Guardians of Care Transistor (https://transistor.fm) https://feeds.transistor.fm/guardians-of-care Medicaid provides healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. Behind its policies and programs are people working every day to make the system work better. Guardians of Care, a podcast from AmeriTrust Solutions hosted by Pete Justen, is about the people who make Medicaid work—and the people it works for. Pete sits down with state leaders, hospital teams, program operators, advocates, and Medicaid members to uncover the successes that rarely make headlines. Through thoughtful, solution-focused, and nonpartisan conversations, guests share what they built, how they made it work, who it helped, and what others across the Medicaid community can learn from their experience. The show highlights what is going right and the people committed to building on that progress. New episodes every other week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. © 2026 AmeriTrust Solutions 3c3dfe88-96ab-5ed7-aa48-b26690a92e12 yes en Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:41:39 -0700 Thu, 03 Sep 2026 09:42:15 -0700 https://guardiansofcarepodcast.com https://img.transistorcdn.com/qakHyi2yFdJqGcNd4Sw5EnP7mf-TkfahEOA9VRcV930/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS80ZjU1/MDBmZTZiNDJhM2Y4/MDM0OTgzNTcxZmNh/NDFmNy5wbmc.jpg Guardians of Care https://guardiansofcarepodcast.com episodic AmeriTrust Solutions Medicaid provides healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. Behind its policies and programs are people working every day to make the system work better. Guardians of Care, a podcast from AmeriTrust Solutions hosted by Pete Justen, is about the people who make Medicaid work—and the people it works for. Pete sits down with state leaders, hospital teams, program operators, advocates, and Medicaid members to uncover the successes that rarely make headlines. Through thoughtful, solution-focused, and nonpartisan conversations, guests share what they built, how they made it work, who it helped, and what others across the Medicaid community can learn from their experience. The show highlights what is going right and the people committed to building on that progress. New episodes every other week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube. Medicaid provides healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. Medicaid, Healthcare, Public Health, Medicaid Success Stories, CMS, Government Healthcare, State Medicaid, Medicaid Programs, Hospital Leadership, FQHC, Federally Qualified Health Centers, PACE Programs, Healthcare Executives, Healthcare Administration, Health Systems, Healthcare Operations, Community Health, Access to Care, Healthcare Transformation, Medicaid Recipients, Medicaid Case Studies, Healthcare Policy Leaders Pete Justen producer@guardiansofcarepodcast.com No No Leading from the Middle: What Makes Medicaid Work 1 1 Leading from the Middle: What Makes Medicaid Work full 172e6941-ef31-489c-be4a-e8a742edb3b8 https://share.transistor.fm/s/ac106c03 Medicaid is often talked about as though it is a single federal program. In reality, it is a federal-state partnership: the federal government provides oversight and funding, while states administer their own programs. That structure makes Medicaid complex—but it also allows the program to serve the very different needs of children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities and others across the country.


In this episode of Guardians of Care, host Pete Justen speaks with Karen Shields, a former senior leader at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who oversaw Medicaid and CHIP operations and helped lead healthcare.gov during the Affordable Care Act rollout.


Karen explains how Medicaid actually works, who it serves and why it is much more than the “handout” it is often portrayed to be. She also shares her own experience receiving Medicaid coverage for prenatal care and how that support shaped her belief that Medicaid is both an essential safety net and an investment in healthier families and communities.


Drawing on decades of experience across government and the private sector, Karen discusses what it takes to translate healthcare policy into programs that work in the real world. Her central lesson is to lead from the middle—bringing states, federal agencies, providers, advocates, health plans, operations teams and program-integrity leaders into the conversation from the beginning.


At a time when Medicaid faces growing scrutiny, Karen argues that access and accountability are not competing goals. The program must be protected and optimized—and we can do both.


Visit https://guardiansofcarepodcast.com to learn more, and subscribe to Guardians of Care wherever you listen to podcasts.


]]> Medicaid is often talked about as though it is a single federal program. In reality, it is a federal-state partnership: the federal government provides oversight and funding, while states administer their own programs. That structure makes Medicaid complex—but it also allows the program to serve the very different needs of children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities and others across the country.


In this episode of Guardians of Care, host Pete Justen speaks with Karen Shields, a former senior leader at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who oversaw Medicaid and CHIP operations and helped lead healthcare.gov during the Affordable Care Act rollout.


Karen explains how Medicaid actually works, who it serves and why it is much more than the “handout” it is often portrayed to be. She also shares her own experience receiving Medicaid coverage for prenatal care and how that support shaped her belief that Medicaid is both an essential safety net and an investment in healthier families and communities.


Drawing on decades of experience across government and the private sector, Karen discusses what it takes to translate healthcare policy into programs that work in the real world. Her central lesson is to lead from the middle—bringing states, federal agencies, providers, advocates, health plans, operations teams and program-integrity leaders into the conversation from the beginning.


At a time when Medicaid faces growing scrutiny, Karen argues that access and accountability are not competing goals. The program must be protected and optimized—and we can do both.


Visit https://guardiansofcarepodcast.com to learn more, and subscribe to Guardians of Care wherever you listen to podcasts.


]]> Thu, 03 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0700 AmeriTrust Solutions AmeriTrust Solutions 1482 Medicaid is often talked about as though it is a single federal program. In reality, it is a federal-state partnership: the federal government provides oversight and funding, while states administer their own programs. That structure makes Medicaid complex—but it also allows the program to serve the very different needs of children, pregnant women, seniors, people with disabilities and others across the country.


In this episode of Guardians of Care, host Pete Justen speaks with Karen Shields, a former senior leader at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services who oversaw Medicaid and CHIP operations and helped lead healthcare.gov during the Affordable Care Act rollout.


Karen explains how Medicaid actually works, who it serves and why it is much more than the “handout” it is often portrayed to be. She also shares her own experience receiving Medicaid coverage for prenatal care and how that support shaped her belief that Medicaid is both an essential safety net and an investment in healthier families and communities.


Drawing on decades of experience across government and the private sector, Karen discusses what it takes to translate healthcare policy into programs that work in the real world. Her central lesson is to lead from the middle—bringing states, federal agencies, providers, advocates, health plans, operations teams and program-integrity leaders into the conversation from the beginning.


At a time when Medicaid faces growing scrutiny, Karen argues that access and accountability are not competing goals. The program must be protected and optimized—and we can do both.


Visit https://guardiansofcarepodcast.com to learn more, and subscribe to Guardians of Care wherever you listen to podcasts.


]]> Medicaid, Healthcare, Public Health, Medicaid Success Stories, CMS, Government Healthcare, State Medicaid, Medicaid Programs, Hospital Leadership, FQHC, Federally Qualified Health Centers, PACE Programs, Healthcare Executives, Healthcare Administration, Health Systems, Healthcare Operations, Community Health, Access to Care, Healthcare Transformation, Medicaid Recipients, Medicaid Case Studies, Healthcare Policy Leaders No