Welcome to The 80 Million Podcast
The 80 Million Podcast goes live May 6. Episodes will be available where you get your podcasts and, for subscribers, in your inbox each week!
Author: Patti Boozang
Editor: Amanda Eisenberg
tl;dr
Medicaid is at an inflection point. H.R. 1’s $1 trillion in cuts, coupled with tightening state budgets and a rise in administrative burdens related to redeterminations and work reporting requirements, means a substantial number of people enrolled in Medicaid today will lose coverage or services in the coming decade.
Medicaid budget pressures are not new, but this moment feels like a fundamental shift in how Medicaid, which covers nearly 80 million people, is funded by the federal government and operates in states to achieve its purpose.
To address these seismic changes to our nation’s largest health coverage program, The 80 Million will release its inaugural podcast season starting May 6. Be sure to tune in, like and share!
The 80 Million Impact
For those of us at The 80 Million, our name represents a vital segment of the American population — nearly one-fifth of the nation — who rely on Medicaid for their health, financial security and in some cases, survival. Today, the program stands at a critical inflection point. As Medicaid faces what many policy experts consider its most significant existential threat since its inception, we are expanding our coverage to meet the moment. Starting May 6, we are launching a special eight-episode podcast series to explore the seismic changes reshaping Medicaid and health care access more broadly in our country.
Season 1 of The 80 Million Podcast is about what’s at risk at this moment in Medicaid, fiscally, operationally and politically, and where the program needs to adapt deliberately — not just to survive, but to get stronger. This is a time that demands solutions. Over the next decade, Medicaid is expected to see nearly $1 trillion in federal funding cuts from H.R. 1, new administrative hurdles that make getting and maintaining Medicaid coverage difficult, and federal policy shifts that limit the ability of states to raise revenue through state-directed payments and provider taxes.
The Trump administration and Congressional Republicans are framing many of these efforts as a response fraud, waste and abuse. This narrative is sowing public doubt and framing Medicaid as a broken program — and people who rely on it for their health coverage undeserving.
But despite being overwhelmed with program changes, funding cuts and the deterioration of the state-federal partnership in Medicaid, states remain laboratories of Medicaid innovation — tapping into solutions to make the program more efficient, higher quality and sustainable. Over the course of eight episodes, our nation’s leaders on Medicaid policy discuss the impact of these foundational changes to Medicaid and the ways in which states and other stakeholders are innovating to fortify the program.
Across this season, we dig into a few big questions:
What do current and potential federal financing shifts mean in practice — and what might they portend?
What operational and fiscal tradeoffs are states facing right now — and how are they responding?
Where is innovation not just possible, but necessary — to achieve positive structural change that preserves and sustains Medicaid?
At its core, this season is about how Medicaid can withstand existential fiscal pressure — including by making innovative, structural changes — while still delivering care for the people who rely on it.
Featured health care leaders include:
Stephanie Anthony, Manatt Health
Jared Augenstein, Manatt Health
Alison Barkoff, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University
Rajaie Batniji, Waymark Co-Founder and CEO
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Former CMS Administrator
Mandy Cohen, Manatt Health
Terry Cothran, Oklahoma Health Care Authority
Eric Dickson, UMass Memorial President and CEO
Melinda Dutton, Manatt Health
Jocelyn Guyer, Manatt Health
Cindy Mann, Manatt Health
Ross Margulies, Manatt Health
Caroline Pearson, Peterson Health Technology Institute Executive Director
Tom Robertson, Manatt Health
Amy Rosenthal, Massachusetts Undersecretary of Health
The Bottom Line
Medicaid is the cornerstone of health care in America. When it is undermined, the entire system feels the tremors. This series is our attempt to cut through the noise, debunk the myths, and provide a roadmap for protecting the health of 80 million people. We hope you’ll listen and join us on the journey to make the Medicaid program for everyone who relies on it.