SJR 15-OPPOSE MEDICAID CUTS  4:24:36 PM CHAIR DUNBAR announced the consideration of SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15 Calling on the state's congressional delegation to oppose cuts to federal spending on Medicaid. 4:24:44 PM CHAIR DUNBAR stated he had hoped to adopt a committee substitute for SJR 15, but didn't receive a draft in time for today's meeting. 4:24:54 PM CHAIR DUNBAR stated that he has conceptual amendments for discussion but does not plan to introduce them now, preferring to include them in a committee substitute (CS). He hoped to discuss and answer questions before being absent next Tuesday, so the CS can be smoothly adopted in his absence. 4:25:40 PM CHAIR DUNBAR invited Senator Tobin to speak to Amendment 1. 4:25:48 PM SENATOR TOBIN spoke to her Amendment 1, noting that the medical needs and care of some Alaskans are 100 percent federally reimbursed. She opined that if there were changes to Medicaid they may not have access to preventive or acute services at any time. She said Amendment 1 highlights the full impact to Alaskans if changes to Medicaid through SJR 15 were fulfilled. 4:26:48 PM CHAIR DUNBAR speaking to Amendment 2: Goes to a comment that Senator Hughes made about 880 billion versus 2 trillion. There are some folks that think that there are ways to measure, it in which it is 2 trillion, but I went with your number of Senator Hughes. I think 880 billion has become sort of what people are talking about and understand it to be. That is the amount that they expect to have to find within the budget reconciliation process. I also deleted "to fund tax breaks for the wealthy." I do think that that is a factual statement, but I don't want us to get into the controversies around tax policy. Ultimately this is about Medicaid and its importance to Alaska's economy and to our health. So, I am deleting that verbiage out of there. 4:27:36 PM SENATOR HUGHES noted that a testifier mentioned the $880 billion figure applies over ten years, and she asked if it would be appropriate to include that timeframe in the amendment. 4:27:53 PM CHAIR DUNBAR replied that he would talk offline and talk with legislative legal to get the CS in on time. 4:28:17 PM SENATOR HUGHES stressed the importance of avoiding Medicaid cuts for vulnerable populations while considering restructuring to encourage able-bodied, working-age adults to move to employer- based insurance, highlighting that nearly a third of Alaskans are on Medicaid, which poses a significant budget burden. She asked if the committee is interested in saying no to Medicaid cuts. 4:30:11 PM SENATOR TOBIN noted that while about 30 percent of Alaskans are on Medicaid, roughly 5 percent are Alaska Native with fully federally funded coverage, and 815 percent of able-bodied adults, some with disabilities, also access Medicaid. She acknowledged the complexity of these distinctions and the difficulty of fully capturing them in a resolution, providing context rather than opposition. 4:31:31 PM SENATOR GIESSEL referenced the annual Mesa Medicaid report, noting a gap between those eligible and those actually accessing services. She asked what portion of these are able-bodied adults who might work but avoid raises to maintain Medicaid coverage in case of job-related injuries. 4:32:27 PM CHAIR DUNBAR acknowledged concerns about able-bodied Medicaid recipients and work requirements, noting that such issues are complex and not fully captured in the resolution. He supported moving forward with the current version, anticipating that amendments addressing these concerns could be debated later, but he does not plan to introduce one. 4:33:51 PM CHAIR DUNBAR held SJR 15 in committee.