discrimination. so again, that in my mind, is an economic issue ultimately. we just don't think of it that way. we prefer to have this fantasy that somehow hr departments across the country have simultaneously moved in lockstep, taking orders from abraham kennedy or someone. it's just not true. >> jim antle, final thoughts? then we'll have to wrap. >> there's an element of it that is a corporate shake down. you do have people who are writing on these progressive cultural themes that are going to get paid big money to go in and lecture. i do take the point that, hr departments are sort of lawsuit avoided departments internally within a company. and so anything you can do to shield management of the company from any kind of liability, you're definitely going to do. there definitely is a case that people feel aggrieved in certain ways that they didn't in the 90s. >> jim antle, politics editor with the washington examiner.

chris lehmann, -- with the d.c. bureau. we thank you both for the conversation. >> this afternoon, merrick garland testifies on president biden's 2024 budget request for the justice department. live coverage before a senate appropriations subcommittee begins at two eastern. you can also watch on our free mobile video app, c-span now. or online at c-span.org. >> a discussion now on the nations medicaid program with doctor avenel joseph who served as vice president at the robert wood johnson foundation. before we get there though, can you remind viewers what the robert wood johnson foundation is? what your mission? is how your? funded >> the robert wood johnson foundation way -- along with others, we recognize that health is not just the absence of disease. it's about the conditions in where you live work and play. hwe work to eliminate, address structural barriers to health, including racism and other

forms of discrimination. with partners, we fund research to develop data and analysis that helps to -- we cultivate leaders that work. to address issues of health equity. our mission is that everyone in america has a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. no matter where they live, work, or play. >> and medicaid certainly fits into that mission today. we're talking about potential changes to the medicaid program. or margaret of yours, medicaid in rome and in this country, 48 million adults on medicaid. some 35 million children. remind viewers who qualifies for the nation's medicaid? problem >> so medicaid is the nation's largest public health insurance program. for low and no income americans. >> eligibility for who is in rolled in medicaid varies from state had state. but generally, low income children, seniors, pregnant women, people with disabilities

do qualify for medicaid. medicaid is very tightly connected to income level. and what is the threshold for low enough income to be in medicaid varies from state to state. but as you said, it is a very popular program. over 85 million people are in medicaid. enrolled in medicaid today. that's about one in five americans. >> those numbers jumped significantly during covid. why? >> that's right. well, primarily because the federal government passed a law of requirement for states to maintain continuous coverage. this means that when the income level of in individual or family fluctuates in minute levels during a year, it doesn't automatically kick a person off of medicaid. people have to remain enrolled in some form of coverage. the federal government gave states money in order to make this happen. that meant that about 18 million americans got coverage during the pandemic. it's probably a bit of a silver lining. we are now at the lowest un-insurance rate in the

country. >> and -- >> in the history of the country. >> -- it's coming to an end because congress passed a law. the president signed it, it decoupled it from the public health emergency. and on april 1st continuous coverage requirement ends, states can then become two disenroll people from their medicaid rosters. they have up to a year to do that. so there's no rush, there's lots of support that the federal government is providing to states to do this in an equitable and thoughtful manner. >> do states want to do that? disenroll people? >> yeah, i think states as a part of the medicaid program, they need to figure out who is eligible and should remain on medicaid, versus who has other insurance options that would be more affordable for them. generally speaking, the working adults that are enrolled in medicaid are people who are working in positions or for employers that aren't offering and affordable, and affordable

option for health care coverage. so these people are in medicaid. but if they're employing situation has changed, the states have to determine whether or not they are eligible for medicaid or if they should be on another insurance program. >> so who gets flagged for disenrollment? and what are the options for somebody who does get flight for the? >> so it varies again, from state to state, based on the eligibility requirements. but i think the concern is, and the baseline is we want to make sure that everyone in america has an affordable comprehensive access to health insurance. we know that when people have access to health insurance, it's better for their own individual health. it's better for the community's health. it's better for the nation's health. so having people not converge is really, it should not be an option. the states has a baseline should be providing individuals their options. if they're not enrolled in medicaid any longer, no longer eligible for medicaid. what are the other options for coverage? so this does not come as a surprise for individuals or families. >> how many states are doing that? you're saying they should be

doing that, is anybody doing that? >> there are some states that are doing this thoughtfully. there are other state examples that are rushing through this process. arkansas, for example, has said that they want to do this entire process of re-enrollment for medicaid in a couple of months, versus a year. what we know, when you rush through processes like this, which is the largest shift in health insurance coverage since the passage of the affordable care act, people will fall through the cracks. we don't see people left with no. insurance >> changes to the medicaid program is what we're talking about. let me give the phone numbers for jurors to join the conversation. we have a special line for medicaid recipients in this segment. love -- is that number. otherwise, phone lines, as usual, in this segment. democrats, 202748 2000. -- independents, 202748 8000 into. the doctor avenel joseph is with us for this conversation.

the robert wood johnson foundation, are wjfw. what if you find about how aware medicaid recipients are about these changes that are coming up in this program in general? >> unfortunately, surveys have shown us that people are not very. where people who are currently in roldan medicaid. less than 20% know that changes are coming. even fewer than that are getting help to figure out what their options are. the redetermination process, the process of rian rolling in medicaid can be very complicated and states. very overly burdensome for individuals and families. requiring information that can be difficult to find, that takes a long time to receive, yourself. not to mention, some states are requiring that eligibility redetermination happened electronically. which for many can be convenient, for lots it, who don't trust the internet, don't know how to use the internet, don't have access to the internet, can be an additional barrier.

>> was this all happening before the continuous in rome and? this, yearly look at the roles. was this process, you described as onerous, is that fair? >> yes, it is fair. >> was it an onerous process when it was being done before covid? >> absolutely. and that's why we know that this is going to be a very labourious process going forward. states really do need to take their time. before the continuous coverage requirement was put in place, states did do this redetermination process frequently. some states to a more frequently than others. through that process, people churn a night out of medicaid very frequently. this causes disruption in care for people and their families who are enrolled in medicaid program. >> and the incentive, once again just to understand it, for states wanting to get people off this program, is it a cost saving issue? >> many states will say that that's the case, that they want to make sure that the eligibility, that those who are enrolled in medicaid and the

resources put for those in medicaid are those who are truly eligible for medicaid. but i want to be clear, it is people who are eligible for medicaid, more than 30% of them will fall through the cracks because of the redetermination process. because of the paperwork, the bureaucracy that it takes to reenroll a person in medicaid. so these are people who are eligible, yet millions will fall through the cracks. >> let me pause there, bring in some viewers. several for you already. including lucy in new york, a republican. lucy, you're on with doctor joseph. >> so i was aware that illegals could get emergency medicaid when they go to the e.r., because they get a lot of their care from the emergency room. but i was doing some work for my employer, and the medical records indicated that they, not only get emergency medicaid, but they had medicaid for everything, for psychological services, for prosthetics.

it was just incredible how much free medicaid they get. >> think you, i think what the viewer is pointing to is a larger issue of our health care cost system. the u.s. currently spends 4.5 trillion dollars on health care costs. anybody that goes to the emergency room, regardless of their immigration status, can get care through the emergency room. that is why having health insurance is a cost saver for both the states and for nations. when people do not have health care coverage, and they go to the emergency room, it's the hospitals that have to pick that up. then the hospitals pass that cost on to consumers. >> to ohio, this is sandy, independent. good morning. >> good morning,. social security and medicaid. i'm a senior. in ohio. i was wondering if that's going to change? i was just reviewed, very

recently. i'm still eligible. if it's under 2000 a month, you are still eligible. and also for ssi recipients. >> yeah, sandy, thanks for calling in. i'm so glad that the process has worked for you. and that you know you're still eligible in medicaid. for others who don't know whether they are eligible or not, or what their options are, i would direct you to medicaid .gov. where you can check what the options are in your state for coverage. >> i guess to that point, mark stone on twitter with this question as well, for those with lower incomes but who are no longer eligible for medicaid, yes, doesn't daca have affordable health insurance for these folks? >> yes, and no. the affordable care act does provide subsidies for people to afford health care on the health care exchanges in the state. but every state is different in terms of what insurance

programs are available on the exchanges. and where your medicaid cut office. so there is such a thing called the medicaid coverage gap. which are people who make too, slightly too much money to be eligible for medicaid. but too little money to be eligible for subsidies on the insurance exchanges. these are people who are literally left in a coverage gap. it's why medicaid expansion, and the remaining 11 states is so fundamental. >> to vanessa in ford, virginia, democrat. good morning. >> good morning, glad to finally get through. talking about arkansas, which is one of the poorer states in the nation. the fact that they want to kick as many people off of medicaid as possible. i don't think people realize that many of the rural hospitals depend solely on medicaid and medicare to keep their doors open. plus, most of the nursing homes. many of the people that are sitting there complaining about

who is getting medicaid have their elderly parents in nursing homes based upon medicaid. i'd like to hear the speaker talk a little bit about that. >> yeah, vanessa, thank you so much for raising this important point. rural hospitals across the country are shutting their doors. creating an access issue for millions of millions of americans. you are absolutely right. those rural hospitals do primarily rely on insurance coverage through medicaid. additionally, seniors are, and nursing homes, or a large recipient of medicaid dollars. more than 60% of nursing home costs are covered by medicaid dollars. this is an incredibly port and program. as i mentioned at the beginning of this segment, more than 85 million americans are covered by medicaid. that's one in five americans. that's the largest health insurance program in this country. so we want to ensure that everyone in the country has access to affordable health care, coverage. so they can get their medicine,

so they can see their doctors, so they can maintain the health of themselves and their families. and the health of their communities. >> can i come back to medicaid expansion? you talk about the 11 states that have been adopted medicaid expansion. this map from the kaiser family foundation, the states in orange on this map are those 11 states that you are talking about. what was the medicaid expansion? a little bit of history here, and why 40 states of adopted it, and wife these states of. not >> so a little bit of history, when the affordable care act was passed, there was a provision in that law that required all states to expand medicaid. that went to the supreme court, and the supreme court essentially said, you know, what states can decide on their own whether or not they want to expand medicaid for their citizens or not. barr resulted, some states decided this wasn't a very important economic move for their states as well as a moral imperative to cover their residents. so they expanded medicaid. while some states chose not to do that. they chose to turn down

millions of dollars in federal resources. and not to expand medicaid. what is left is a bit of a patchwork across this country. it is very much dependent on where you live, whether you have access to affordable health care coverage. there are about 2 million people across those orange states who are stuck in what is called that medicaid coverage gap. again, they make too little money to afford coverage on the affordable care act exchanges, and too much money, because they are working families and working adults, to be eligible for those states medicaid programs. >> to dallas texas, one of those states that has not done the medicaid expansion. kelly, republican, good morning. >> good morning, thank you so much for taking my call. i'm 55 years old, i lost my job last august. i've been a licensed ex grow officer with the texas department of insurance for 21

years. i'm 55. i've been unemployed for seven months. i'm about to run out of my unemployment insurance. i'm a breast cancer survivor, as well as a type two diabetic. i've had to give up one of my diabetes drugs because i'm on the obamacare. however, the cost, i just can't afford it. my a1c, i've been eating practically the vegan diet. i went from a 5.7 a1c, to announce 6.3. i had a lump back to be about a week before christmas. in december 2021. i lost my health insurance with my job. i've been trying for five months to be able to get a 3d mammogram. obamacare, it will pay for the old-fashioned x-ray's.

it doesn't pay for the 3d kind. they say my tumor, when it was just nine millimeters, thank goodness, it did not spread. it did not metastasize. i was one of the lucky ones, okay? however, i've been trying to get the 3d mammogram. as i said. well, because obamacare it only pays for preventative one. so if you've had breast cancer, sorry, you're not covered. >> thanks for sharing your story. dr. joseph. >> kelly, i appreciate you so much calling it. i worked for more than ten years as a capitol hill staffer. we would hear about the importance of medicaid and health insurance coverage from constituents every single day. your story, it illuminates how critically important it is to have comprehensive and affordable health insurance coverage for the health of your, a view as an individual. but also of your entire family,

i'm sure you care for. so, really appreciate you calling and and sharing your personal story. that really is echoed across this country by tens of millions of medicaid recipients. >> henderson north carolina, robert, democrat, good morning. >> good morning. [inaudible] talking about medicare, medicaid. and the food stamps. how can we take the food stamps, the emergency food stamps away from us. and the prices are going up and up. every day you go in there, the food prices are going up. the gas prices are up. how do expects us to live off that little bit of money and then buy food? you've gotta sit there whether you go to buy food, or whether you go to pay bills. you know, it's ridiculous. every country around here inside our own. we need to do for ourself. how you're gonna feed somebody else and take care of somebody else, who's going to do it for

yourself? the old people. >> robert, thanks for the question. maybe a larger question about the s.n.a.p. program. perhaps something you can speak? do >> i think it's just illuminates that health coverage is, health insurance coverage is not the key to health for this country. it's why the robert wood johnson foundation works on things like food stamps, on paid leave, on economic policies that can help support an individual and a family who are trying to make ends meet. often the lack of health insurance coverage and one ellen as can be the difference between complete bankruptcy and devastation and health. as a bare minimum, we have to make sure that everyone in this country has health insurance coverage. but you are absolutely right, eligibility for other assistance programs like for food, like for rent, like for transportation, are also desperately needed.

>> bring it back to the medicaid program, in these 85 million americans who are on medicaid program. if somebody is listening now and is concerned that they may be caught up by the ending of the continuous coverage provision. how can they find out if they will be? is there a place they can go to check to be? sure >> yes, the best place to go is medicaid.gov. what >> should they be looking for their? >> they can look for their state in which they live, and there will be information about who to contact in your state. and what the steps might be to determine your eligibility. every state has a different program, so there isn't one place to go to tell all of your viewers, except for medicaid.gov where they can then find information that is specific for their state. >> to robert in atlanta, georgia, independent, good morning, your next. >> robert, are you with us? >> then we will go to chris in bowling brook, illinois. democrat, good morning. >> yeah, good morning.

thanks for your work on c-span. and also for having such a knowledgeable guest who is giving a lot of good information to all day on this topic. i have two quick questions. one days, why is there a medicaid gap? you know, between the medicaid and aca. this is a recent program that is developed and i can't understand why they would put such a gap in it to create so many problems. then my second question is just, can she speak about what is being done to inform a lot of people who may not know about these changes, that they can be helped earlier? >> go for it. >> yeah, thank you chris for that question. so why is there gap? you're right. it doesn't make any sense. it's because he wasn't designed that way. the law was designed to cover every american with health insurance coverage.

recognizing that it is a fundamental basic requirement for everybody in this country to have coverage for health insurance to take care of their health needs. so they can get health care. unfortunately, because of politics. everybody or leav because of challenges in the legal system, it remained optional about whether states could cover everybody or leave the lowest income poorest in their state behind. there are some states who chose not to expand medicaid and not to cover the lowest income people in their state. it has repercussions for the states economy, it means that those states are less healthy. we know that medicaid expansion reduces disease related deaths. it increases the economic prosperity of a state. it increases the economic viability of families. so we know that it's important, we know that this is a basic requirement that everyone should have health insurance

coverage. but unfortunately, politics got in the way of this one. in terms of how to find out more information, every state is approaching this a little bit differently. but i would say that there are some basic tenants that states should follow. first, they should have proactive empathetic and multiple forms of communication to reach their medicaid enrollees. relying on just mail traditional mail is not going to work for people who have moved during the pandemic to take care of loved ones or to be closer to a support system. so, frequent and multiple forms of communication are absolutely necessary. doing so in multiple languages is necessary. doing so in a way that he's easy to understand and makes the process very straightforward for our recipients of medicaid is also an imperative. it does not have to be complicated. all right, states have resources, they have the ability. they know what they can and should do.

some states are just not doing. it >> can we come back to what would be a reason that somebody would be kicked off this program? i know you said that each state has their own roles. but can you specifically focus on work requirement roles? and the difference between some states of what is required? >> yeah, there are only a handful of states. arkansas, is coming to mind, that actually have working requirements in place. typically, the people who have been kicked off of medicaid, because of work requirements. it is not because they're not working or employed. or meeting the minimum number of hours of work per month. it's actually because the form that they have to do is too complicated. more than 60% of those who have lost medicaid in arkansas, for example, after the work requirements, as a result of just not understanding the form or being able to fill out the form in a way that kept them on the medicaid roles. that's been widely acknowledged by arkansas, that there were

some missteps that were made during the implementation of the work requirement process. generally, again, working adults who are part of the medicaid program, if they are in medicaid. it's because they are working in jobs or for employers who are not offering an affordable coverage option for them. so medicaid is the only way that they can get in. rolled >> in the history of medicaid, are we had a place where there are a lot of states with work requirements or were there times in the past where there were more work requirements, more states that had work requirements? >> we are at a time when they are, they have more work requirements that are in place. they are more nuanced and win complicated than that. >> what do you mean by nuanced? >> just meeting the way in which they have to categorize ours, for example, you have to work a minimum of 80 hours per week. that has to be in a certain type of job. you have to be able to document

that in an electronic form. within a certain time period in order to be eligible. there are lots of hurdles for a normal person who is just too busy and is managing many things of the household to make sure that all of the steps are done in a way that continues to keep them eligible. >> i'm not sure if you are setting a specific number, is there one that has 80 hours of work in a week? >> in a month, it's arkansas. >> gerald, is in michigan, independent, good morning. >> yes sir, look i think we need a new change in government. i think this one is pretty much broken. i think we are to go into something like the parliament, [inaudible] where you do a vote of confidence. if you can't pass it, you and your cabinet are gone. like immediately. i think this would be the best thing for us.

and i think people, they get in that office, take a little bit more serious about what they're doing. thank you very much. >> that is gerald in michigan. the robert wood johnson foundation on the idea of health care. >> we very much supported, as a basic tenet of being able to achieve a cultural vision of health. you have to be able to get health care. in order to get health care in this country, you have to have health care insurance. it is a. it helps to protect and promote health. and autonomic well-being of family and the entire economy in the u.s.. >> so very much support. that >> do you think we are closer to universal health care in this country today than we were ten years ago? we are closer. we have the lowest uninsured rate after these provisions, like continuous coverage, were put in place than we've ever had in the history of this country. at least since we've had insurance programs in this country. we are closer in terms of getting more people covered. in terms of having universal

coverage, meaning that everybody has access to the same type of health insurance coverage. and the same type of providers, the same type of drugs. we are a long way away from that. we're about ten minutes away from this program, just a reminder for our viewers, if you stick away from c-span. we're going to be taking you to the brookings institution. it is a discussion, this morning, with army chief of staff general james mcconville about the armies modernization efforts and of course the war in ukraine. you can see that folks starting to gather in that room at the brookings institution. again, about ten or 12 minutes till that conversation starts. until then, we are with avenel joseph of the robert wood johnson foundation doctor joseph is they policy vice president there. taking your phone calls on phone lines as usual. republicans 202748 8001 democrats -- independents, to throw 2748

8002. go ahead, keep calling in. we will continue this conversation until the top of the hour. this is sidney, slippery rock pennsylvania. good morning. >> hi, the problem that i ran into is that i have been on disability for the last 15 years. i turned 65 this year and i lost all of my insurance. i still go see my oncologist every six months, i have a -- on this stuff and i don't qualify now for medicaid, because they say i make too much money i don't even make 1500 dollars a month that is a little disheartening there when you go to try and see what kind of programs are out there to help you. there's really nothing there. >> thank you sydney, i think you've raised one of the fundamental points here. which is that you can make very little money per month and still not be eligible for

medicaid depending on the state in which you live. most would say that 1500 dollars a month can barely make rent and food and the other bills that are needed to -- it's why health insurance coverage is so critically important. just one disease or one diagnosis can really and truly be the difference between life and death for so many americans >> i wonder if this is asking it a different way, bill on twitter asks how does the benefits cliff affect what low income workers who want to work more but they can't lose their state aid. >> yeah, it is another way of asking that same quest rovide this is the issue with te medicaid coverage gap. you have working adults, people who are trying to provide for their family these are not people who are sitting on the couch all day. that is sometimes the image that is portrayed by medicaid recipients. and yet, they can't afford to

traditional health insurance are on the market places -- >> to wanda, in chico, california, republican, good morning. >> yes i would like to say, i don't think most people realize that one of the main causes of that health is sugar ingredients added to even infant formula. such as similar. if you are the ingredients the, first thing on the list is high fructose corn syrup. i don't think that's going to help babies grow up healthy, that's why we have so much obesity in children and children nowadays. they're putting sugar in baby food can you believe it >> to wanda, thanks for the call. i think one of the things you highlight is a broader issue of people having the wrong reasons

to choose the kind of food that they like to consume unfortunately in this country that is not always a choice resources can be so limited that it is impossible to make choices like that that spoke for markets only carry certain types of food. depending on the neighborhoods that you live in you might only have access to a supermarket depending on the kind of neighborhood you live in these are examples of structural barriers to health. it is the mission of our work to help identify those structural are barely ours, eliminate them, and address them the color brings up infant formula immediately. >> you think of last year's infant formula shortage, i think that was only just a year ago was the robert wood johnson foundation involved in any of the after that to try to ensure

another shortage doesn't happen? >> we were not and very much involved in making sure that families had information to make this -- >> in terms of being involved in legislation where what is an example where that affects health care or health issues. do you do lobbying? >> now as a non private foundation -- we have to identify in terms of what is happening in terms of state and federal policy windows of opportunity. we help to use the voice of ourselves and our partners to

change the national conversation about what's possible as it relates to policy change we helped to elevate the research and the data and the systems changes that we know have worked and our best practices and that can be scaled to larger populations >> are wjfw if site. time for a few more calls about five minutes or so until that event starts at the brookings institution here in d.c.. joseph, houston texas, democrat good morning. >> good morning miss madam vice president. i wanted to ask, what is the breakdown of my paycheck versus business contributing to medicaid. i live in texas so i know we don't have it it's important for me to ask that question --

-- >> of covering a medicaid individual. and the state kicks in the rest. if you are a state that newly takes advantage of medicaid expansion, there have been laws that are passed that the federal government takes an even more. in some cases, 90% or more. so when the color says i'm in texas, we don't have it. but they don't have in texas is the expansion. they have medicaid. >> that's right, they have medicaid. the requirements of who is eligible from medicaid might be very limited. they don't have because the state of texas is so large. it is one of the states where there are the largest number of

people who fall in that medicaid coverage gap. so expansion in texas would be a huge boon for both the states economy and the states health. >> on medicaid expansion, this is from kathy in michigan. on the states that refused to expand medicaid. who are the people responsible for, as kathy puts it, leaving the poor people in the dark? was it the governors of the states. >> the governors and the legislators of those states. so the elected officials of the states are who are making the decisions about medicaid expansion. although there are a number of states since 2014, 2017 period of time. who have actually passed medicaid expansion based on a valid initiative. that means they put the question of whether or not to expand medicaid to the people of that state. and the people have been able to decide and overwhelmingly in the states for ballots were prevented from medicaid expansion. the people decided yes, we should expand this. was that done in space where the -- in some cases yes.

what an example would be, oh it just escape my head. i don't have it at the top of my head. >> we've got barbara waiting intel has he, florida. democrat, good morning. >> good morning i just want to make a point about the state of florida and medicaid. my son was diagnosed in 2020 with cancer. he was a full-time student gone back to get his masters degree. he was turned down for medicaid repeatedly, we kept trying to get obamacare, or they color florida blue in the state of florida. the only way we could get him obamacare, florida blue. was for me, and i'm 74, to make him a dependent a, because in the state of florida, if you make less than $16,000 a year you can't get obamacare.

so i made him a dependent. we pay $10 a month on the hospital bills. that we could pay. but he has beat cancer, i'm eternally grateful. but i'm saying, in the state of florida, you have a republican governor. republican legislature. and they continue to refuse to expand medicare. excuse me, medicaid. >> so we've got a problem here, we've got no way to fix it as long as we have what we have. here out. it's very and for the poor people out here. so that's my story. if you live in florida, look at. >> thank you. what >> thank you for calling. florida, very similar to texas, it's a large population state that has not expanded medicaid. as a result, there are millions

of people, just between those two states, who fall in the medicaid coverage gap, which is exactly what our color from florida was illuminating. in her case, she was mentioning that if you make $16,000 a year, that is a year, not a month. not have a month. but a year. if you are not eligible for subsidies on the aca exchanges. and yet, because of the lack of medicaid expansion, they also make too much money at $16,000 a year to be eligible for medicaid in florida. if the state of florida expanded medicaid, it would be available for many more people, even those who do make salaries, such as. that >> we have just about a minute, maybe two minutes before this book institute event begins. i know we focus this entire event on this medicaid coverage event. i want to give you a chance to talk about some of the other work that you do on the vice president some of the other.

>> we recognize a person doesn't live single issues lives so health care if coverage isn't just enough to have a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. we also work on things like housing policy. getting people affordable stable places that they can live. on issues like paid leave, a person can't use their health insurance to go see a doctor if they have to choose between a paycheck and seeing a doctor. we work on issues such as ballot initiatives. and informing the democratic process so that individuals can choose things like medicaid expansion for their state. those are just a couple of examples. we work on snap, the food assistance program that one of your colors mentioned earlier. >> as we wait for this event to begin, let's see if we can fit in another color. susan, mount airy, maryland. line for democrats. susan, thanks for waiting. >>, susan, are you with us this morning? >> i think we lost susan.

but one more time just so for people who have been following this conversation. if they are concerned that they're going to be one of these people who might be cutoff medicaid. how did they figure out whether that might happen for them? >> i would instruct your viewers to go to medicaid.gov. this is just a reminder that this provision of continuous coverage ends at the end of this month. the end of march. beginning on april 1st is when states will start to redetermine medicaid. and potentially kick people off. we do not want that to come as a surprise to anyone. no time is a good one to lose health insurance but certainly having it happened suddenly can be very devastating. medicaid.gov would be where i instruct your viewers to. go >> for folks who want to learn more, is there a resource available at the robert wood johnson foundation who get lost in all the dog gods? if they can remember the robert wood johnson foundation, are there really sources there for those fox? >> sure,