely. It plays a crucial role in ending
the epidemic and as I noted,states that have expanded
Medicaid have witnessed reducedmaternal mortality and lowered
inequities across racial lines.
So really profound effects forfor reproductive health equity.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I was really amazed last year for our 50 state
report card we started tomeasure, we added on the
maternal health expansion wherethey could expand coverage
postpartum for one year and Iexpected to see variation, like
I expected to see like a bunchof states deciding not to do it
like in other parts ofMedicaid. And I was shocked
(11:59):
this year as we're gettingready for the report card to
come out next week, like therewere only two states that have
not expanded. And first of allI have to say shame on
Wisconsin. I am from Wisconsin.
Come on y'all. But it , it wasamazing to me that there were
only two states.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Yeah the uptake of the American Rescue Plan Act
state plan option to extendMedicaid coverage after
pregnancy from the statutorilyrequired roughly 60 days after
pregnancy ends to a full yearafter pregnancy ends has been
(12:35):
spectacular. It's beenwonderful to see almost every
state adopt the option in in ashort number of years including
states like Mississippi andother states that have not yet
expanded Medicaid. And thosereforms unfortunately are that
that uptake of that optionalexpansion and extension of
(12:59):
coverage is unfortunately nowon the line as Congress faces
the prospect of severe cuts tothe program.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Okay. I guess that means we have to turn to like
the bad news now that we knowall of the great things that
Medicaid covers and howimportant it is, let's talk
about these proposed cuts thatum, were in house budget and
what it would mean to people.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Yeah so I think now is a good time to like take a
deep breath. Yeah , we'redealing with so much heaviness
in our movement right now, somany attacks on a daily basis
from all fronts and so I justwanna like pause and take a
breath before we dive in 'causethis too is heavy stuff. So the
(13:50):
house recently passed a budgetresolution that requires at
least a minimum of $880 billionin budgetary cuts from the
energy and commerce committee.
President Trump endorsed thisresolution and many of us Hello
(14:11):
Kitty.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
She apparently has strong thoughts on Medicaid
cuts.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We, we all should . Um , many of us have
heard Republicans say there isno mention of Medicaid in the
budget resolution or there willbe no Medicaid cuts or my
favorite the Senate will fixit. But as the congressional
budget office made clear in itsresponse to ranking members,
(14:36):
there are only $135 billion inNCS jurisdiction outside of
Medicare, Medicaid and chip thechildren's health insurance
program. Even if Republicanszero these programs out
entirely, that's less than onesixth of the minimum $880
(14:56):
billion in cuts required by thehouse budget resolution
confirming what we all knowwhich is that the only way to
meet their target for theenergy and commerce committee
is through deep damaging cutsto Medicaid. We're still
waiting on bill text but thereare some policy proposals
(15:19):
floating around for how we getthere and some of the cuts
we're likely to see areMedicaid work requirements cuts
to federal matching funds orthe FMAP that I mentioned
before, provider tax cuts percapita caps and attacks on
(15:40):
Biden era regulatory reformsthat improved access to care
for Medicaid beneficiaries. Ican't stress enough that we
cannot take at face value .
Speaker Johnson's comments oncertain Medicaid cuts being off
the table. It's clear that thesituation is fluid and that
decisions are still being madeand that chair Guthrie
(16:03):
continues to push for percapita caps and FMAP cuts to be
included in reconciliation. Sowhat are some of these
proposals? The first of theseis per capita caps under the
current federal state Medicaiduh, financing model, the
(16:25):
federal government pays a fixedpercentage of state's Medicaid
costs, whatever those costs maybe. And those costs can
fluctuate a lot frombeneficiary to beneficiary
depending on what anindividual's health needs are.
They can fluctuate acrossgeography depending on what
access to care looks like in aparticular location. And a per
(16:48):
capita cap would radicallyrestructure Medicaid financing
so that states would receiveonly a fixed amount of federal
Medicaid funding perbeneficiary regardless of
state's actual costs cappingthe the possible funding that
states can receive for coveringtheir enrollees. Congress has
(17:11):
estimated that this proposalwould cut federal spending by
up to $900 billion over 10years. The second proposal
floating around is fmap cuts.
FMAP cuts would cut the amountof federal matching funds that
states receive for Medicaidcoverage. So for example,
(17:31):
before I mentioned that statesreceive uh , 90% fmap for
Medicaid expansion enrollees.
This means that the federalgovernment picks up 90% of the
cost of covering thosebeneficiaries. Several states
have trigger laws in place thatrequire them to unwind Medicaid
(17:54):
expansion if that fmap bumpgoes away. So FMAP cuts are
both a direct cut to Medicaidand a cost shift to states that
will lead to cuts in Medicaideligibility and services. This
would include cuts to access tokey services for people with
(18:14):
disabilities, cuts to sexualand reproductive healthcare
services and and Congressestimates that FMAP cuts could
cut federal spending by up to$561 billion over 10 years.
Provider tax cuts under currentlaw all states except Alaska
Institute taxes and assessmentson hospitals, nursing homes and
(18:37):
other healthcare providers aswell as Medicaid managed care
plans to help finance theirshare of Medicaid spending.
These taxes help states covermore people and services, which
in turn helps providers andmanaged care companies because
they're able to get reimbursedfor coverage or care for more
enrollees. One of the optionsfor cutting Medicaid is to
(19:00):
restrict your end providertaxes. This would reduce
federal spending because statescan't possibly make up the
revenues raised by providertaxes with other sources such
as income taxes and salestaxes. So states would have to
cut their Medicaid programs andbecause of that federal state
(19:21):
Medicaid financing model, thiswould reduce federal Medicaid
spending as well and congressestimates it would do so by
about $175 billion in federalspending over a 10 year period.
And before I move on to some ofthe other proposals on the
table, I just wanna talk abouthow these cuts to Medicaid
(19:42):
funding would impact SRH. Soall of these would reduce the
amount of federal fundingavailable to states to help
provide essential sexual andreproductive health coverage
with less funding. States wouldlikely scale back eligibility
for their Medicaid programs.
(20:02):
States that expanded Medicaidmight reverse course while
states considering expandingthose, that small number of
holdout states might halt thoseefforts. States might also
lower their income eligibilitythresholds for pregnancy
coverage or drop criticaloptional programs such as
(20:22):
coverage for people with breastand cervical cancer or limited
scope family planning coveragecausing millions to lose their
health insurance funding capscould lead states to reduce the
availability of criticalservices. States struggling to
fund their Medicaid budgetswould likely reduce the
(20:45):
services available to peoplewho remain eligible. And for
example, states could narrowthe list of covered pregnancy
related services. They mightattempt to drop outpatient
prescription drug benefits orlimit the number of
prescriptions enrollees canfill per month, leaving people
with HIV endometriosis andother chronic conditions
(21:06):
without essential andpotentially life saving
medications. And these cutscould lead to weakened
protections for pregnant peopleand their families. For
example, we just talked aboutthe American rescue plan option
to extend pregnancy relatedcoverage to a full year after
pregnancy ends and how since2021 nearly all states have
(21:29):
taken up that option but thatthat extension remains
optional. And so if states nolonger have adequate funding,
then they might drop thosecoverage extensions for people
that are so critical to endingthe maternal mortality crisis.
These cuts could also weakencontraceptive access under the
(21:50):
financial pressure from fundingcuts. States could seek to roll
back or request exceptions tofederal standards that ensure
access to contraceptive careand federal regulators might
choose to waive the freedom ofchoice requirement that allows
people to visit any familyplanning provider of their
(22:12):
choice.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I think it's so easy to get lost in like the big
numbers we're talking about offunding to like forget that
these are people's lives andhealth we're talking about and
the millions of people that aregonna be impacted by these
cuts. It's not just these bignumbers that get thrown around
(22:34):
like it's just money we'retalking about but it's health
coverage for people who needthese services And I just wanna
make sure that like we'restanding on that because it is
going to be devastating to somany people if these cuts go
through.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, I mean again we're talking about coverage
for 72 million people, manypeople who access sexual and
reproductive healthcare throughthis program. So there's a lot
at stake and unfortunatelythat's not all that
(23:11):
Congress is considering.
There's there's more Medicaidwork requirements have long
been a cornerstone in effortsto end access to affordable
health coverage for low incomeand underserved communities and
they're one of the mostinsidious strategies to cut
Medicaid because they do so bytriggering coverage losses
(23:34):
rather than appear directly asa funding cut to states. Nearly
three decades of evidenceacross public benefits programs
demonstrate that workrequirements don't improve
employment outcomes, theirpurported purpose and instead
(23:54):
trip people up and then blamethem for falling work
requirements are excessive,intrusive and unnecessary
government bureaucracy. We knowthat the vast majority of
Medicaid enrollees who can workalready do so and people
because of work requirementsmany people would lose the
(24:17):
health insurance coverage thatallows them to access the
health services that allow themto work directly undercutting
and destabilizing ourworkforce. So it's an
interesting strategy to promotework when it actually does the
opposite work requirements alsoforce individuals to either
(24:40):
navigate red tape to provethey're already working or
qualify for an exemption orlose their health insurance
coverage. And we know fromdecades of experience with work
requirements in SNAP and TANFas well as the short period of
time that our Arkansas testedwork requirements during in
(25:00):
Medicaid during the first Trumpadministration that exemptions
to these requirements forcertain populations don't work
as intended and are extremelydifficult to obtain. People who
are pregnant have disabilitiesor have parenting or other
caregiving responsibilities areoften purported to be exempt
(25:25):
under public benefits workrequirements. But we know from
experience they often struggleto prove that they qualify for
exemptions or maybediscriminator denied them often
based on race or ethnicity.
Beneficiaries also oftenexperience significant power
differentials with programcaseworkers who have a great
(25:49):
deal of discretion in whetherthey grant work requirement
exemptions and oftenarbitrarily refuse them . For
example, there is a 2022 studyon TANF work requirement
exemptions for intimate partnerviolence that shows that even
when women documented andshowed evidence and recounted
(26:12):
their experiences ofinterpersonal violence to
caseworkers, many caseworkersstill chose to deny these
exemptions because they justdidn't believe in the
exemptions or across raciallines. So we can't count on
exemptions. So ultimatelyMedicaid work requirements
(26:32):
truly would only serve tofurther efforts to all but
eliminate sexual andreproductive healthcare access
for low income and underservedcommunities and further
reproductive oppression in theUS and really truly are just
Medicaid cuts by another name.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing so many
stories when I guess it musthave been when the Arkansas one
was in place of people liketrying to meet the work
requirements and like having toshow up and like them losing
their job because they had tohave all this time to like go
in weekly to show that theywere working to keep their
Medicaid and it was a barrierfor people to actually have
(27:12):
those jobs.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, that's absolutely right . It has been
shown to be a employmentbarrier to worsen people's
health, to increase medicaldebt. Work requirements are
tied to all kinds of reallyhorrible outcomes. We also know
right now Georgia is testingwork requirements under a
(27:36):
program that was approved bythe first Trump administration
and of the estimated 300,000people who should have been
able to access coverage throughMedicaid expansion, only 6,500
people have been able to enrollin Medicaid coverage under the
(27:57):
Georgia Pathways program. Andwe know looking at North
Carolina, which recentlyimplemented Medicaid expansion
and is a similarly sized a astate with like a similar
makeup that that 300,000 personestimate for Georgia is
actually probably half of whatGeorgia would actually see in
(28:17):
Medicaid expansion. Oh . Soit's really probably like 6,500
people of really like 600,000people that would probably be
able to get coverage in Georgiaunder actual Medicaid
expansion. So work requirementsreally can keep the front door
closed from health insurancecoverage or depending on how
(28:40):
they're designed, kickthousands of people out in just
a seven month period of testingwork requirements in Arkansas.
Roughly 20,000 people werekicked out of the program.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Okay, this is all very depressing and the fight
is just beginning 'cause I'msure even if it's not
successful this time around,it's not going anywhere. As I
feel like we keep reliving someof these things. What can we do
to protect Medicaid?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So we're living under not just a Republican
trifecta, but a far righttrifecta amid severe democratic
backsliding. I don't know ifyou saw Jenny , but just last
week the US was deemed anon-democracy. So that's a
heavy thing to bear witness to. And while administrative
(29:38):
advocacy is going to becritical for Medicaid defense
changes to the underlyingstatute, the Medicaid Act, the
Affordable Care Act, theseunderlying statutes are
generally far more dangerousbecause they're far harder to
un undo . So first andforemost, we have to stop
(29:59):
congressional attempts to cutMedicaid and interrelated civil
rights.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Okay? So that's what we need to do. How can the
audience get involved? Likewhat can the audience do to
make this happen?
Speaker 2 (30:12):
So it's not hyperbole to say that the
threats facing the Medicaidprogram are imminent and we
need everyone in this fight,including those who care about
sexual and reproductive healthrights and justice. So please
if you're listening, take a fewminutes to contact your members
(30:32):
of Congress and urge them tosave Medicaid. Urge them to
oppose any Medicaid cutsthrough budget reconciliation
or other legislation. Remindthem that Medicaid cuts would
devastate your community bytaking health insurance away
from millions, including kids,people in nursing homes and
those living with a disabilityor chronic conditions. If your
(30:56):
representative or senators aresupportive of reproductive
rights, you can also stressthat any cut to Medicaid is a
cut to sexual and reproductivehealthcare access. I think that
message is important dependingon who your audience is and no
matter who your represerepresented by in Congress, you
(31:17):
should tell them, remind themthat Medicaid cuts would
increase healthcare costs foreveryone, including medical
debt for millions. It wouldjust stabilize hospitals,
health centers and otherproviders that we all rely on,
especially in rural communitiesand just like really keep
beating the drum, keep calling.
Uh, it's really, reallyimportant that your members of
(31:39):
Congress hear from you and youcan reach them by calling a
dashboard that health advocateshave set up. That number is 8 6
6 for 2 6 2 6 3 1. Again,that's 8 6 6 4 2 6 2 6 3 1 .
(32:00):
And please help spread theword. If you've never been
covered by Medicaid, it's verylikely that you know folks who
have, I certainly have a lot ofus in this movement have. And
you can also learn more byvisiting the National Health
Law Program's website. We havea Medicaid defense landing page
with dozens and dozens ofresources on what these cuts
(32:23):
would mean with a lot ofexplainers on the various
options, which I'm happy toshare in follow up . We have a
number of materials on howMedicaid cuts would affect
sexual and reproductive health.
In particular,
Speaker 1 (32:39):
We will make sure to include links to all of those
in our show notes to make surethat y'all are able to access
them and take action. Madeline,thank you so much for being
here. It was so wonderful totalk to you about what an
important program Medicaid isand the huge threat it is
under.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Thank you so much for having me, Jenny . And
yeah, as I said, this truly isan all hands on deck moment. We
need every voice loudly sayingsave Medicaid. So please, if
you're listening, considergetting involved.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Okay y'all, I hope you enjoyed my conversation
with Madeline. It was so greatto get to talk to her about
everything related to Medicaid.
There is so much happeningright now and it is really
important that we raise ourvoices and make sure that our
Congress people know that wesupport Medicaid, we think
Medicaid funding is importantand that we save this program.
Millions of lives are countingon it. We need to make sure
(33:38):
that the Medicaid program staysstrong and stays safe to ensure
that all of these people whorely on it are able to keep
their healthcare . So withthat, get loud. Make sure that
everyone knows that you supportMedicaid and that we need to
save this program. And withthat, I will see everybody next
week. If you have anyquestions, comments, or topics
(33:59):
you would like us to cover,always feel free to shoot me an
email. You can reach me atJenny jn , NI
e@reprofightback.com , or youcan find us on social media.
We're at repro fight. Back onFacebook and Twitter are re
pros FB on Instagram. If youlove our podcast and wanna make
sure more people find it, takethe time to rate and review us
(34:21):
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Thanks all .
Welcome to Repro Fight Back a podcast on all
things related to sexual andreproductive health rights and
justice. Hi repro. How'severybody doing? I'm your host
Jenny Wetter and my pronounsare she her. So y'all , I am
still, I feel like in this bigball of chaos and stress , uh,
(00:25):
we have our new report cardthat's coming out next week and
I'm very excited to get it outinto the world, but there's
just been a bajillion and onethings that have needed to
happen to get it ready to go.
Um, we have some new thingsthat we're releasing this year
and I'm so excited for y'all tosee them. But it has added like
this whole extra layer of workand it's just been a lot. It's
(00:46):
been a lot y'all. And that ison top of all of the casts the
administration is suing andother work related things that
are still going on and need tobe done even while I am
desperately trying to get thisreport ready for a release next
week. So it's just, it's been alot and my body has started to
like really absorb all of thatstress and is, you can feel, I
(01:09):
can feel it, I can feel the waythat my body is, is taking on
all of that stress. I have likeone of those big stress balls
on my shoulder, like on myshoulder blade and it's, it
hurts and I just, I need to bebetter about meditating. I've
really fallen off on that andhave not been good about it. So
putting this out into theuniverse so y'all hear it and
(01:32):
maybe it'll help hold meaccountable to myself by saying
it. I need to get better aboutfinding time to meditate, to
get rid of some of that stress.
If you have any greatrecommendations for how you are
dealing with all of the stressof everything happening, I
would love to hear it. Um, I'msure we all would like we could
all use recommendations for how, how to release some of that
(01:55):
and not internalize it. Notgood for my body and I need to
be better about dealing with itin ways that are not just
holding onto it. That is mygoal for right now. Um, let's
see. I don't feel like I've hada ton going on. I feel I've
been so focused on all of thiswork stuff that I feel like
there's not been a ton of otherthings happening. I mean my
(02:17):
birthday, the last episode cameout after my birthday, but it
was recorded before my birthdayso it was lovely. I had a
really chill day, lots of sweetmessages from friends and you
know , getting together withsome people. Some people know
who I love. Cheesecakes sent mecheesecakes. Unfortunately them
and I had two big cheesecakeswhile they were both delightful
(02:38):
and delicious and everything Iwanted two cheesecakes for one
person was a lot. Um, luckily Iwas able to free some so uh, I
will have some more later. Butyeah, it was a lovely day and
you know, just made me think oflooking forward to the year
ahead. Like I said, I have somebig trips coming up this year
that I am very much lookingforward to. So , uh, trying to
(03:01):
focus on those things to get methrough this like little ball
of chaos and stress that I amfinding myself in right now. I
don't really feel like talkingabout administrative chaos
right now. There's a lot goingon and a lot to take in, but
the episode is gonna befocusing on some, some of it.
So let's not do that right now.
(03:21):
Maybe let's just turn to theepisode. One of the things that
is happening is houserepublicans have put forth
their budget resolution thatwould slash a huge part of
Medicaid. So it felt like agood time to revisit
conversation, a conversationabout Medicaid and talk about
what it is, why it's such animportant sexual and
(03:42):
reproductive health program andwhat these proposed cuts would
look like and how it would beabsolutely devastating if these
cuts were to take place. And Icouldn't think of a better
person to have with me to talkabout this than Madeline Morsel
with the National health lawProgram to talk all about
Medicaid and why we need tocare about what is happening
right now and get involved andtake action because it is all
(04:05):
hands on deck y'all. It is timeto get loud. Okay, with that,
let's go to my interview withMadeline. Hi Madeline, thank
you so much for being heretoday.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
Thanks for having me on Jenny ,
Speaker 1 (04:17):
I'm so excited to talk to you. But before we get
started, do you wanna take asecond and introduce yourself
and include your pronouns?
Speaker 2 (04:24):
Sure. My name is Madeline Marcel . My pronouns
are she her a senior attorneyat the National Health Law
Program and I work on a rangeof sexual and reproductive
health equity issues inMedicaid and non-discrimination
rights.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
So there is so much happening around Medicaid right
now so I'm very excited to haveyou here to talk about it. But
I thought it was reallyimportant to maybe take a step
back first for people whoaren't as familiar with
Medicaid and just talk aboutwhat Medicaid is real quick.
Speaker 2 (04:55):
Yeah, so Medicaid is our country's largest public
health insurance program.
Currently over 72 millionpeople with low incomes are
enrolled in Medicaid's free orlow cost coverage. The program
covers one in five people inthe US including four in 10
kids, over eight in 10 kids inpoverty, almost half of adults
(05:18):
in poverty. And because ofstructural barriers to wealth,
it covers a higher share ofpeople of color and people with
disabilities. It's worth notingsome states have their own
names for Medicaid. Forexample, when I was in grad
school I was covered by MassHealth , which is Massachusetts
me Medicaid program. Wisconsincover calls Medicaid,
(05:39):
BadgerCare , Tennessee calls itTencare, California calls it
Medi-Cal and and so on.
Medicaid is jointly financed bythe federal government and the
states but administered by thestates within broad federal
rules, states are currentlyguaranteed federal matching
funds called a federal medicalassistance percentage or fmap
(06:03):
without any cap for qualifiedservices provided to eligible
enrollees states receive a baseFMAP and then enhanced FMAP PS
for certain populations andservices. For example, under
the A CA, the federalgovernment picks up 90% of the
cost of covering Medicaidexpansion enrollees Medicaid
(06:25):
covers a broad range ofservices including preventive
services, prescription drugs,outpatient and inpatient care.
Long-term care, it's actuallythe leading payer of long-term
care services in the USdisability services and much
more coverage facilitatesaccess to care, improves health
(06:47):
outcomes, lowers the risk ofpremature mortality, narrows
health inequities and providesfinancial protection from
medical debt. And it's worthnoting that Medicaid is popular
In recent nationallyrepresentative polling from KFF
more than three quarters of thepublic supported Medicaid
(07:08):
including six in 10 Republicansand at least eight in 10
independents and Democrats,both Trump and terrorist voters
want policymakers to focus onimproving Medicaid instead of
cutting it. And among thoseenrolled in Medicaid, both
Trump and Harris voters valuetheir Medicaid coverage and the
access to health services andmedications for themselves and
(07:32):
their children that itprovides. They also value
Medicaid because it helpsprotect them from financial
disaster. Alleviates stress,improves health health outcomes
and often supports theirability to work. People say
that losing Medicaid would bedevastating and lead to serious
consequences for their physicaland mental health and
(07:55):
exasperate preexistingfinancial challenges.
Speaker 1 (07:58):
There are so many things that Medicaid covers and
I think people really think oflike broader healthcare , but
Medicaid is actually also areally big sexual and
reproductive health program. Dowe wanna talk about some of the
ways that Medicaid is um,covering things to do with
sexual and reproductive health?
Speaker 2 (08:16):
Yeah, so Medicaid plays an essential role in the
struggle for equitable sexualand reproductive health care
access for people with lowincomes and many underserved
communities including black,indigenous and other people of
color, people withdisabilities, women and LGBTQI
plus people, people withlimited English proficiency and
(08:37):
young people states arerequired to cover family
planning services and supplies,pregnancy related care and
abortions within the HydeAmendment's exceptions under
Medicaid. Medicaid alsoincludes a number of special
protections to ensure thatpeople can access family
(08:58):
planning services and suppliessuch as giving people freedom
of choice to visit any Medicaidprovider and to obtain those
services. And also providingstates within an enhanced FMAP
rate for those services, whichgives states a strong incentive
to provide these services.
(09:20):
Medicaid also allows states toprovide family planning
services and supplies to manyindividuals who are not
otherwise eligible to receiveMedicaid coverage. That limited
scope Medicaid coverage is ESespecially important in states
that have not yet expandedMedicaid. And in addition to
(09:41):
family planning services, allstates provide access to
life-saving breast and cervicalcancer treatment via Medicaid
and many programs cover aspectsof gender affirming care. Some
are starting to cover fertilitypreservation services and
Medicaid also covers criticalpreventive and treatment
services for HIV in everystate. In practical terms,
(10:05):
Medicaid covers more than 40%of US births and 65% of black
women's births Medicaidexpansion has lowered maternal
mortality and narrowed racialmaternal health inequities.
It's the leading source offamily planning coverage in the
United States. It covers 40% ofnon elderly adults with HIV. It
(10:31):
has been critical in the fightto end the HIV epidemic and
it's critical sexual andreproductive health coverage
makes it a strategic target forthose who wish to restrict
access for millions across thecountry.
Speaker 1 (10:48):
I love like how much I think I know about all these
things but every time I get totalk to an expert, like I
always learn like new nuggetsof things that Medicaid covers
or people that are impacted byit's programs. Like it is
amazing how many people arebenefiting from these services
(11:08):
and what a big role it plays incombating the really high
maternal mortality rate in thiscountry.
Speaker 2 (11:15):
Yeah, absolutely. It plays a crucial role in ending
the epidemic and as I noted,states that have expanded
Medicaid have witnessed reducedmaternal mortality and lowered
inequities across racial lines.
So really profound effects forfor reproductive health equity.
Speaker 1 (11:36):
I was really amazed last year for our 50 state
report card we started tomeasure, we added on the
maternal health expansion wherethey could expand coverage
postpartum for one year and Iexpected to see variation, like
I expected to see like a bunchof states deciding not to do it
like in other parts ofMedicaid. And I was shocked
(11:59):
this year as we're gettingready for the report card to
come out next week, like therewere only two states that have
not expanded. And first of allI have to say shame on
Wisconsin. I am from Wisconsin.
Come on y'all. But it , it wasamazing to me that there were
only two states.
Speaker 2 (12:15):
Yeah the uptake of the American Rescue Plan Act
state plan option to extendMedicaid coverage after
pregnancy from the statutorilyrequired roughly 60 days after
pregnancy ends to a full yearafter pregnancy ends has been
(12:35):
spectacular. It's beenwonderful to see almost every
state adopt the option in in ashort number of years including
states like Mississippi andother states that have not yet
expanded Medicaid. And thosereforms unfortunately are that
that uptake of that optionalexpansion and extension of
(12:59):
coverage is unfortunately nowon the line as Congress faces
the prospect of severe cuts tothe program.
Speaker 1 (13:07):
Okay. I guess that means we have to turn to like
the bad news now that we knowall of the great things that
Medicaid covers and howimportant it is, let's talk
about these proposed cuts thatum, were in house budget and
what it would mean to people.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
Yeah so I think now is a good time to like take a
deep breath. Yeah , we'redealing with so much heaviness
in our movement right now, somany attacks on a daily basis
from all fronts and so I justwanna like pause and take a
breath before we dive in 'causethis too is heavy stuff. So the
(13:50):
house recently passed a budgetresolution that requires at
least a minimum of $880 billionin budgetary cuts from the
energy and commerce committee.
President Trump endorsed thisresolution and many of us Hello
(14:11):
Kitty.
Speaker 1 (14:12):
She apparently has strong thoughts on Medicaid
cuts.
Speaker 2 (14:15):
We, we all should
heard Republicans say there isno mention of Medicaid in the
budget resolution or there willbe no Medicaid cuts or my
favorite the Senate will fixit. But as the congressional
budget office made clear in itsresponse to ranking members,
(14:36):
there are only $135 billion inNCS jurisdiction outside of
Medicare, Medicaid and chip thechildren's health insurance
program. Even if Republicanszero these programs out
entirely, that's less than onesixth of the minimum $880
(14:56):
billion in cuts required by thehouse budget resolution
confirming what we all knowwhich is that the only way to
meet their target for theenergy and commerce committee
is through deep damaging cutsto Medicaid. We're still
waiting on bill text but thereare some policy proposals
(15:19):
floating around for how we getthere and some of the cuts
we're likely to see areMedicaid work requirements cuts
to federal matching funds orthe FMAP that I mentioned
before, provider tax cuts percapita caps and attacks on
(15:40):
Biden era regulatory reformsthat improved access to care
for Medicaid beneficiaries. Ican't stress enough that we
cannot take at face value .
Speaker Johnson's comments oncertain Medicaid cuts being off
the table. It's clear that thesituation is fluid and that
decisions are still being madeand that chair Guthrie
(16:03):
continues to push for percapita caps and FMAP cuts to be
included in reconciliation. Sowhat are some of these
proposals? The first of theseis per capita caps under the
current federal state Medicaiduh, financing model, the
(16:25):
federal government pays a fixedpercentage of state's Medicaid
costs, whatever those costs maybe. And those costs can
fluctuate a lot frombeneficiary to beneficiary
depending on what anindividual's health needs are.
They can fluctuate acrossgeography depending on what
access to care looks like in aparticular location. And a per
(16:48):
capita cap would radicallyrestructure Medicaid financing
so that states would receiveonly a fixed amount of federal
Medicaid funding perbeneficiary regardless of
state's actual costs cappingthe the possible funding that
states can receive for coveringtheir enrollees. Congress has
(17:11):
estimated that this proposalwould cut federal spending by
up to $900 billion over 10years. The second proposal
floating around is fmap cuts.
FMAP cuts would cut the amountof federal matching funds that
states receive for Medicaidcoverage. So for example,
(17:31):
before I mentioned that statesreceive uh , 90% fmap for
Medicaid expansion enrollees.
This means that the federalgovernment picks up 90% of the
cost of covering thosebeneficiaries. Several states
have trigger laws in place thatrequire them to unwind Medicaid
(17:54):
expansion if that fmap bumpgoes away. So FMAP cuts are
both a direct cut to Medicaidand a cost shift to states that
will lead to cuts in Medicaideligibility and services. This
would include cuts to access tokey services for people with
(18:14):
disabilities, cuts to sexualand reproductive healthcare
services and and Congressestimates that FMAP cuts could
cut federal spending by up to$561 billion over 10 years.
Provider tax cuts under currentlaw all states except Alaska
Institute taxes and assessmentson hospitals, nursing homes and
(18:37):
other healthcare providers aswell as Medicaid managed care
plans to help finance theirshare of Medicaid spending.
These taxes help states covermore people and services, which
in turn helps providers andmanaged care companies because
they're able to get reimbursedfor coverage or care for more
enrollees. One of the optionsfor cutting Medicaid is to
(19:00):
restrict your end providertaxes. This would reduce
federal spending because statescan't possibly make up the
revenues raised by providertaxes with other sources such
as income taxes and salestaxes. So states would have to
cut their Medicaid programs andbecause of that federal state
(19:21):
Medicaid financing model, thiswould reduce federal Medicaid
spending as well and congressestimates it would do so by
about $175 billion in federalspending over a 10 year period.
And before I move on to some ofthe other proposals on the
table, I just wanna talk abouthow these cuts to Medicaid
(19:42):
funding would impact SRH. Soall of these would reduce the
amount of federal fundingavailable to states to help
provide essential sexual andreproductive health coverage
with less funding. States wouldlikely scale back eligibility
for their Medicaid programs.
(20:02):
States that expanded Medicaidmight reverse course while
states considering expandingthose, that small number of
holdout states might halt thoseefforts. States might also
lower their income eligibilitythresholds for pregnancy
coverage or drop criticaloptional programs such as
(20:22):
coverage for people with breastand cervical cancer or limited
scope family planning coveragecausing millions to lose their
health insurance funding capscould lead states to reduce the
availability of criticalservices. States struggling to
fund their Medicaid budgetswould likely reduce the
(20:45):
services available to peoplewho remain eligible. And for
example, states could narrowthe list of covered pregnancy
related services. They mightattempt to drop outpatient
prescription drug benefits orlimit the number of
prescriptions enrollees canfill per month, leaving people
with HIV endometriosis andother chronic conditions
(21:06):
without essential andpotentially life saving
medications. And these cutscould lead to weakened
protections for pregnant peopleand their families. For
example, we just talked aboutthe American rescue plan option
to extend pregnancy relatedcoverage to a full year after
pregnancy ends and how since2021 nearly all states have
(21:29):
taken up that option but thatthat extension remains
optional. And so if states nolonger have adequate funding,
then they might drop thosecoverage extensions for people
that are so critical to endingthe maternal mortality crisis.
These cuts could also weakencontraceptive access under the
(21:50):
financial pressure from fundingcuts. States could seek to roll
back or request exceptions tofederal standards that ensure
access to contraceptive careand federal regulators might
choose to waive the freedom ofchoice requirement that allows
people to visit any familyplanning provider of their
(22:12):
choice.
Speaker 1 (22:14):
I think it's so easy to get lost in like the big
numbers we're talking about offunding to like forget that
these are people's lives andhealth we're talking about and
the millions of people that aregonna be impacted by these
cuts. It's not just these bignumbers that get thrown around
(22:34):
like it's just money we'retalking about but it's health
coverage for people who needthese services And I just wanna
make sure that like we'restanding on that because it is
going to be devastating to somany people if these cuts go
through.
Speaker 2 (22:49):
Yeah, I mean again we're talking about coverage
for 72 million people, manypeople who access sexual and
reproductive healthcare throughthis program. So there's a lot
at stake and unfortunatelythat's not all
(23:11):
Congress is considering.
There's there's more Medicaidwork requirements have long
been a cornerstone in effortsto end access to affordable
health coverage for low incomeand underserved communities and
they're one of the mostinsidious strategies to cut
Medicaid because they do so bytriggering coverage losses
(23:34):
rather than appear directly asa funding cut to states. Nearly
three decades of evidenceacross public benefits programs
demonstrate that workrequirements don't improve
employment outcomes, theirpurported purpose and instead
(23:54):
trip people up and then blamethem for falling work
requirements are excessive,intrusive and unnecessary
government bureaucracy. We knowthat the vast majority of
Medicaid enrollees who can workalready do so and people
because of work requirementsmany people would lose the
(24:17):
health insurance coverage thatallows them to access the
health services that allow themto work directly undercutting
and destabilizing ourworkforce. So it's an
interesting strategy to promotework when it actually does the
opposite work requirements alsoforce individuals to either
(24:40):
navigate red tape to provethey're already working or
qualify for an exemption orlose their health insurance
coverage. And we know fromdecades of experience with work
requirements in SNAP and TANFas well as the short period of
time that our Arkansas testedwork requirements during in
(25:00):
Medicaid during the first Trumpadministration that exemptions
to these requirements forcertain populations don't work
as intended and are extremelydifficult to obtain. People who
are pregnant have disabilitiesor have parenting or other
caregiving responsibilities areoften purported to be exempt
(25:25):
under public benefits workrequirements. But we know from
experience they often struggleto prove that they qualify for
exemptions or maybediscriminator denied them often
based on race or ethnicity.
Beneficiaries also oftenexperience significant power
differentials with programcaseworkers who have a great
(25:49):
deal of discretion in whetherthey grant work requirement
exemptions and oftenarbitrarily refuse them . For
example, there is a 2022 studyon TANF work requirement
exemptions for intimate partnerviolence that shows that even
when women documented andshowed evidence and recounted
(26:12):
their experiences ofinterpersonal violence to
caseworkers, many caseworkersstill chose to deny these
exemptions because they justdidn't believe in the
exemptions or across raciallines. So we can't count on
exemptions. So ultimatelyMedicaid work requirements
(26:32):
truly would only serve tofurther efforts to all but
eliminate sexual andreproductive healthcare access
for low income and underservedcommunities and further
reproductive oppression in theUS and really truly are just
Medicaid cuts by another name.
Speaker 1 (26:50):
Yeah, I feel like I remember hearing so many
stories when I guess it musthave been when the Arkansas one
was in place of people liketrying to meet the work
requirements and like having toshow up and like them losing
their job because they had tohave all this time to like go
in weekly to show that theywere working to keep their
Medicaid and it was a barrierfor people to actually have
(27:12):
those jobs.
Speaker 2 (27:14):
Yeah, that's absolutely right . It has been
shown to be a employmentbarrier to worsen people's
health, to increase medicaldebt. Work requirements are
tied to all kinds of reallyhorrible outcomes. We also know
right now Georgia is testingwork requirements under a
(27:36):
program that was approved bythe first Trump administration
and of the estimated 300,000people who should have been
able to access coverage throughMedicaid expansion, only 6,500
people have been able to enrollin Medicaid coverage under the
(27:57):
Georgia Pathways program. Andwe know looking at North
Carolina, which recentlyimplemented Medicaid expansion
and is a similarly sized a astate with like a similar
makeup that that 300,000 personestimate for Georgia is
actually probably half of whatGeorgia would actually see in
(28:17):
Medicaid expansion. Oh . Soit's really probably like 6,500
people of really like 600,000people that would probably be
able to get coverage in Georgiaunder actual Medicaid
expansion. So work requirementsreally can keep the front door
closed from health insurancecoverage or depending on how
(28:40):
they're designed, kickthousands of people out in just
a seven month period of testingwork requirements in Arkansas.
Roughly 20,000 people werekicked out of the program.
Speaker 1 (28:55):
Okay, this is all very depressing and the fight
is just beginning 'cause I'msure even if it's not
successful this time around,it's not going anywhere. As I
feel like we keep reliving someof these things. What can we do
to protect Medicaid?
Speaker 2 (29:13):
So we're living under not just a Republican
trifecta, but a far righttrifecta amid severe democratic
backsliding. I don't know ifyou saw Jenny , but just last
week the US was deemed anon-democracy. So that's a
heavy thing to bear witness to. And while administrative
(29:38):
advocacy is going to becritical for Medicaid defense
changes to the underlyingstatute, the Medicaid Act, the
Affordable Care Act, theseunderlying statutes are
generally far more dangerousbecause they're far harder to
un undo . So first andforemost, we have to stop
(29:59):
congressional attempts to cutMedicaid and interrelated civil
rights.
Speaker 1 (30:04):
Okay? So that's what we need to do. How can the
audience get involved? Likewhat can the audience do to
make this happen?
Speaker 2 (30:12):
So it's not hyperbole to say that the
threats facing the Medicaidprogram are imminent and we
need everyone in this fight,including those who care about
sexual and reproductive healthrights and justice. So please
if you're listening, take a fewminutes to contact your members
(30:32):
of Congress and urge them tosave Medicaid. Urge them to
oppose any Medicaid cutsthrough budget reconciliation
or other legislation. Remindthem that Medicaid cuts would
devastate your community bytaking health insurance away
from millions, including kids,people in nursing homes and
those living with a disabilityor chronic conditions. If your
(30:56):
representative or senators aresupportive of reproductive
rights, you can also stressthat any cut to Medicaid is a
cut to sexual and reproductivehealthcare access. I think that
message is important dependingon who your audience is and no
matter who your represerepresented by in Congress, you
(31:17):
should tell them, remind themthat Medicaid cuts would
increase healthcare costs foreveryone, including medical
debt for millions. It wouldjust stabilize hospitals,
health centers and otherproviders that we all rely on,
especially in rural communitiesand just like really keep
beating the drum, keep calling.
Uh, it's really, reallyimportant that your members of
(31:39):
Congress hear from you and youcan reach them by calling a
dashboard that health advocateshave set up. That number is 8 6
6 for 2 6 2 6 3 1. Again,that's 8 6 6 4 2 6 2 6 3 1 .
(32:00):
And please help spread theword. If you've never been
covered by Medicaid, it's verylikely that you know folks who
have, I certainly have a lot ofus in this movement have. And
you can also learn more byvisiting the National Health
Law Program's website. We havea Medicaid defense landing page
with dozens and dozens ofresources on what these cuts
(32:23):
would mean with a lot ofexplainers on the various
options, which I'm happy toshare in follow up . We have a
number of materials on howMedicaid cuts would affect
sexual and reproductive health.
In particular,
Speaker 1 (32:39):
We will make sure to include links to all of those
in our show notes to make surethat y'all are able to access
them and take action. Madeline,thank you so much for being
here. It was so wonderful totalk to you about what an
important program Medicaid isand the huge threat it is
under.
Speaker 2 (32:58):
Thank you so much for having me, Jenny . And
yeah, as I said, this truly isan all hands on deck moment. We
need every voice loudly sayingsave Medicaid. So please, if
you're listening, considergetting involved.
Speaker 1 (33:15):
Okay y'all, I hope you enjoyed my conversation
with Madeline. It was so greatto get to talk to her about
everything related to Medicaid.
There is so much happeningright now and it is really
important that we raise ourvoices and make sure that our
Congress people know that wesupport Medicaid, we think
Medicaid funding is importantand that we save this program.
Millions of lives are countingon it. We need to make sure
(33:38):
that the Medicaid program staysstrong and stays safe to ensure
that all of these people whorely on it are able to keep
their healthcare . So withthat, get loud. Make sure that
everyone knows that you supportMedicaid and that we need to
save this program. And withthat, I will see everybody next
week. If you have anyquestions, comments, or topics
(33:59):
you would like us to cover,always feel free to shoot me an
email. You can reach me atJenny jn , NI
e@reprofightback.com , or youcan find us on social media.
We're at repro fight. Back onFacebook and Twitter are re
pros FB on Instagram. If youlove our podcast and wanna make
sure more people find it, takethe time to rate and review us
(34:21):
on your favorite podcastplatform. Or if you wanna make
sure to support the podcast,you can also donate on our
website@reprofightback.com.
Thanks all .
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