Oct 08, 2025 Equity, Community Affairs, Housing, Health and Education

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ABOUT A MINUTE, SO LET'S GET CALMED DOWN. WE'RE GOING TO START. WE DON'T HAVE ANY

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[Call to Order]

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[Roll Call]

COUNCILMAN STEWART BENSON, COUNCILWOMAN TAMMY HAWKINS HERE, COUNCILWOMAN JENNY WARWICK, CAN YOU SPELL SAY YOUR MIDDLE NAME, MAULVI? MAULVI. ALRIGHT. SO ALL RIGHT, ALSO WITH COUNCILMAN MARCUS WINKLER IS ON THE SCREEN, AND TODAY WE ONLY HAVE SOME SPEAKERS. TODAY WE DON'T HAVE ANY LEGISLATION. AND SO THE TOPIC IS GOING TO BE. I DIDN'T THINK WE HAD TO READ.

OH HE'S VIRTUAL OKAY. I'M SORRY. THIS MEETING IS BEING HELD PURSUANT TO CRS 61.826 AND COUNCILMEMBER FIVE A READING FOR. OKAY. THANK YOU, MADAM CLERK. OKAY. TODAY WE DON'T HAVE ANY LEGISLATION, BUT WE DO HAVE A SPECIAL DISCUSSION AND WE WANT TO READ THE SPECIAL DISCUSSION. ONE READ A SPECIAL DISCUSSION. ITEM. WANT TO IMPROVING HEALTH COVERAGE

[1. ID 25-0564     IMPROVING HEALTH CARE COVERAGE LITERACY – Susan G. Bornstein, The Asclepius Intiative Inc. ]

HOW'S THAT? OKAY. I'M GREEN. I'M DANGEROUS WITH A MICROPHONE. NOBODY SHOULD EVER MIC ME. SO MY MY NAME. YEAH. SAY YOUR NAME. YEAH. MY NAME IS SUSAN BORNSTEIN, AND I AM AN OB-GYN BY TRAINING. AND I GOT SO FRUSTRATED WITH THE ISSUES THAT MY PATIENTS WERE HAVING WITH COST AND ACCESS TO CARE THAT I INITIALLY WENT BACK FOR A MASTER'S IN PUBLIC HEALTH IN ORDER TO BECOME A MORE CREDIBLE ADVOCATE ON THEIR BEHALF. AND I SUBSEQUENTLY LEFT CLINICAL PRACTICE AND FOUNDED A NON PROFIT, WHICH IS KNOWN AS THE ASCLEPIUS INITIATIVE. ASCLEPIUS REPRESENTS MEDICINE AND HEALING IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY. I KNOW IT'S A BIT OF A MOUTHFUL, BUT THERE WERE ALREADY SO MANY WONDERFUL ORGANIZATIONS WITH THE WORDS KENTUCKY AND HEALTH IN THEM THAT I COULDN'T KEEP THEM STRAIGHT. SO INSTEAD I PICKED SOMETHING THAT NO ONE CAN SPELL, PRONOUNCE, OR REMEMBER. BUT AT LEAST YOU'LL RECOGNIZE IT IF YOU HEAR IT AGAIN. THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILWOMAN SHANKLIN, FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY. I KNOW THAT I'VE SPOKEN WITH YOUR STAFF AND SOME OF THE OTHER PEOPLE HERE IN THE ROOM. THE REASON THAT WE'RE HERE IS BECAUSE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE COVERAGE IS REALLY AT A CRITICAL POINT IN THIS COUNTRY, IN THIS STATE AND AT THIS COUNTY, ABOUT 8% OF AMERICANS ARE UNINSURED. THAT NUMBER IS A LITTLE BIT LOWER IN KENTUCKY, AROUND 5.6%, BECAUSE KENTUCKY IS A MEDICAID EXPANSION STATE.

BUT WITH THE RECENT LEGISLATION, WHICH WAS PASSED, COMMONLY KNOWN AS THE ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL BILL ACT, OR WE'LL CALL IT ONE TRIPLE BILL, TRIPLE B FOR SHORT, WHICH REALLY ISN'T THAT MUCH SHORTER, ABOUT 250,000 TO 300,000 KENTUCKIANS ARE ESTIMATED TO LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. KENTUCKY ALREADY RANKS INCREDIBLY POORLY IN STATE STATISTICS. IN STATE COMPARATIVE STATISTICS ON HEALTH, AND THIS IS ONLY GOING TO MAKE THAT MUCH WORSE. SO AT PRESENT, WE HAVE A GRANT FROM THE KENTUCKY DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH TO HELP IMPROVE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE KNOWLEDGE, TO HELP PEOPLE BETTER UNDERSTAND HOW TO OBTAIN, RETAIN AND UTILIZE THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE SO THAT THEY CAN HAVE THE MAXIMUM BENEFIT FROM IT. WE ARE PARTICULARLY FOCUSED ON BLACK SPANISH SPEAKING AND RURAL POPULATIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE. I REALIZE JEFFERSON COUNTY ISN'T RURAL, BUT WE DO HAVE BLACK AND SPANISH SPEAKING POPULATIONS. THESE ARE GROUPS THAT WE KNOW ARE LESS LIKELY TO BE INSURED, HAVE WORSE HEALTH OUTCOMES, AND HAVE LOWER HEALTH CARE COVERAGE LITERACY RATES, BY WHICH WE MEAN THAT WHEN THEY GO TO PICK PLANS AMONG THE ONES OFFERED BY THEIR EMPLOYERS, IF THEY'RE SO LUCKY TO HAVE A CHOICE, OR IF THEY ARE PICKING A PLAN ON THE EXCHANGE, IT'S MUCH MORE DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO PICK THE OPTION THAT BEST MEETS THEIR MEDICAL, EMOTIONAL, FINANCIAL NEEDS. AND SO WE WANT

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THESE SAVINGS PROGRAMS ARE INCREDIBLY UNDERUTILIZED. YOU ALL MAY HAVE HEARD OF THEM.

THERE ARE THINGS LIKE HSAS, FSAS, AND IRAS, AND THERE ARE WAYS TO PUT ASIDE MONEY TAX FREE TO USE FOR QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE EXPENSES. SO SAY YOU NORMALLY ARE IN A 20% TAX BRACKET. JUST MAKING IT EASY. IF YOU GET PAID $100, YOU ONLY GET TO TAKE HOME $80 THAT YOU WOULD HAVE AVAILABLE, SAY, TO USE FOR YOUR COPAYS, COINSURANCE, OR DEDUCTIBLES. IF YOU PUT THAT MONEY INTO AN HSA OR A HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNT, YOU HAVE THAT ENTIRE $100 TO SPEND ON QUALIFIED HEALTHCARE EXPENSES, WHICH, WHILE NOT USUALLY ALLOWED TO BE USED FOR THE PREMIUMS, CAN BE USED FOR COPAYS, COINSURANCE, MEDICATIONS, EVEN OVER-THE-COUNTER MEDICATIONS LIKE ADVIL OR ALEVE. YOU CAN USE IT FOR MENSTRUAL PRODUCTS AND PREGNANCY TESTS. SO THERE ARE WAYS TO SAVE MONEY THAT MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF. SO WE PROVIDE EDUCATION ABOUT THAT. ANOTHER REALLY IMPORTANT MODULE THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE IS ONE ON WHAT WE CALL RECONCILING MEDICAL BILLS, WHICH IS KIND OF A MOUTHFUL, BUT MOST PEOPLE DON'T REALLY UNDERSTAND HOW TO READ THEIR INSURANCE DOCUMENTS. SO EVERYBODY GETS IF YOU HAVE A MEDICAL SERVICE, YOU GET WHAT'S CALLED AN EXPLANATION OF BENEFITS FORM. WHAT WE EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE IS HOW TO USE THAT, COMPARE IT TO YOUR MEDICAL BILLS AND COMPARE IT TO THE RULES OF YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY. SO FOR EXAMPLE, I HAVE BEEN CHARGED FOR X RAYS. I NEVER HAD DONE A WELL-WOMAN EXAM THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN FREE AND $800 FOR A COLONOSCOPY. THAT CLAIM WAS DENIED BY THE CARRIER DUE TO LATE FILING ON THE PART OF THE PROVIDER, BUT THE PROVIDER STILL TRIED TO CHARGE ME $800 THAT I DIDN'T OWE THEM. IF I DON'T KNOW HOW TO READ THESE DOCUMENTS, I'M GOING TO PAY FOR THINGS THAT I SHOULDN'T BE PAYING FOR. AND WHEN I CALLED THE PROVIDER ABOUT THE COLONOSCOPY BILL, I MEAN, HECK, I, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THE PROVIDER I'D GONE TO. I HAD I HAD THE PROCEDURE, NO ARGUMENTS ABOUT ANY OF THAT. BUT WHEN THEY SENT ME A BILL SIX MONTHS AFTER THE PROCEDURE, I THOUGHT, THAT'S A LITTLE WEIRD. SO I WENT AND I PULLED MY EOB AND UNDER THE MEMBER RESPONSIBILITY LINE IT SAID ZERO. SO I CALLED THE PROVIDER AND I SAY, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY YOU SENT ME THIS BILL. I DON'T OWE YOU ANY MONEY. AND THEY SAID, WE'LL LOOK INTO IT. AND I SAID, THERE ISN'T ANY LOOKING INTO IT. I DON'T OWE YOU ANY MONEY. I SAID, WHAT ARE PEOPLE SUPPOSED TO DO UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES? YOU KNOW, THEY GET CHARGED FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO BE CHARGED FOR. SHE SAID, WELL, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE FOR. WELL, YOU'RE ONLY THERE IF I KNOW TO CALL YOU TO CHALLENGE THIS BILL. AND IN ANOTHER REALLY EGREGIOUS CASE OF FUNNY INSURANCE MATH, THE AMOUNT THAT WAS ACCRUING TOWARDS MY DEDUCTIBLE WITH EVERY SUBSEQUENT CLAIM WAS GOING DOWN INSTEAD OF UP. THAT'S NOT HOW MATH WORKS. SO I NEVER WOULD

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WOULD IT BE ACCESSING THIS BARCODE OR THE QR CODE TO GET TO THE WEBSITE? YEAH, JUST SCREEN THE QR CODES. OKAY. SO WE HAVE ANIMATED VIDEOS ON THE WEB AND WE CAN COME AND SPEAK IN PERSON, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ANIMATED VIDEOS AND WEBINARS ON OUR WEBSITE. IN FACT, REBECCA JUST IT HASN'T THEY HAVEN'T BEEN POSTED YET, BUT SHE JUST RERECORDED TWO OF THE WEBINARS.

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S SUPER CHALLENGING IN THIS AREA IS THE NUMBERS CHANGE EVERY YEAR, SO THE AMOUNT YOU CAN CONTRIBUTE TO AN HSA CHANGES EVERY YEAR. THE MEDICARE DEDUCTIBLE CHANGES EVERY YEAR, AND WE WANT TO GIVE PEOPLE REAL NUMBERS. SO THEN WE WIND UP HAVING TO KEEP UPDATING THINGS. SURE. YEAH. BECAUSE I GUESS WE ALL HAVE NEWSLETTERS THAT GO OUT EVERY WEEK. SO BEING ABLE TO PUT LIKE THAT WEBSITE OUT THERE, WE WOULD LOVE THAT. YEAH, I KNOW THAT.

YOU KNOW MYSELF I KNOW BARBARA, WE'VE WE WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THIS. RIGHT. SO THE SPANISH SPEAKING POPULATION IN MY AREA IS ELEVATING. SO BEING ABLE TO GIVE ACCESS TO THOSE.

AND SHE SAID THAT THE THE BLACKS AND THE SPANISH SPEAKING WERE PART OF YOUR, THE GENRE.

YOU'RE KIND OF LOOKING AT. I GUESS THAT NEXT QUESTION IS ON YOUR WEBSITE. IS IT MULTILINGUAL OR IS IT. IT IS INDEED. OKAY. AWESOME. THANK YOU. YEAH. AND IT CAN BE TRANSLATED. WE JUST WE JUST LAUNCHED OUR NEW WEBSITE LAST WEEK. WE WENT TO A DIFFERENT PLATFORM AND IT CAN BE TRANSLATED, DO YOU KNOW REBECCA INTO HOW MANY LANGUAGES? 100 LANGUAGES. AWESOME. APPRECIATE IT. AND SOME OF THE STUFF IS ALREADY ON THERE, ESPECIALLY THOSE FORMS THAT THAT ARE THE THE DOCUMENTS THAT WE PASSED OUT. THEY'RE ALREADY AVAILABLE IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES ON THE WEBSITE AS PDFS. I WAS LOOKING AT THIS PAPER THAT YOU GAVE OUT.

DO Y'ALL HAVE IT IN SPANISH? YES. IT'S DOWNLOADABLE IN SPANISH ON THE WEBSITE. OKAY.

BECAUSE A LOT OF WHAT I DO, A LOT OF TIMES IN MY COMMUNITY, I'LL GET DIFFERENT THINGS COPIED IN SPANISH. AND THEN IF THEY SHOW UP AT A MEETING, THEN WE CAN GIVE IT TO THEM. OR SOMETIMES I'LL JUST GO DOWN THE STREET AND GIVE OUT SPANISH SPEAKING MATERIALS SO THAT THEY CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. ABSOLUTELY. AND IT'S ALSO AVAILABLE IN SOMALI AND FRENCH, AND I CAN'T REMEMBER. AND I THINK THE WEBSITE CAN ALSO TRANSLATE THEM NOW INTO THE NEW WEBSITE, CAN ALSO TRANSLATE IT INTO MULTIPLE DIFFERENT LANGUAGES. YEAH, I WAS SURPRISED WHEN I WAS GIVING OUT A GROUP OF PAPERS AT THE BACKPACK GIVEN AWAY, AND THERE WERE A LOT OF DIFFERENT NATIONALITIES THAT SAID THEY DON'T SPEAK SPANISH. AND I SAID, OKAY. AND I HAD THE SPANISH SPEAKING MATERIAL AND I HAD AFRICANS IN DIFFERENT. AND THEY SAID, NO, WE DON'T SPEAK SPANISH. AND SO I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LANGUAGE TO PUT IT IN, BUT SOME OF THEM CRISS CROSS, SOME OF THEM DON'T. YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY OF YOU YOU

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BUT BUT IT'S A LOT. IT'S QUITE A FEW. YEAH, IT'S QUITE A FEW. I JUST I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY ARE. DO YOU. YEAH I JUST COPY SOME OF THE MATERIAL IN SPANISH AND, AND AS I WAS GIVING IT OUT, A LOT OF THEM SAID, WELL, WE DON'T SPEAK SPANISH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT ONES. AFRICANS DON'T SPEAK SPANISH. RIGHT. AND, AND I'VE GOT AFRICANS IN MY DISTRICT AND I'VE GOT HISPANICS, I'VE GOT CUBANS. I DON'T KNOW IF THEY SPEAK SPANISH OR WHAT, BUT AS I WAS GIVING OUT THIS WITH THE BOOK BACKPACKS, YOU KNOW, I DIDN'T GET TOO FAR WITH IT.

SPANISH PAPERS. NO. SO ANYWAY, I'VE GOT TO FIND OUT DIFFERENT LANGUAGES IN MY DISTRICT SO THAT I CAN PASS OUT MATERIAL WHEN WE DO. SO THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW THAT THERE'S QUITE A FEW.

SO YOU HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. YOU KNOW THIS. REALLY, MOST EVERYBODY WOULD LIKE TO HELP PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP. YOU KNOW, IF SOMEBODY GOES TO THE HOSPITAL, THE HOSPITAL IS SUPPOSED TO HELP THE PERSON IF THEY'RE SICK OR SOMETHING. IT BOTHERS ME WHEN I HEAR YOU. YOU YOU'RE A COLONOSCOPY AND SOMEBODY DIDN'T FOLLOW YOUR BILL, AND THEN SOMEBODY SAYS, NOW YOU OWE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T DO THEIR JOB AND YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO PAY. I DON'T LIKE INCOMPETENCE. AND AND WE HAVE A LOT OF THAT BECAUSE WHEN WE SAY, WELL, IT WOULD REALLY BE NICE SOMEDAY, IT MIGHT NEVER HAPPEN. EVERYBODY CAN SPEAK ENGLISH, OR IF WE ALL SPEAK SPANISH OR FRENCH OR WHATEVER WE SPEAK, EVERYBODY. MY DAD, IN 1917, HE HAD TO LEARN ENGLISH BECAUSE WOODROW WILSON PASSED A LAW SAYS YOU CANNOT SPEAK A FOREIGN LANGUAGE IN PUBLIC. AND MY DAD SPOKE SWEDISH AND HE COULDN'T SPEAK ENGLISH. HE SAID, WE ALL HAD TO LEARN ENGLISH. AND I SAID, WELL, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING BECAUSE PEOPLE WHO DON'T CAN'T COMMUNICATE WITH ANOTHER PERSON. YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY'RE THINKING OR WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, AND WE ALL NEED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE, WHATEVER IT IS. AND SO AND SO THE MOST OF THE PEOPLE HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, WE ALL SPEAK ENGLISH, AND I LIKE THEM TO KEEP THEIR LANGUAGE, WHATEVER. BUT MAYBE IN THEIR OWN COUNTRY, NOT IN THIS COUNTRY. YOU COME HERE, WE WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A MELTING POT THAT BRINGS EVERYBODY TOGETHER, AND WE ALL HELP EACH OTHER, AND WE DO IT THROUGH COMMON THINGS. AND SO THIS, THIS, THIS, THIS KR CODE, IF, IF SOMEBODY GETS IS MY SON IN LAW AND DAUGHTER, THEY HAVE A LITTLE FARM AND. THEY PAY 2 OR $3000 A MONTH FOR INSURANCE, I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY DO IT PERSONALLY. I, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD THAT WOULD BREAK ME. AND THAT'S IT'S THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT, OBAMACARE AND AND THEY, THEY, THEY REALLY THEY HARDLY EVER GO TO THE DOCTOR BECAUSE IT COSTS SO MUCH MONEY. I MEAN, THEY'LL HAVE A BILL FOR $10,000. AND I IT BREAKS MY HEART. I TRY TO HELP MISS AS I CAN. SO THIS YEAR, IF SOMEBODY GETS ON THAT, THEY WILL SEE ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU ALL CAN DO TO HELP PEOPLE WORK THROUGH A PROBLEM. NOW THEY'RE A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY'RE WORKING, THAT THEY CAN'T COME UNDER SOME OF THE THINGS THAT PEOPLE WHO AREN'T WORKING OR PEOPLE WHO WHO ARE THEY DON'T HAVE ANY, ANY, ANY CARE. SO WE HAVE WE HELP CARE THEM. BUT SOMEBODY WHO'S TRYING TO GET AHEAD OR TRYING TO WORK BE PART OF THE SYSTEM FALLS IN A SITUATION THAT THEY DON'T GET ANY HELP, WHICH I DON'T THINK IS FAIR. I THINK WE OUGHT TO BE HELPING EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO BE HELPED. EVERYBODY WANTS TO WORK. I MEAN, IN MY PREVIOUS LIFE, I TAUGHT SCHOOL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION, AND MOST PEOPLE THINK, YOU KNOW, I HEAR THEM SAY THEY BELIEVE IN VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. I SAID, DO YOU HAVE ANY CHILDREN? THEY SAY, YEAH, THEY GO TO VOCATIONAL SCHOOL. NO. THEY DON'T NECESSARILY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION. EVERYBODY NEEDS SOME.

I PUT OVER 500 KIDS IN JOBS. AND ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS SAY, IF YOU GO TO SCHOOL AND YOU GET OUT OF SCHOOL AND YOU CAN'T GET A JOB, SCHOOL DIDN'T REALLY HELP YOU. AND WHEN I UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE PEOPLE, YOU CAN'T READ THE INSURANCE FORMS, DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. YOU THINK SHOULDN'T SOMEWHERE IN OUR EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM HELP PEOPLE LEARN HOW TO COMMUNICATE, HOW TO UNDERSTAND, HOW TO RELATE TO SOMEBODY WHO THEY NEED HELP

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THEY ALWAYS THINK ABOUT THEM. SO FIRST, I HATE THAT, BUT THEY SHOULDN'T. SO WHAT YOU'RE DOING HERE, TRYING TO HELP MORE PEOPLE GET SERVICES WHEN THEY'RE WHEN SOMEBODY'S SICK, THEY NEED HELP. AND I FEEL I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THIS. SO I'M GOING TO GIVE THIS TO MY DAUGHTER AND LET THEM SEE IF THIS WOULD HELP THEM AND SOME OF THEIR SITUATIONS THAT HAVE CONNECTIONS. WILL YOU BRING UP A REALLY INTERESTING POINT WHEN YOU REFER TO THEM? YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE I, I DO WANT TO HIGHLIGHT AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DRAW EDUCATION TO ARE SOME OF THE SOME OF THE PROVISIONS OF THE OH, TRIPLE B, A THAT ARE GOING TO AFFECT LARGE NUMBERS OF AMERICANS. SO WITH THE MEDICAID CUTS AND THE CHANGES TO THE MARKETPLACE, IT'S ESTIMATED THAT ABOUT 200 TO 350,000 KENTUCKIANS ARE GOING TO LOSE THEIR HEALTH CARE COVERAGE. THE CURRENT ESTIMATES FOR THE CHANGES ON THE MARKETPLACE ARE THAT SMALL GROUP COVERAGE IS GOING TO GO UP BY ABOUT 11%, AND INDIVIDUAL COVERAGE IS GOING TO GO BACK UP ABOUT 18%. THE PREMIUMS ALONE IN KENTUCKY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE KENTUCKY INSURERS HAVE ALREADY REQUESTED RATE INCREASES ON THE ON THE ORDER OF 15 TO 37%, AND THAT'S FOR THE PREMIUMS ALONE. IF THEY DO NOT EXTEND IF IF US CONGRESS DOES NOT EXTEND THE ENHANCED PREMIUM SUBSIDIES, WHICH, AS I'M SURE EVERYBODY IN THIS ROOM IS AWARE OF, THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS BECAUSE IS IS IN LARGE PART OVER THESE SUBSIDIES. THE PREMIUMS ARE ESTIMATED TO GO UP BY 114%. I MEAN, IT I MEAN, THAT'S NOT AFFORDABLE FOR FOR ANYBODY. AND IN THIS GREAT EXAMPLE FROM THE KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION, WHICH IS THIS INCREDIBLY, WELL, WELL RESPECTED, NONPARTISAN POLICY, HEALTH CARE POLICY ORGANIZATION, THEY GAVE THIS GREAT EXAMPLE OF A COUPLE THAT WAS MAKING $85,000 A YEAR, WHICH SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF MONEY, A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY. IF THE ENHANCED PREMIUM SUBSIDIES ARE NOT CONTINUED, THEIR PREMIUM COSTS ALONE ARE GOING TO GO UP DRAMATICALLY. AND COMBINED WITH THE THE OUT OF POCKET MAXIMUM, WHICH FOR 2026 IS GOING TO BE $20,300, WHICH IS THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT YOUR INSURANCE COMPANY CAN REQUIRE YOU TO PAY BEFORE THEY START COVERING 100%. AND THAT'S ABOVE AND BEYOND YOUR PREMIUMS. YOU'RE PAYING YOUR PREMIUM. THEN YOU HAVE TO PAY THE OUT OF POCKET MONEY IN CO-PAYS AND DEDUCTIBLES AND WHATNOT. THEIR TOTAL COSTS FOR HEALTH CARE COME OUT AT OVER 50% OF THEIR INCOME. I DON'T KNOW ANYBODY IN THE ROOM THAT CAN PAY 50% OF OVER 50% OF THEIR INCOME IN HEALTH CARE COSTS AND HAVE ANY MONEY LEFT TO LIVE ON. YEAH. SO, I MEAN, THIS IS WHAT'S GOING ON IS REALLY, REALLY SCARY. AND THERE'S NOT THE THE WORD IS NOT NECESSARILY GETTING OUT ABOUT THAT. HEALTH CARE SHOULD NOT BE PARTIZAN. EVERYBODY NEEDS HEALTH CARE DOESN'T MATTER WHAT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOUR POLITICAL IDEOLOGY IS. EVERYONE NEEDS HEALTH CARE. AND YOU'RE RIGHT, IT SHOULDN'T BE PARTIZAN. THAT DEFINITELY IS IT. BUT I SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE, THE ONLY THING THEY THINK ABOUT IS HOW MUCH CAN I CONTROL YOU? YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS I LOOK IN THE MIRROR IN THE MORNING AND I LOOK AT MYSELF AND I SAY, HOW AM I DOING? I THINK MAYBE, OKAY, I DON'T KNOW HOW GOOD I AM TO TELL SOMEBODY ELSE WHAT THEY OUGHT TO DO. AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO. WE MAKE LAWS TO TELL OTHER PEOPLE HOW TO LIVE THEIR LIFE. AND TO ME, YOU KNOW. THAT I HAVE A LOT OF TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE WANTING TO TELL OTHER HELP A PERSON, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TRYING TO HELP A PERSON DO ALL BE ALL THEY CAN BE, AND NOT BY HANDING THEM SOMETHING AND SAY, DON'T DO NOTHING. YOU KNOW, FEED A MAN A FISH, FEED HIM FOR A DAY, TEACH A MAN TO FISH, FEED HIM FOR A LIFETIME. AND THE GOAL IS TO TRY TO HELP PEOPLE BE SUCCESSFUL. MOST PEOPLE DON'T WANT HANDOUTS, CORRECT? THEY WANT TO BE ON.

THEY WANT TO BE ABLE TO DO IT ON THEIR OWN. THEY DON'T MIND SOMEBODY HELPING THEM. AND MOST

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THEY'LL FIND WAYS TO SOLVE PROBLEMS. YOU KNOW, REALLY KIND OF WHAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD DO, WORK TOGETHER AND SOLVE PROBLEMS. DON'T WORRY ABOUT WHO'S ON TOP. JUST WORRY ABOUT HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE THIS WORK. AND I HAVE I'M FRUSTRATED A LITTLE BIT WITH GOVERNMENT. I THINK THEY'RE THEY'RE NOT DOING ALL THEY, THEY YOU KNOW, THEY GOT A LOT OF TALENT AND DON'T WANT TO USE IT. SO BUT I APPRECIATE YOU BEING HERE AND DOING, YOU KNOW, LETTING US KNOW. AND AND I YOU KNOW THAT THAT THERE'S PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO STILL WANT TO HELP OTHER PEOPLE BE MORE. WELL, IF WE DON'T FIX THE HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, NONE OF US ARE GOING TO BE ALIVE TO DO ANYTHING RIGHT. I'M NOT GOING TO BE ALIVE MUCH ANYWAY. WE HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS, CONCERNS, OR I DON'T WANT TO MISS MARCUS UP THERE. COME ON, MARCUS, YOU DIDN'T HAVE ANYTHING. DID WE PUT YOU TO SLEEP, MARCUS? HE'S ALRIGHT AWAKE. HE SAYS HEALTH CARE.

HEALTH CARE IS COMPLICATED, SO I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT THIS. IT IS. RIGHT. SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS THEN. THANK YOU. WE ARE ADJOURNED. AND IF I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU SEND OUT IN THE MINUTES FROM THE MEETING. BUT IF YOU. I DON'T KNOW IF YOUR WHOLE COMMITTEE IS HERE. WE CAME ONCE BEFORE AND THERE WERE A LOT MORE PEOPLE. BUT IF YOU WANT TO SEND OUT ANYTHING TO LET YOUR OTHER COMMITTEE PEOPLE KNOW, OR THE OTHER COUNCIL PEOPLE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THESE RESOURCES AVAILABLE. HAPPY TO DO THAT. YOU'RE. YOU GOTTA TURN YOUR MIC ON. IS THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FASTER HELPING THEM WITH THEIR NEWSLETTER. IS THERE A WEBSITE THAT YOU I MEAN, IS THERE A SPECIFIC EMAIL THAT YOU. I GAVE YOU MY EMAIL. YEAH. YOU GOT YOUR MIC ON I DID NOT YEAH. IF YOU WANT TO SEND IT TO THE CLERK THEN SHE CAN SEND IT OUT TO THE REST OF THE COUNCIL MEMBERS. OKAY. THAT'S GREAT. WE'LL SEND YOU A NOTE WITH SOME CONTACT INFORMATION IN THE IN THE PDF. THANK YOU. EACH EACH COUNCIL PERSON'S GOT THEIR OWN NEWSLETTER AND I'LL PUT THIS ON MY NEWSLETTER. AND I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY 5000 PEOPLE OR SOMETHING ON MY NEWSLETTER. THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YEAH, THAT WOULD BE GREAT. YEAH. WE CAN JUST. YEAH, WE CAN ALL SEND IT OUT IN OUR NEWSLETTERS. SO THAT WOULD BE AWESOME. YEAH. JUST TRYING TO HELP THE COMMUNITY. OKAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING. AND IF ANYBODY YOU GUYS ALL HAVE MY CARD, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS DON'T HESITATE TO REACH OUT. WE WANT TO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE TODAY. THE INFORMATION WAS VERY UPLIFTING AND GOOD TO KNOW.

[Adjournment Note: Agendas are followed at the discretion of the Chair. While an item may be listed, it does not mean all items will be heard and/or acted upon by the Committee.]