NCSL Podcasts

NCSL

Learn about the people, policies and politics of America's state legislatures with NCSL's three podcasts: "Our American States," "Across the Aisle" and the special limited series "Building Democracy."

  1. Big Changes for Medicaid | OAS Episode 257

    5D AGO

    Big Changes for Medicaid | OAS Episode 257

    SUMMARY Medicaid is the joint state -federal program created in 1965 that provides free or low -cost health care to about 70 million Americans, including low-income elderly people and those living with disabilities. The changes in the 2025 legislation, also known as the One Big Beautiful Bill or H.R. 1, affect eligibility standards for the program and changes in the way states can finance their portion of Medicaid costs. On this episode, we’re joined by two policy experts on Medicaid. Kathryn Costanza is a fellow at NCSL who closely follows Medicaid policy and Neda Jasemi is a senior policy analyst at the National Association of Medicaid Directors. They both sat down to talk about the significant changes in Medicaid that were included in the 2025 Budget Reconciliation Act.  Jasemi discussed the challenges state legislatures will face as they craft budgets for Medicaid in their states while facing significant uncertainty about both revenue and how many people will be signed up in their state. Costanza explained the ins and outs of provider taxes and how that will affect state revenue intended for Medicaid costs. She also talked about what we know about the new rules and how they will affect the number of people who will qualify for coverage.  Resources How Medicaid Provider Taxes Work: An Explainer, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid’s Next Chapter, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid Road Ahead: Policy Options and Budget Impacts | Webinar Series, NCSLThe Medicaid Puzzle: Piecing Together Policies for a Balanced Budget, NCSL Medicaid Road Ahead: Policy Options and Budget Impacts, NCSL Medicaid Toolkit, NCSLNational Association of Medicaid DirectorsOBBBA Medicaid Policy Timeline, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsWhy did they do it that way? Medicaid Financing, National Association of Medicaid DirectorsMedicaid Financing 101, NCSL

    41 min
  2. Growing Focus on Data Centers | OAS Episode 256

    JAN 18

    Growing Focus on Data Centers | OAS Episode 256

    There are more than 5,000 data centers in the U.S. and thousands more on the drawing board. The centers are big consumers of energy to power the racks of servers and big consumers of water to cool those systems. Data centers consume more than 4% of electricity in the U.S. with some studies estimating they may consume as much as 12% by 2030. On this episode, we discuss data centers and their effect on the energy system with Dan Diorio, vice president for state policy at the Data Center Coalition, a trade group for the data center industry, and Alex McWard, who tracks energy issues, including data centers, for NCSL.  State lawmakers have long been aware of data centers and some of their impacts, but the focus on data centers has increased considerably in the last couple of years, McWard says. He also discussed changing attitudes toward data centers and concerns about energy consumption and how it could affect rates paid by consumers. Diorio explained the industry's perspective, pointing out that our society now runs on digital information, whether it's watching a football game or making a credit card purchase, and data centers are the backbone of that system. He also pointed to studies indicating that the industry is pulling its weight in terms of paying for the additional electrical load it's putting on the nation's utilities.  Resources Data Center CoalitionPolicy Snapshot: Data Center Incentives

    30 min
  3. Getting Ready for the 2026 Legislative Session | OAS Episode 255

    JAN 4

    Getting Ready for the 2026 Legislative Session | OAS Episode 255

    As a new year and a new state legislative session gets underway, we sat down with Tim Storey, the CEO of NCSL, to discuss the coming legislative session and where he expects legislators to focus their efforts.  Storey sees a mixed picture on budgets, with most states sitting on substantial rainy day funds but cautious about the revenue picture in the new year. Issues around Medicaid will loom large because of changes to the program included in H.R. 1, otherwise known as the big, beautiful bill.  K-12 education, as it always is, will get plenty of attention from legislators who are concerned about a number of issues, including lagging student achievement following the pandemic and the alarming increase in mental health issues among young people. Storey also thinks AI, data centers, housing the workforce as major areas of focus in legislatures.  And not to be left out is the unprecedented attention to mid-decade redistricting that has taken a lot of attention in a handful of states.  Resources Special Report: Legislative Trends and Priorities for 2026, NCSL

    34 min
  4. The Power of Mentoring | OAS Episode 254

    12/15/2025

    The Power of Mentoring | OAS Episode 254

    Institutional knowledge among legislative staff is a core element to maintaining continuity in legislatures around the country. But passing on that knowledge has become challenging as baby boomers retire and younger staff take on those roles. On this episode, our two guests discussed how they used a mentor-mentee relationship to prepare for a job transition. Bernadette “Bernie” McNulty is the retired chief assistant secretary in the California Senate. Heshani Wijemanne is the current chief assistant secretary in the Senate. McNulty explained that, as a manager, she had a critical responsibility to not only find someone to take on her job but to be sure that person was as ready as possible for the challenges ahead. For her part, Wijemanne said learning and absorbing everything she could from McNulty was irreplaceable in preparing herself.  Resources Legislative Staff, NCSL

    24 min
  5. Legislative Leadership and the Infinite Game | OAS Episode 253

    12/07/2025

    Legislative Leadership and the Infinite Game | OAS Episode 253

    On this episode we sat down with Curt Stedron, director of NCSL’s Legislative Training Institute, to discuss a presentation he made at this year’s Legislative Summit in Boston on how game theory can help legislative leaders better understand the notion of leading in an infinite game.  Stedron draws on the work of game theorist James Carse and author Simon Sinek, who popularized Carse’s theories. Stedron explained that the legislature, like many other areas of life, is really an infinite game, where the purpose is to perpetuate the game rather than win it.  However, as Stedron explains, most people, including many of those in the legislature, actually approach their work as a finite game and that misconception can hamper their efforts to be effective leaders. Resources Legislative Training Institute, NCSL

    22 min
  6. Power and the People: Distributed Energy Resources and Virtual Power Plants | OAS Episode 252

    11/23/2025

    Power and the People: Distributed Energy Resources and Virtual Power Plants | OAS Episode 252

    Distributed energy resources or DERs, things such as rooftop solar panels on homes and small businesses, home or business batteries and electric vehicles are an important option in managing demand for electricity. When these resources are combined through the use of software, they can create what’s called a virtual power plant. On this podcast, we talk with two experts in the field: Rebekah de la Mora, a senior policy analyst at the North Carolina Clean Energy Technology Center, and Lakin Garth, senior director of grid strategy at the Smart Electric Power Alliance.  They discussed state legislation and regulations that affect DERs and the benefits to consumers. Garth also explained how DERs can be aggregated to form virtual power plants that a utility can use to manage peak power demand. N.B.: The NC Clean Energy Technology Center offers complimentary copies of the 50 State studies to federal and state legislators and staffers, utility commissioners, utility commission staff, state consumer advocate office staff, and state energy office staff. Contact the center to request a copy.  Resources 50 State Reports, NC Clean Energy Technology CenterDatabase of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency, NC Clean Energy Technology CenterDistributed Energy Resources 101, NCSLNC Clean Energy Technology CenterSmart Energy Power Alliance

    47 min
  7. Unretirement and the Over-50 Worker | OAS Episode 251

    11/09/2025

    Unretirement and the Over-50 Worker | OAS Episode 251

    On this episode, we talk with Carly Roszkowski, vice president of financial resilience programming at AARP. She joined the podcast on the sidelines of NCSL's Legislative Summit in Boston in August where she was appearing on a panel called “Unretirement: Rethinking Work in the Age of Longevity.” She explained how demographic trends mean the lion's share of the workforce growth is among the over-50 crowd, and in a related trend, that more than a fifth of retirees are working full or part-time jobs. Roszkowski also discussed the inherent bias in many automated systems that screen job applicants. The companies she talks with, however, are eager to try to eliminate that bias because they value keeping and attracting older workers.  Resources  Work and Jobs, AARP

    27 min
  8. Private Equity and Health Care | OAS Episode 250

    10/26/2025

    Private Equity and Health Care | OAS Episode 250

    Private equity investment in health care facilities has grown substantially in the past decade. There have been hundreds of such acquisitions of health care facilities in the past decade, including physician practices, nursing home facilities, and hospitals involving hundreds of billions of dollars. At its most basic, private equity investors take over a health care company with the intention of increasing its value and reselling it for a profit. Advantages of such a strategy can be more capital investment and management expertise. Downsides include the use of leveraged buyouts that could saddle the acquired company with high levels of debt.  On this episode, we’re joined by Dr. Zuri Song, an associate professor of health care policy and medicine at Harvard Medical School, and an expert on the financial incentives, public policies, and private sector investment in the health care system. Dr. Song explained what research has found in studying private equity acquisitions in health care. On average, he said, these investments raise real concerns about both patient outcomes and access to care. State legislatures are at the forefront of regulation in this area with much of the regulation focusing on increased transparency into these transactions. I talked with two state legislators to get their perspective: Senator Tyler Johnson, a Republican from Indiana who is also a physician, and Senator Cindy Friedman, a Democrat from Massachusetts. They each discussed the legislative action in their states and how they view private equity investment. Resources The Evolving Landscape of State Health Care Transaction Laws, NCSL Health Costs, Coverage and Delivery Database, NCSL

    43 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
44 Ratings

About

Learn about the people, policies and politics of America's state legislatures with NCSL's three podcasts: "Our American States," "Across the Aisle" and the special limited series "Building Democracy."

Information

  • Creator
    NCSL
  • Years Active
    2016 - 2026
  • Episodes
    245
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © (c) National Conference of State Legislatures
  • Show Website
    NCSL Podcasts

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