LOOK SHOCKING. MORE THAN 2 MILLION PEOPLE DROPPED FROM MEDICAID IN TEXAS, 1.4 MILLION IN CALIFORNIA, 1.3 MILLION IN FLORIDA. IN TOTAL, NEARLY 17 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE LOST MEDICAID COVERAGE SINCE APRIL. OF LAST YEAR. BUT THOSE NUMBERS AREN’T TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. ACCESS TO MEDICAID, WHICH PROVIDES HEALTH CARE COVERAGE TO LOW INCOME PEOPLE, WAS EXPANDED DURING THE PANDEMIC. NOW THAT THE PANDEMIC IS OVER, STATES ARE NEARLY A YEAR INTO A NATIONWIDE EFFORT TO GO THROUGH AND UPDATE THEIR ROLLS. BUT IN THE PROCESS, SOME PEOPLE WHO QUALIFY FOR COVERAGE ARE GETTING BUMPED OFF. MATT SALO IS THE FORMER FOUNDING EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF MEDICAID DIRECTORS. MATT SALO, NICE TO HAVE YOU. SO DURING THE PANDEMIC, THE MEDICAID ROLLS WERE AT ROUGHLY 100 MILLION PEOPLE. HOW MUCH OF A JUMP WAS THAT FROM PRE-PANDEMIC LEVELS? WHAT MEDICAID HAS DONE IN TIMES OF NATIONAL CRISIS IS THAT IT HAS SERVED AS A FIRST RESPONDER TO HELP STRENGTHEN THE PHYSICAL, SOCIAL, BEHAVIORAL AND FINANCIAL HEALTH OF AMERICANS IN CRISIS. AND SO WHAT WE DID DURING. THE PANDEMIC WAS WE DECIDED NO ONE WOULD LOSE COVERAGE FOR ANY REASON THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRETY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY. SO MEDICAID WENT FROM ABOUT 72 MILLION PEOPLE TO CLOSE TO 100 MILLION PEOPLE. AND NOW WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF, IF YOU WILL, RIGHTSIZING THE PROGRAM. UM, ARE THERE PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN KICKED OFF THE ROLLS OR WILL BE KICKED OFF THE ROLLS? WHO IN FACT DO QUALIFY? THE SIMPLE ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION IS YES. AND PART OF THAT IS THAT THIS IS AN EXTRAORDINARILY COMPLICATED UNDERTAKING. AND EVEN IF EVERYTHING GOES CORRECTLY, THERE WILL BE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO LOSE COVERAGE. NOW, WHAT WE ARE, OF COURSE, SEEING IS THAT IN THE REAL WORLD, THINGS ARE GOING WRONG AND PEOPLE ARE FINDING THEMSELVES ACROSS THE COUNTRY, UH, LOSING COVERAGE, BUT ARE PROBABLY STILL TECHNICALLY ELIGIBLE. AND PART OF THAT IS GOING TO HAVE TO DO WITH THE FACT THAT THERE IS A RESPONSIBILITY ON BEHALF OF INDIVIDUALS, ON BEHALF OF FAMILIES, UH, TO ENSURE CARE THAT THEY ARE STAYING CONNECTED TO THE MEDICAID PROGRAM, THAT THEY ARE COMMUNICATING, UH, UPDATES TO THEIR LIFE SITUATION, SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, WHERE ARE YOU WORKING? WHAT IS YOUR INCOME? OBVIOUSLY, WHEN YOU DEAL WITH PEOPLE WHO ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE INCOME, THAT CAN SOMETIMES MEAN LESS ACCESS, MORE BARRIERS TO ANSWERING THOSE EMAILS MAKE SURE THEY’RE CONNECTED. ARE THE STATES DOING ANYTHING TO TRY TO HELP MAKE IT A LITTLE EASIER? EVERY STATE, UH, IS MAKING AND HAS BEEN MAKING CONCERTED EFFORTS TO TRY TO MAKE THIS SYSTEM WORK BETTER. UH, FOR PEOPLE. AND HOW ARE WE GOING TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT EASY ENOUGH FOR THEM TO COME BACK AND PROVE THEIR IDENTITY, PROVE THEIR RESIDENCE, PROVE THEIR INCOME? YOU CAN SIMPLIFY SOME OF THAT. YOU CAN’T COMPLETELY SIMPLIFY ALL OF IT. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I HEARD FROM A LOT OF STATES WAS MAIL IS DEAD. I THINK THAT’S A NEW REALITY OF WHAT WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH. AND I THINK WHAT WE’LL SEE MOVING FORWARD IS A LOT OF EFFORTS THAT ARE GOING TO GO INTO TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE MAKE THIS PROCESS MORE 21ST CENTURY NORTH CAROLINA IS THE LATEST STATE TO EXPAND MEDICAID BENEFITS. OTHER STATES THAT HAVE HISTORIC BEEN VERY MUCH AGAINST EXPANSION. UH, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, I THINK SOUTH CAROLINA WOULD BE ON THAT LIST. MISSISSIPPI CERTAINLY IS ON THAT DO YOU SEE CHANGES THERE? WE ARE DEFINITELY SEEING A LOT OF TRACTION IN STATES THAT WERE RESISTANT, UH, TO THE EXPANSION. I REALLY THINK ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT HOW THE MEDICAID COVERAGE DURING THE PANDEMIC WILL PLAY OUT IS THAT SO MANY ADDITIONAL PEOPLE CAME ON TO MEDICAID OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS. I FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THERE WE KIND OF HIT AN INFLECTION POINT WHERE PEOPLE REALLY STARTED TO UNDERSTAND THAT, OH, THE MEDICAID PROGRAM IS NOT JUST SOME LOW INCOME PROGRAM THAT SOMEBODY OVER THERE GETS IT IS SOMETHING THAT IMPACTS ME AND MY FAMILY AND MY RELATIVES AND MY FRIENDS AND MY COMMUNITY. AND I DO THINK THAT WILL START TO SHIFT SOME OF THAT CONVERSATION AROUND, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE GE