Medicaid in the Spotlight: What’s at stake for American patients?

Medicaid, the largest health insurance program in the country, provides critical coverage for more than 79 million Americans—including children, pregnant women, seniors, and people with disabilities. As Congress considers ways to achieve $2.5 trillion in deficit reduction, Medicaid is at risk of significant changes and proposals that could seriously harm patient care.

In this episode, Chip Kahn sits down with Hemi Tewarson, Executive Director of the National Academy for State Health Policy, to discuss the potential impact of Medicaid cuts on patients, hospitals and providers, and state governments. 

Key topics include: 

• The current state of Medicaid and its economic impact;
• What’s on the legislative agenda, including, proposed changes like work requirements, per capita caps, and shifts in state-directed payments; and,
• The role of data, policy decisions, and the future of Medicaid at the state level.

Guest Bio: 

Hemi Tewarson, JD, MPH is the executive director of the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization committed to improving the health and well-being of all people across every state. At NASHP, Hemi leads an organization that is at the forefront of engaging state leaders and bringing together partners to develop and advance state health policy innovations. Under her direction, NASHP is leading efforts with states in areas including state COVID-19 recovery, health care costs and value, coverage, child and family health, aging, family caregiving, health care workforce, behavioral health, social determinants of health, health equity, and public health modernization. Previously, Hemi worked at the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy as a senior fellow and served as the director of the Health Division at the National Governors Association’s Center for Best Practices. She also served as senior attorney for the Office of the General Counsel at the U.S. Government Accountability Office addressing Medicaid and related health care topics for members of Congress.  She holds a JD from George Washington University, an MPH from George Washington University, and a BA in Psychology, University of Pennsylvania. She lives in Maryland with her husband and two daughters.