Dr. Avenel Joseph
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
Bringing data and heart to #HealthEquity. Vice President of Policy @rwjf.org, Mom, traveler, foodie. (she/her)
Pinned
Hi Bluesky 👋🏾
I will be more active on this account, so let me introduce myself: I’m the Interim Executive Vice President at @rwjf.bsky.social, passionate about the intersection of health, race, and policy. I’ll post mainly about healthcare coverage, reproductive justice and equity. Let’s connect!
I will be more active on this account, so let me introduce myself: I’m the Interim Executive Vice President at @rwjf.bsky.social, passionate about the intersection of health, race, and policy. I’ll post mainly about healthcare coverage, reproductive justice and equity. Let’s connect!
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
Top researchers consider leaving U.S. amid funding cuts: 'The science world is ending'
YouTube video by PBS NewsHour
www.youtube.com
October 30, 2025 at 11:36 AM
Well reported story on the PBS News Hour about science cuts and the ongoing and potential brain drain.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLvO...
Thanks to Terrance Tao and other scientists at various career stages for having the courage to speak out.
Watch and share!
1/7
Thank you for clarifying this, Larry - 30% versus 114% increase is a huge difference that people need to know about.
There’s a lot of confusion about how much ACA premiums are going up and what it means. That will likely continue this week as window shopping is expected to begin in the federal ACA marketplace. I’ll try to clear things up.
November 6, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Thank you for clarifying this, Larry - 30% versus 114% increase is a huge difference that people need to know about.
You shouldn’t be punished by our healthcare system for doing everything right. But that is what could happen with Medicaid cuts and the potential loss of the enhanced ACA tax credits.
I had a great conversation with Jen Rubin of @contrariannews.org about it:
contrarian.substack.com/p/avenel-jos...
I had a great conversation with Jen Rubin of @contrariannews.org about it:
contrarian.substack.com/p/avenel-jos...
Avenel Joseph Raises The Alarm: Medicaid Cuts and ACA Expirations Are Happening Right Now
"Medicaid allows hospitals to keep their doors open."
contrarian.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 3:58 PM
You shouldn’t be punished by our healthcare system for doing everything right. But that is what could happen with Medicaid cuts and the potential loss of the enhanced ACA tax credits.
I had a great conversation with Jen Rubin of @contrariannews.org about it:
contrarian.substack.com/p/avenel-jos...
I had a great conversation with Jen Rubin of @contrariannews.org about it:
contrarian.substack.com/p/avenel-jos...
@kffhealthnews.org created a calculator to help people understand how much their healthcare costs will go up if ACA premium tax credits expire.
This is a great tool to use to spread the word about the importance of the ACA tax credits!
www.kff.org/interactive/...
This is a great tool to use to spread the word about the importance of the ACA tax credits!
www.kff.org/interactive/...
Calculator: ACA Enhanced Premium Tax Credit
The ACA’s enhanced premium tax credits are set to expire at the end of 2025. This calculator estimates how much out-of-pocket premiums would increase for families if Congress does not extend the credi...
www.kff.org
October 31, 2025 at 2:29 PM
@kffhealthnews.org created a calculator to help people understand how much their healthcare costs will go up if ACA premium tax credits expire.
This is a great tool to use to spread the word about the importance of the ACA tax credits!
www.kff.org/interactive/...
This is a great tool to use to spread the word about the importance of the ACA tax credits!
www.kff.org/interactive/...
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Higher healthcare premiums. Cuts to Medicaid. What could possibly go wrong?
According to experts: everything.
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
According to experts: everything.
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
October 27, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Higher healthcare premiums. Cuts to Medicaid. What could possibly go wrong?
According to experts: everything.
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
According to experts: everything.
@draveneljoseph.bsky.social
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
It’s not just medical bills: Women are also more worried than men about paying for groceries, child care, housing and retirement, the polling finds.
7 in 10 women are worried about the cost of medical bills
Polling from The 19th and SurveyMonkey sheds light on one area of concern over costs as the fight over health care keeps the government shuttered.
19thnews.org
October 9, 2025 at 5:04 PM
It’s not just medical bills: Women are also more worried than men about paying for groceries, child care, housing and retirement, the polling finds.
Painful and heartbreaking. And, a result of policy decisions that can be undone. Deliberate decisions got us here, and deliberate decisions can make this country safe again.
About 1 in 4 U.S. adults worry they or someone close to them could be deported, according to a June @pewresearch.org survey.
About 1 in 4 U.S. adults worry they or someone close to them could be deported
About four-in-ten immigrants (43%) say they worry a lot or some, up from 33% in March.
www.pewresearch.org
October 16, 2025 at 3:52 PM
Painful and heartbreaking. And, a result of policy decisions that can be undone. Deliberate decisions got us here, and deliberate decisions can make this country safe again.
Across party lines, affordable healthcare is something most of us can agree on, and policymakers should take note. If Congress doesn’t extend the enhanced ACA tax credits, many people will lose health coverage.
www.kff.org/public-opini...
www.kff.org/public-opini...
October 16, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Across party lines, affordable healthcare is something most of us can agree on, and policymakers should take note. If Congress doesn’t extend the enhanced ACA tax credits, many people will lose health coverage.
www.kff.org/public-opini...
www.kff.org/public-opini...
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
In the debate over extending the enhanced ACA Marketplace tax credits, there has been no discussion of their benefit for children's coverage. The enhanced credits helped increase child Marketplace enrollment (under age 18) by 2.5X to 2.6 million between 2020 & 2025 (based on open enrollment data).
October 2, 2025 at 4:42 PM
In the debate over extending the enhanced ACA Marketplace tax credits, there has been no discussion of their benefit for children's coverage. The enhanced credits helped increase child Marketplace enrollment (under age 18) by 2.5X to 2.6 million between 2020 & 2025 (based on open enrollment data).
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Cash is a meaningful step toward ensuring families aren’t left behind. Putting dignity back into day-to-day living helps to shift us closer to a world where community and care come first. This approach is simple yet of great value.
Cash isn’t a cure-all. It won’t end homelessness or fix our broken healthcare system. But as @annielowrey.bsky.social reminds us, it can help families afford the basics like groceries and lower the poverty rate. That isn’t a disappointment—that’s the point.
🔗 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
🔗 www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
September 11, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Cash is a meaningful step toward ensuring families aren’t left behind. Putting dignity back into day-to-day living helps to shift us closer to a world where community and care come first. This approach is simple yet of great value.
Did you know that 40% of the childcare workforce in DC are immigrants? Many are afraid to go to work for fear of being targeted by ICE, regardless of their immigration status.
Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.
19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...
Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.
19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...
‘They are hunting us:’ Child care workers in D.C. go underground amid ICE crackdown
In Washington, D.C., where close to 40 percent of child care workers are immigrants, fear has taken hold amid a crime crackdown that has raised ICE presence. Many are missing work, deepening a staffin...
19thnews.org
September 26, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Did you know that 40% of the childcare workforce in DC are immigrants? Many are afraid to go to work for fear of being targeted by ICE, regardless of their immigration status.
Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.
19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...
Childcare workers do so much for families. This is no way to repay them.
19thnews.org/2025/09/chil...
The Census Bureau released the 2024 data on health coverage, poverty and income. This release will be a snap shot, the “before” picture to compare to after the coming cuts and changes take effect.
Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...
Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...
Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2024
The U.S. Census Bureau today announced that real median household income was $83,730 in 2024.
www.census.gov
September 19, 2025 at 4:19 PM
The Census Bureau released the 2024 data on health coverage, poverty and income. This release will be a snap shot, the “before” picture to compare to after the coming cuts and changes take effect.
Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...
Check out the data for yourself: www.census.gov/newsroom/pre...
State leaders are battening down the hatches to prepare for the storm that is about to hit our health system, namely major cuts to Medicaid. This is a helpful resource to understand where this storm will hit the hardest. Spread the word! 🔁
New @georgetownccf.bsky.social report using #Medicaid performance indicators to assess states' readiness to implement harmful work reporting requirements and other #Medicaid cuts included in the budget reconciliation law: ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/09/04/a...
Are States Ready to Implement HR 1 and Medicaid Work Reporting Requirements?
Key Findings State systems are unprepared for federal demands to implement a Medicaid work reporting requirement and other onerous changes. HR 1 (P.L. 119-21) requires states to implement complex w…
ccf.georgetown.edu
September 18, 2025 at 8:41 PM
State leaders are battening down the hatches to prepare for the storm that is about to hit our health system, namely major cuts to Medicaid. This is a helpful resource to understand where this storm will hit the hardest. Spread the word! 🔁
The reconciliation bill cuts will strip millions of their Medicaid coverage and drain $58B to $137B from rural hospitals over the next decade. A temporary $10B a year for 5 years is nowhere near enough to prevent devastating losses for patients and communities.
apnews.com/article/rura...
apnews.com/article/rura...
FACT FOCUS: Rural hospitals are expected to lose money from Trump's bill, despite RFK Jr.'s promise
There's more to that nearly 900-page bill than Kennedy let on at the White House.
apnews.com
September 11, 2025 at 2:34 PM
The reconciliation bill cuts will strip millions of their Medicaid coverage and drain $58B to $137B from rural hospitals over the next decade. A temporary $10B a year for 5 years is nowhere near enough to prevent devastating losses for patients and communities.
apnews.com/article/rura...
apnews.com/article/rura...
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Thanks @jenniferngandu.bsky.social!
What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com...
What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?
What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com...
What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?
September 10, 2025 at 3:36 PM
Thanks @jenniferngandu.bsky.social!
What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com...
What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?
What gives me hope is @commhsp.bsky.social's tips for communicating effectively about health disparities. It start with looking at what communities bring to the table. commhsp.org/tips-for-com...
What brings you hope @joanalker1.bsky.social?
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Thanks for passing me this positivity chain, @1mabl.bsky.social!
What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part...
Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!
What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part...
Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!
September 10, 2025 at 3:03 PM
Thanks for passing me this positivity chain, @1mabl.bsky.social!
What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part...
Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!
What gives me hope are programs like Rx Kids that have delivered over $13M in cash support to more than 3K families. Parents say it helps them make ends meet! rxkids.org/rx-kids-part...
Passing to @mona-shah.bsky.social!
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer, but the damage will be felt for years. @rwjf.org created a chart to help explain what to expect.
Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.
Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.
September 4, 2025 at 7:46 PM
The so-called Big Beautiful Bill passed this summer, but the damage will be felt for years. @rwjf.org created a chart to help explain what to expect.
Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.
Share this in your feed, pin it up in your community, email it to your local government. People must know how they’ll be affected by these policies.
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
We are deeply excited to welcome Jason D. Williamson as NCLEJ’s next Executive Director! As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, our work is more important than ever. Visit nclej.org to learn more about our efforts to advance racial, economic, and disability justice.
August 25, 2025 at 5:33 PM
We are deeply excited to welcome Jason D. Williamson as NCLEJ’s next Executive Director! As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, our work is more important than ever. Visit nclej.org to learn more about our efforts to advance racial, economic, and disability justice.
Stability, higher profits, higher wages. Research shows diversity is good for business - so rolling back DEI programs was never really about best practices, was it?
NEW: Analysis from the HRC Foundation (HRCF) and Whistle Stop Capital shows that companies dedicated to LGBTQ+ inclusion through participation in HRCF’s benchmark Corporate Equality Index saw higher revenue, stronger profits, and steadier market performance over time.
September 3, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Stability, higher profits, higher wages. Research shows diversity is good for business - so rolling back DEI programs was never really about best practices, was it?
In the interest of adding some motivation and proof that we can get through this to our feeds, I’m calling on @1mabl.bsky.social to kick off a positivity chain:
Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on.
I'll start:
Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on.
I'll start:
September 3, 2025 at 2:03 PM
In the interest of adding some motivation and proof that we can get through this to our feeds, I’m calling on @1mabl.bsky.social to kick off a positivity chain:
Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on.
I'll start:
Allyn, share one thing that gives you hope in this health equity fight, and then pass it on.
I'll start:
Not enough young adults see voting as important, likely due to broken trust in our democracy. Policymakers, educators, and adults have work to do to rebuild that trust. Gotta start them young!
August 22, 2025 at 4:14 PM
Not enough young adults see voting as important, likely due to broken trust in our democracy. Policymakers, educators, and adults have work to do to rebuild that trust. Gotta start them young!
“People need to have more kids!” If only there was a way to help people who want to have kids but can’t afford it …
Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut.
Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work.
www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...
Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut.
Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work.
www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...
Why Raising the Birth Rate Means Rebuilding the American Dream
America’s birth rates are plunging. Can restoring the American Dream—even under Trump-era policies—help reverse the trend and rebuild the future?
www.newamerica.org
August 20, 2025 at 8:16 PM
“People need to have more kids!” If only there was a way to help people who want to have kids but can’t afford it …
Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut.
Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work.
www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...
Wait! Medicaid and SNAP do just that. But they were cut.
Policymakers who truly want Americans to have more kids, we know the policies that work.
www.newamerica.org/the-thread/a...
Don’t miss this year’s call for applications for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program - applications are due November 3.
Share this with your feed and others you think should apply:
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Share this with your feed and others you think should apply:
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows
The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program provides the nation’s most comprehensive learning experience at the intersection of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C.
www.rwjf.org
August 19, 2025 at 1:43 PM
Don’t miss this year’s call for applications for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program - applications are due November 3.
Share this with your feed and others you think should apply:
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
Share this with your feed and others you think should apply:
www.rwjf.org/en/grants/ac...
All of us are one part of a web made up of our families, friends, neighbors and more. Immigration laws designed to disappear people from their networks leave holes in these webs that are irreparable. Read this heartbreaking, important piece:
ICE raids don't keep us safe — access to health care does.
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/21/t...
www.texastribune.org/2025/07/21/t...
As Trump's raids ramp up, Valley residents stay inside — even when they need medical care
In the Rio Grande Valley, fears of deportation cause some undocumented residents to neglect their health in a region rife with obesity, diabetes and other chronic health problems.
www.texastribune.org
August 14, 2025 at 2:47 PM
All of us are one part of a web made up of our families, friends, neighbors and more. Immigration laws designed to disappear people from their networks leave holes in these webs that are irreparable. Read this heartbreaking, important piece:
Reposted by Dr. Avenel Joseph
Our new explainer is here -- all you need to know about the Medicaid, CHIP and ACA Marketplace provisions in the new budget reconciliation law.
Here is a new joint @georgetownccf.bsky.social and Georgetown CHIR brief from me and @sabrinacorlette.bsky.social explaining and analyzing the #Medicaid, CHIP, ACA Marketplace & other health provisions of the recently enacted budget reconciliation law: ccf.georgetown.edu/2025/07/22/m...
Medicaid, CHIP, and Affordable Care Act Marketplace Cuts and Other Health Provisions in the Budget Reconciliation Law, Explained
In partnership with On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed the Congressional Republican budget reconciliation bill into law (H.R. 1 or P.L. 119-21). Earlier, on July 1, 2025, the Senate pass…
ccf.georgetown.edu
July 23, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Our new explainer is here -- all you need to know about the Medicaid, CHIP and ACA Marketplace provisions in the new budget reconciliation law.