Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Why this 29-year-old social worker is running for Congress
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Why this 29-year-old social worker is running for Congress
I need to tell you about a conversation that made me absolutely furious—and then gave me hope.
Today, I sat down with Paige Loud, a 29-year-old social worker running for Congress in Maine's District 2. She's spent years working with adults and children with intellectual disabilities, and she's watching the system she knows intimately get weaponized for political gain.
The story she told me about Maine's Medicaid "scandal" isn't what you've heard on the news. And it matters—because what's happening in Maine is a blueprint for what's coming everywhere else.
Key Takeaways:
The Maine Medicaid Audit Scandal Brief description of what's covered in Topic 1.
Systemic Documentation Failures How overworked care providers are set up to fail by impossible documentation requirements that don't reflect the reality of providing care
The Reinstitutionalization Agenda Why attacks on community-based services may be part of a larger effort to return people with disabilities to institutional settings
Barriers to Running for Office The shocking costs of entering politics, including $6,000 just to access voter data through the Democratic Party
Why Social Workers Matter in Congress How lived experience working with vulnerable populations creates better policy than talking points and political theory
00:00:00 - Introduction & Welcome I introduce Paige Loud, social worker and Congressional candidate
00:03:00 - The Maine Medicaid Scandal Explained Breaking down what the audit actually found versus the fraud narrative
00:08:33 - Political Retribution in Maine How the Trump administration has targeted Maine repeatedly
00:10:34 - The Reinstitutionalization Agenda Why RFK Jr. and others want to move away from community-based care
00:12:17 - The Olmstead Act & Deinstitutionalization History of moving people with disabilities out of institutions
00:15:07 - The Documentation Trap Why impossible paperwork requirements doom overworked care providers
00:21:20 - Who's Actually Being Served? The question no one is asking about the audit
00:27:03 - The $6,000 Barrier to Democracy How the Democratic Party charges candidates for voter access
00:33:00 - Why Age & Experience Matter Paige responds to critics questioning her qualifications
00:45:06 - Finding Joy in the Fight Final thoughts on staying positive while fighting for change
Get full access to What do we do next? at whatdowedonext.substack.com/subscribe
View all episodes
By Listening is the RevolutionI need to tell you about a conversation that made me absolutely furious—and then gave me hope.
Today, I sat down with Paige Loud, a 29-year-old social worker running for Congress in Maine's District 2. She's spent years working with adults and children with intellectual disabilities, and she's watching the system she knows intimately get weaponized for political gain.
The story she told me about Maine's Medicaid "scandal" isn't what you've heard on the news. And it matters—because what's happening in Maine is a blueprint for what's coming everywhere else.
Key Takeaways:
The Maine Medicaid Audit Scandal Brief description of what's covered in Topic 1.
Systemic Documentation Failures How overworked care providers are set up to fail by impossible documentation requirements that don't reflect the reality of providing care
The Reinstitutionalization Agenda Why attacks on community-based services may be part of a larger effort to return people with disabilities to institutional settings
Barriers to Running for Office The shocking costs of entering politics, including $6,000 just to access voter data through the Democratic Party
Why Social Workers Matter in Congress How lived experience working with vulnerable populations creates better policy than talking points and political theory
00:00:00 - Introduction & Welcome I introduce Paige Loud, social worker and Congressional candidate
00:03:00 - The Maine Medicaid Scandal Explained Breaking down what the audit actually found versus the fraud narrative
00:08:33 - Political Retribution in Maine How the Trump administration has targeted Maine repeatedly
00:10:34 - The Reinstitutionalization Agenda Why RFK Jr. and others want to move away from community-based care
00:12:17 - The Olmstead Act & Deinstitutionalization History of moving people with disabilities out of institutions
00:15:07 - The Documentation Trap Why impossible paperwork requirements doom overworked care providers
00:21:20 - Who's Actually Being Served? The question no one is asking about the audit
00:27:03 - The $6,000 Barrier to Democracy How the Democratic Party charges candidates for voter access
00:33:00 - Why Age & Experience Matter Paige responds to critics questioning her qualifications
00:45:06 - Finding Joy in the Fight Final thoughts on staying positive while fighting for change
Get full access to What do we do next? at whatdowedonext.substack.com/subscribe