At the end of March, millions of Americans lost access to Medicaid as pandemic-era expansions to the program were rolled back. At the same time, North Carolina's legislature voted to expand Medicaid, marking a demonstration of bipartisan agreement in these polarizing times. This backdrop makes it a very interesting time to talk with Jamila Michener, who studies both the specific politics of Medicaid and how the political fights over Medicaid illustrate larger issues in federalism and democracy.
In this episode, we discuss how receiving government benefits like Medicaid impacts political agency, whether it's possible to square federalism and equality, and more.
Michener is associate professor of government at Cornell University and author of Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics. In the book, Michener examines American democracy from the vantage point(s) of those who are living in or near poverty, (disproportionately) Black or Latino, and reliant on a federated government for vital resources.
Fragmented Democracy: Medicaid, Federalism, and Unequal Politics
Michener on Twitter
How positive and negative freedoms shape democracy
Introducing: When the People Decide
Democracy's summer blockbusters
Can American democracy have nice things?
Baby Boomers and American gerontocracy
No Jargon: How white Millennials think about race
Book bans are never just about books
Debating the future of debates
What student debt says about democratic institutions
Combating disinformation at home and abroad
Jon Meacham on creating a more perfect union
The roots of radical partisanship
How democracies can win the war on reality [rebroadcast]
Ro Khanna on dignity and democracy
Russia and Ukraine: How we got here
Defending democracy at home and abroad
What academic freedom really means in a democracy
Tracing the rise of illiberalism
Moving beyond news deserts and misinformation
How national parties are breaking state politics
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
City Manager Unfiltered
Potencial Americano
The ASIC Podcast
The Chris Plante Show
Strict Scrutiny