Category: News Releases

High uninsured rates plague Alabama’s rural areas, show need to expand Medicaid

By Chris Sanders

Alabama’s small towns and rural areas have among the highest rates of uninsured low-income adult citizens in the country, and residents there are more likely to be uninsured than those in metro areas, according to a new report released Sept. 25, 2018, by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the University of North Carolina’s NC Rural Health Research Program.

The uninsured rate for Alabama adults with low incomes is 36 percent in rural communities and small towns, and 29 percent in metro areas. Both rates are much higher than the national averages of 26 percent for rural areas and 18 percent for metro areas. Even in states that have not expanded Medicaid to cover adults with low wages, those rates have declined on average over the last decade.

But that progress has not reached many parts of Alabama, where the uninsured rate for low-income adults in rural areas and small towns was virtually unchanged between 2008-09 and 2015-16, the report found. And the Medicaid “work requirement” plan that Alabama has submitted for federal approval would drive the uninsured rate even higher by stripping Medicaid coverage from thousands of parents in poverty. Virtually all of those parents would be left with no realistic alternative for affordable coverage.

“Not only has Alabama failed to move forward on health coverage, but now our state is seeking to move backward by leaving even more people uninsured,” Alabama Arise policy director Jim Carnes said. “Alabama should drop its cruel efforts to punish people living in poverty and focus instead on expanding Medicaid so all Alabamians can get the care they need to become and stay healthy. Medicaid expansion would save hundreds of lives, create thousands of jobs and keep rural hospitals and clinics open to serve residents across our state.”

States that expanded Medicaid saw more than three times as large a decline in the uninsured rates for low-income adults living in rural areas and small towns than non-expansion states experienced between 2008-09 and 2015-16, the report found. Nationally, the uninsured rate for low-income adults fell by more than half – from 35 percent to 16 percent – in rural areas and small towns in states that expanded Medicaid. For states that have not expanded, the decline was much smaller: from 38 percent to 32 percent.

“Medicaid expansion would reduce the uninsured rate for residents across the entire state; however, the most dramatic improvement likely would be felt in small towns and rural areas of Alabama,” Georgetown CCF executive director Joan Alker said. “Improved coverage rates typically translate to a more stable health care system and help rural areas and small towns maintain availability of health care providers in areas where shortages are all too common. Access to rural health providers is especially important to women of child-bearing age and those with chronic conditions like asthma.”

In Alabama and elsewhere, jobs tend to be scarcer in rural areas and small towns, meaning fewer people have health insurance through their employers. And many of the jobs available in these communities – like farming and small businesses – are less likely to come with health benefits. Ten of the 11 Alabama counties with the highest unemployment rates in July 2018 were rural counties.

Alabama’s persistently high rate of uninsured adults shows the need for Medicaid expansion

By Chris Sanders

New U.S. Census data show that the share of uninsured Alabamians increased between 2016 and 2017 and remained higher than the national average. Alabama Arise policy director Jim Carnes issued the following statement in response on Thursday, Sept. 13, 2018:

“The White House’s efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act and Alabama’s refusal to expand Medicaid are making life worse for hundreds of thousands of people across our state. These bad policy choices are serving as barriers separating people from affordable health coverage.

“Alabama’s steady gains in health insurance coverage since 2013 took a turn for the worse last year, this week’s new Census data show. The share of Alabamians without health insurance coverage rose to 9.4 percent in 2017, up from 9.1 percent the previous year and above the national average of 8.8 percent. These are trends in the wrong direction, and they’re the result of intentional policy choices.

“The Trump administration eroded ACA coverage by slashing funding for federal outreach and advertising to promote open enrollment for Marketplace coverage. In Congress, repeated attempts to repeal the ACA created public confusion over the status of the law. And in Alabama, the state’s ongoing refusal to expand Medicaid has left about 300,000 people trapped in a coverage gap, making too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to receive subsidies for Marketplace plans.

“It’s time to stop undermining health coverage and start investing in it. The White House should stop attacking the ACA. Congress should shore up funding for Marketplace outreach and enrollment assistance. And Gov. Kay Ivey should expand Medicaid to save our rural hospitals, create thousands of jobs and make Alabama healthier.”

Medicaid expansion, end to grocery tax highlight Alabama Arise’s 2019 priorities

By Chris Sanders

Medicaid expansion and legislation to end the state sales tax on groceries are among the top goals on Alabama Arise’s 2019 legislative agenda. More than 200 Arise members picked the organization’s issue priorities at its annual meeting Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018, in Montgomery. The seven issues 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 protect and expand Medicaid.
  • State funding for the newly created Public Transportation Trust Fund.
  • Consumer protections to limit high-interest payday loans and auto title loans in Alabama.
  • Legislation to establish automatic universal voter registration in Alabama.
  • Reforms to Alabama’s criminal justice debt policies, including changes related to cash bail and civil asset forfeiture.
  • Reforms to Alabama’s death penalty system, including a moratorium on executions.

“Public policy barriers block the path to real opportunity and justice for far too many Alabamians,” Alabama Arise executive director Robyn Hyden said. “We’re excited to unveil our 2019 blueprint to build a more just, inclusive state and make it easier for all families to make ends meet.”

Alabama’s failure to expand Medicaid to cover adults with low wages has trapped about 300,000 people in a coverage gap, making too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to receive subsidies for Marketplace coverage under the Affordable Care Act. Expanding Medicaid would save hundreds of lives, create thousands of jobs and pump hundreds of millions of dollars a year into Alabama’s economy. Expansion also would help keep rural hospitals and clinics open across the state.

The state grocery tax is another harmful policy choice that works against Alabamians’ efforts to get ahead. Alabama is one of only three states with no sales tax break on groceries. (Mississippi and South Dakota are the others.) The grocery tax essentially acts as a tax on survival, adding hundreds of dollars a year to the cost of a basic necessity of life. The tax also is a key driver of Alabama’s upside-down tax system, which on average forces families with low and moderate incomes to pay twice as much of what they make in state and local taxes as the richest Alabamians do.

Alabama’s costly catch-22 Medicaid waiver plan would punish parents in poverty

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project policy director Jim Carnes issued the following statement Monday, July 2, 2018, in response to Alabama Medicaid’s submission of a “work requirement” proposal for federal approval:

“Alabama Medicaid’s work requirement proposal would create a no-win situation for thousands of parents living in deep poverty. They’ll lose health coverage if they don’t get a job – and if they do.

“This proposal is a catch-22. Because Alabama hasn’t expanded Medicaid, a mother with two kids is ineligible if she works just 10 hours a week at minimum wage. If she met the proposed work requirement, she would earn too much for Medicaid, but not nearly enough to afford private coverage. When parents lose their insurance, children are less likely to have regular doctor visits and more likely to become uninsured themselves.

“On the same day Alabama submitted its proposal, a federal court struck down Kentucky’s plan to impose a work requirement and other restrictions on people covered by Medicaid expansion. That ruling, against a state with a much more generous Medicaid program than Alabama’s, highlights our state’s risk of a similar costly lawsuit.

“Any way you look at it, this proposal is nothing more than an expensive plan for denying health coverage to parents in deep poverty. Instead of punishing struggling families, our leaders need a vision for a healthier Alabama. We urge Gov. Ivey to save tax dollars, cut red tape and save lives by withdrawing this misguided plan.”

U.S. Senate vote to protect SNAP is great news for Alabama

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project executive director Kimble Forrister issued the following statement Thursday, June 28, 2018, in response to the U.S. Senate’s 86-11 vote for a Farm Bill that protects and strengthens the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

“SNAP helps nearly 900,000 Alabamians make ends meet, and we’re pleased that the Senate voted overwhelmingly today for a Farm Bill that protects this essential tool to reduce hunger and poverty. We especially want to thank Senators Doug Jones and Richard Shelby for supporting the bill and opposing an amendment that would have made harmful changes to SNAP.

“Strengthening SNAP – not cutting it as the House Farm Bill proposes – is the right path forward. We urge Senators Jones and Shelby to work to ensure that the final conference agreement retains the Senate’s bipartisan protections of SNAP. And we urge the members of Alabama’s House delegation to join them in safeguarding food assistance for struggling families who need help.”

House Farm Bill would take food assistance from thousands of Alabamians, hurt rural communities

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project executive director Kimble Forrister issued the following statement Thursday, June 21, 2018, in response to the U.S. House’s passage of a Farm Bill that would cut food assistance for millions of Americans:

“The U.S. House just voted to make life harder for tens of thousands of Alabamians. The House Farm Bill would increase hunger and hardship across Alabama and across the country by undercutting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This program helps nearly 900,000 Alabamians afford groceries and lifts 195,000 of them out of poverty.

“SNAP plays an essential role in supporting Alabama’s economy, improving public health and boosting rural communities. But the House bill would shift funding away from food assistance to a new, unworkable and underfunded employment and training system that would do little to help people actually find jobs. This move would take away or cut food assistance for millions of struggling Americans, including children, seniors, veterans, people with disabilities, low-wage workers, and people who lost their jobs.

“The Senate is pursuing a better approach, with a bipartisan Farm Bill that protects SNAP and makes meaningful investments in job training. We urge Senators Doug Jones and Richard Shelby to support the Senate bill and reject any harmful amendments that would cut SNAP for struggling Americans. We need a Farm Bill that supports our communities, strengthens food assistance and invests in comprehensive job training and education programs to give low-wage workers the opportunity to climb the economic ladder.”

Congress should embrace Farm Bill without SNAP cuts, following lead of U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee vote

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project executive director Kimble Forrister issued the following statement Wednesday, June 13, 2018, in response to the U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee’s vote to approve a Farm Bill that protects and strengthens the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP):

“SNAP plays a vital role in feeding tens of millions of children, parents, seniors, people with disabilities, and working people with low pay and inconsistent hours. We applaud the Senate Agriculture Committee’s approval of a Farm Bill that protects this essential investment. SNAP is an effective tool to reduce hunger and poverty, and protecting and strengthening it – not cutting it as proposed in the House Farm Bill – is the right way forward.

“The bipartisan Senate bill does not take food assistance away from eligible households. Instead, it builds on SNAP’s strong history as a work support by allowing more states to participate in SNAP employment and training pilot programs and by dedicating more funding to pilot work programs. These changes will help ensure that investments in job training are proven to work before they are expanded on a larger scale.

“Alabamians across the political spectrum have long agreed that we share a responsibility to keep our neighbors from going hungry. We urge Senators Doug Jones and Richard Shelby to support the Senate Farm Bill that strengthens SNAP and makes meaningful investments in job training for low-wage SNAP participants. We also urge Senators Jones and Shelby to oppose any floor amendments that would cut SNAP or make harmful changes to take away food assistance from struggling families who need help.”

U.S. House vote against Farm Bill shows need to reject SNAP cuts, take bipartisan approach to fighting hunger

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project policy analyst Carol Gundlach issued the following statement Friday, May 18, 2018, in response to the U.S. House vote against a Farm Bill that would have cut food assistance for millions of struggling Americans:

“The U.S. House was right to reject a harmful Farm Bill that would have left millions of Americans poorer and hungrier. Congress should abandon this effort to cut food assistance for struggling families and return to our country’s long-standing bipartisan commitment to fighting hunger.

“This flawed Farm Bill would have hurt the economy and deepened poverty by imposing costly, unnecessary new paperwork requirements for participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). These changes would have taken food off the table for tens of thousands of families across Alabama, including children, seniors, parents, veterans, and people with disabilities.

“Alabamians across the political spectrum have long agreed that we share a responsibility to keep our neighbors from going hungry. We urge our state’s House delegation and Senators Doug Jones and Richard Shelby to oppose SNAP cuts that would hurt everyday Americans. They instead should embrace a bipartisan Farm Bill that strengthens SNAP, supports our communities and makes meaningful investments in job training to give low-wage workers an opportunity to climb the economic ladder.”

Proposed CHIP cut would hurt Alabama’s working families

By Chris Sanders

Arise Citizens’ Policy Project policy director Jim Carnes issued the following statement Wednesday, May 9, 2018, in response to President Trump’s proposal to cut $7 billion from the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):

“The last thing Alabama parents need is yet more uncertainty about their children’s health coverage. But just four months after Congress reached an agreement on long-term CHIP funding, President Trump is seeking to go back on the deal by cutting $7 billion from the program. Violating this year’s bipartisan agreement would sound an alarm not just for CHIP but for the prospect of meaningful action on any other vital issues facing Congress in the future.

“This proposed cut would undermine CHIP, which provides health coverage for 173,000 Alabama children, including 85,000 on ALL Kids. The cut would do major damage to a rainy day account that protects CHIP against unexpected enrollment increases caused by economic downturns or natural disasters. It also could set the stage for lower federal support for CHIP in the future.

“Alabama knows all too well how suddenly calamities can occur, and it’s essential to ensure CHIP can afford to cover all the kids who need it. Millions of American families, including tens of thousands across Alabama, already endured months of uncertainty after Congress let CHIP funding expire before approving a 10-year extension. These hard-working parents deserve to know those worries are behind them.

“Early statements from the administration have sent mixed messages about what effect the cuts will have. But no matter how you slice it, a $7 billion reduction in CHIP funding would be bad news for children’s health coverage. Alabama’s members of Congress should protect children and working families by rejecting this harmful cut.”

Alabama Arise names Robyn Hyden as next executive director

By Chris Sanders

The Board of Directors of Alabama Arise has chosen Robyn Hyden as the organization’s next executive director. Hyden will begin her tenure in July. She will take over for Arise’s current executive director, Kimble Forrister, who will retire in June after 27 years leading the organization.

Hyden joins Arise from the United Way of Central Alabama, where she has served as director of grants management in the Department of Community Initiatives since 2017. Previously, Hyden worked as a North Alabama organizer for Arise and directed development and communications efforts at the Birmingham-based nonprofits Urban Ministry and Alabama Possible. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in anthropology from Vanderbilt University.

“Alabama Arise’s members are our state’s most outspoken advocates for dignity, justice and power for people in poverty,” Hyden said. “Arise is at the forefront of organizing grassroots advocacy, holding elected officials accountable and producing trusted policy analysis – work that is now more important than ever. I am honored and humbled to carry this work forward with Arise’s amazing staff, members and board.”

Arise Board President Cindy Lowry praised Hyden’s track record in fundraising and organizing and touted her relationships with civic organizations and faith-based groups across Alabama.

“Robyn has what we believe to be the right attributes – passion, commitment and professionalism – to lead this organization into the future,” Lowry said. “As a former organizer for Arise, she knows the organization very well and has a vision that will build on our history and strengths. Through her words and actions, we know she is fully committed to Arise and our mission.”

Forrister, Arise’s outgoing director, also offered praise for Hyden.

“Robyn brings just what Arise needs: a vision for where we need to go, a vision grounded in deep relationships with a network of change-makers,” Forrister said. “She’s a collaborator. She listens. And she’s thoughtful. She steps in at a time when our staff, board and membership are strong and eager to engage the issues of 2019.”