Medicaid expansion
10 Medicaid holdout states scramble to improve health coverage
The Republican-led states that have refused to expand Medicaid are trying a variety of strategies to save struggling hospitals and cover more people without full expansion, which was one of the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act. Georgia passed a partial expansion of Medicaid, the federal-state program that provides health coverage to low-income and disabled Americans, […]
Report: Alabama’s uninsured rate dropped significantly in 2022
The number of Alabamians without health insurance dropped significantly between 2021 and 2022, according to an American Community Survey analysis from the U.S. Census Bureau. The percentage of people in the state without insurance fell from 9.9% in 2021 to 8.8% the following year, a 1.1% percentage point decrease. That was nearly double the 0.6% […]
Some states back hospital mergers despite record of service cuts, price hikes
Some illnesses and injuries — say, a broken ankle — can send you to numerous health care providers. You might start at urgent care but end up in the emergency room. Referred to an orthopedist, you might eventually land in an outpatient surgery center. Four different stops on your road to recovery. But as supersized […]
Sluggish start to Georgia’s modest expansion of Medicaid reignites debate over health policies
Fewer than 300 people have been approved for Georgia’s new Medicaid program for some low-income adults who rack up enough hours of work, or other qualifying activity, each month. The program, which launched July 1, is being closely watched nationally as Georgia becomes the only state to require work or the equivalent for low-income adults […]
Ohio voters are deciding if it’s too easy to pass ballot measures. Other states are watching
CLEVELAND — Ohioans over the last century have used the state’s ballot initiative process to pass constitutional amendments that raised the minimum wage, integrated the National Guard and removed the phrase “white male” from the constitution’s list of voter eligibility requirements. Now, lawmakers want to make it much tougher for an initiative to be approved. […]
Alabama could look to Arkansas’ version of Medicaid expansion. Here’s how it works
As Alabama lawmakers appear to warm up to the idea of Medicaid expansion, Arkansas has emerged as a potential model for the program. The Alabama Hospital Association has previously stated they are working on an “Alabama-specific” model that draws from the best of other states, with Arkansas as a major source. Arkansas expanded Medicaid in […]
For uninsured older adults, waiting to turn 65 can be a matter of life or death
Wanda Bryant said turning 65 was “the best thing that happened to me.” She reached that age in January, making her eligible for Medicare. Until her birthday, Bryant, a Birmingham retiree, had not had health insurance for 20 years. In December, a foot ailment left her reeling, and forced her to go to the UAB […]
The road to Alabama Medicaid expansion might run through an insurer’s pockets
Alabama doesn’t have a popular referendum system, where voters can bypass the Legislature and put measures on the ballot themselves. But I can think of a few proposals that would be near-locks for passage. A lottery? Lots of people want that. I’m not sold on the merits, but the fact is that Alabama is the […]
Postpartum Medicaid expansion is the first step to maternal health equity, experts say
Arkansas has the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States: 43.5 deaths from 2018 to 2021 for every 100,000 live births, according to the latest federal data. But the state only extends postpartum Medicaid to 60 days after childbirth. A bill by Arkansas Rep. Aaron Pilkington, R-Knoxville, aims to change that and would seek […]
Alabama hospitals pitch Medicaid expansion to House committee
Republicans in the Alabama Legislature have resisted Medicaid expansion for years. But an Alabama House committee meeting Wednesday suggested some willingness to discuss the issue – even if a plan to do so wasn’t specifically mentioned. The House Health Committee held what Rep. Paul Lee, R-Dothan, the chair of the committee, called an educational meeting […]
Alabama House Health committee to discuss health coverage for uninsured
The Alabama House Health Committee for the House will discuss how to cover the uninsured in the coverage gap at its Wednesday meeting, said Rep. Craig Lipscomb, R-Rainbow City, the vice-chair of the committee. Alabamians making between 18% ($4,475) and 100% ($24,860) of the federal poverty rate for a family of three typically live in […]
At Medicaid expansion rally, speakers describe struggles without insurance
One day last year, Jesse Odland, a 41-year-old from Huntsville, couldn’t walk out of work. He soon learned he had 45 to 50 pounds of fluid in his system. He could not put his shoes on. He was bedridden for about three months. He had no insurance. Odland said that when he or his family […]