The Greene County Democrat

Tag: Alabama Arise

  • Newswire : 69% of Alabama voters support Medicaid expansion, new poll finds

    By Chris Sanders, Alabama Arise

    Sixty-nine percent of Alabamians, including 64% of Republican voters, support expanding Medicaid when told about arguments for and against the idea, according to a poll released last week.
    The poll, conducted for Cover Alabama in January by Cygnal, shows support for Medicaid expansion across all demographics, including age, gender, income, education and geography. Alabama Arise is a founding member of Cover Alabama.
    The poll also reveals the popularity of various funding sources for Alabama’s required 10% match for Medicaid expansion. Respondents expressed the most support for legalizing a state lottery and using part of the revenue to expand Medicaid. Proposed funding sources that won an overall majority or plurality of support were:
    • Legalizing a state lottery.
    • Increasing the state tobacco tax.
    • Legalizing and taxing medical marijuana.
    • Eliminating the federal income tax deduction for state income taxes.
    Growing support and growing opportunities to expand coverage
    Participants responded strongly when informed that more than 5,000 veterans (and 8,000 of their family members) do not have health coverage in Alabama. A full 70% of respondents were more likely to support expanding Medicaid when presented with that information. Respondents also were more likely to support expansion when informed that Alabama taxpayers have paid $4 billion in federal taxes since 2014 to help support Medicaid expansion in other states.
    Both Republican and Democratic respondents were more likely to support Medicaid expansion with increased financial support from the federal government. The Amertican Rescue Plan, President Biden’s $1.9 trillion plan to respond to the coronavirus, currently being debated in Congress, would offer a dramatic increase in federal incentives for states like Alabama to expand Medicaid. If enacted, the legislation would provide an additional $940 million in federal money to Alabama over two years if the state expanded Medicaid. Medicaid expansion would benefit more than 340,000 Alabamians who are uninsured or struggling to afford coverage.
    The overwhelming polling support reflects an ever-growing group of individuals, organizations and businesses that support expanding Medicaid in Alabama. This group includes the Alabama Hospital Association, the Alabama Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Alabama Department of Health’s Maternal Mortality Review Committee, the Medical Association of the State of Alabama and 100 nonprofits, faith-based groups and medical advocacy organizations in Alabama.

  • Newswire : Medicaid funding, public transportation highlight Arise’s 2018 priorities

    Alabama Arise logo

    New Medicaid revenue and creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund are among the goals on Alabama Arise’s 2018 legislative agenda. Nearly 200 Arise members picked the group’s issue priorities at its annual meeting Saturday in Montgomery. The seven goals chosen were:

    · Tax reform, including untaxing groceries and closing corporate income tax loopholes;
    · Adequate funding for vital services like education, health care and child care, including approval of new tax revenue to prevent Medicaid cuts;
    · Consumer protections to limit high-interest payday loans and auto title loans in Alabama;
    · Dedicated state revenue for the Alabama Housing Trust Fund;
    · Reforms to Alabama’s death penalty system, including a moratorium on executions;
    · Creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund; and
    · Reforms to Alabama’s criminal justice debt policies, including changes related to cash bail and driver’s license revocations for minor offenses.

    “All Alabamians deserve equal justice and an opportunity to build a better life for themselves and their families,” Alabama Arise state coordinator Kimble Forrister said. “We’re excited to continue our work for policy changes that would make it easier for hard-working Alabamians to get ahead.”

    More than one in five Alabamians – almost all of whom are children, seniors, pregnant women, or people with disabilities – have health coverage through Medicaid. That coverage plays an important role in keeping hospitals and doctors’ offices open across the state, especially in rural areas.

    “Medicaid is the backbone of Alabama’s health care system, and we must keep it strong,” Forrister said. “The Legislature needs to step up and approve new, sustainable revenue for Medicaid in 2018. It’s time to stop the annual funding battles and ensure all Alabamians have access to health care.”

    Lack of adequate transportation is another major challenge that limits economic growth and erects barriers to daily living for many low-income residents and people with disabilities across Alabama. Arise will push for creation of a state Public Transportation Trust Fund as a step toward closing that gap. A bill to create a trust fund passed the Senate this year and has momentum heading into 2018.

    Alabama Arise is a nonprofit, nonpartisan coalition of congregations, organizations and individuals promoting public policies to improve the lives of low-income Alabamians.