00:00I should take questions, but I'll just say, look, the last three committees are working through the process and we're still in the consensus building business around here as we are every single day.
00:16And you may be hearing rumors and different ideas about things that are up on the whiteboard and being taken down and debated internally.
00:24But that process is part of what we do here. And I'm very encouraged by our position in this and the progress that's being made.
00:32And I think the final product is going to be very favorable to everybody.
00:35Is Ways and Means working on what's going on?
00:37That, well, I don't know if the exact date has been scheduled yet, but it is planned for early next week. I don't know the date.
00:44Where are you guys on SALT negotiations? Ways and Means seem to be talking about a 30K cap. Is that a number that would satisfy?
00:52I've heard that number and I've heard others as well. It's still an ongoing discussion amongst the members.
00:57And I think we'll find the right point. I'm not going to handicap it because I'm not sure exactly what that is.
01:01But there's a lot of analysis that's gone into it. We want to make sure that most of the constituents, the large share, the vast majority of the constituents of the inspected districts are covered by that.
01:14And I think we can find the right number that will do it and satisfy all the various concerns about it.
01:18Is there any chance that the markup slip beyond next week for any of us?
01:21There's always a chance of everything around here, okay? But the plan, I think that we are on track for the original plan.
01:28It has always been my endeavor and my hope that we could get this marked up and get out of the house before Memorial Day.
01:38Are there any need for capita caps and changing the federal match back on the table?
01:42The FMAP is certainly off the table and there's still ongoing discussion about per capita caps.
01:48But it's a sensitive thing.
01:50Look, our true and honest intention is to ensure that every Medicaid beneficiary who is in that traditional community of folks,
01:59you're talking about young pregnant mothers and young single mothers and the elderly and disabled, those folks are covered and no one loses their coverage.
02:08Work requirements will be a part of the reform, but that is a broadly popular thing across the country.
02:14When it's explained to people, you have able-bodied workers without dependents who are able to go and work,
02:19and they're on Medicaid, siphoning the resources away from the people that need it the most.
02:23The vast majority of Americans agree with us that it has happened.
02:26We eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse, and we do some other reforms.
02:28What you're doing is you're reforming Medicaid to preserve it, not cutting it.
02:33We are saving Medicaid and trying to get the resources to the people that need it the most.
02:37Can you talk about how you're trying to target it towards the nearest, in terms of the formula and the per capita?
02:44How are you going about that?
02:45Yeah, I'm not going to get into all the details of it here because some of those fine points are still being determined.
02:50But I can tell you, it is the true and honest intent.
02:52This is not a talking point.
02:53The Republicans have a charge to do this in a way where no one loses their coverage, and that we shore this program up.
03:00It's not on a sustainable path, but we've got to do the right thing here, and that's what we're endeavoring to do.
