Blog
Public policy should make life better for everyone, not just a select few. Throughout the year, Arise tracks a range of state and federal policy proposals and assesses what they would mean for Alabamians who are struggling to make ends meet. Our blog provides quick updates on these proposals and offers tips on what you can do to help build an Alabama where all people have an opportunity to reach their full potential.
Blog
Get covered: Open enrollment ends Dec. 15, 2019
The deadline to #GetCovered is one month away! Open enrollment for 2020 Marketplace health coverage under the Affordable Care Act ends Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019. Don’t miss your chance to make sure you’re covered in case of accident or illness. Visit healthcare.gov or call 800-318-2596 to explore your coverage options. And be sure to spread [...]
Blog
Expand Medicaid to shore up children’s health coverage in Alabama
Children’s health coverage has long been a point of pride for Alabama, and we can’t afford to backslide. But Alabama’s rate of uninsured children has moved in the wrong direction since 2016, according to a recent report from Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CCF). Our state’s uninsured rate for children (3.5%) remained one [...]
Blog
Medicaid expansion would help Alabama veterans meet their health care needs
Veterans Day gives Alabama a chance to shine. Our cities and towns hold parades and ceremonies each Nov. 11 to honor service members and to burnish the state’s reputation as a great place for veterans to retire. This year, as we celebrate those who have risked and sacrificed to defend our country, let’s remember a group [...]
Blog
Higher education cuts are undermining Alabama’s future
Shortchanging higher education is shortchanging Alabama’s future. It’s a harmful choice that’s limiting opportunity for people across our state. But better policy choices can create a more prosperous future and help all Alabamians reach their full potential. Alabama has slashed its per-student state higher education funding more than any other state over the last decade, [...]
Blog
You can help protect school meals for thousands of Alabama children
We alerted you this summer to a proposed rule that could deny 36,000 Alabamians access to food assistance under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP). By changing SNAP’s categorical eligibility requirements, this proposal would deny or reduce nutrition assistance to almost 3 million struggling Americans. But it turns out it’s even worse for children than [...]
Blog
Affordable child care is an investment in Alabama’s future
“Anybody who’s ever paid for child care knows it’s cheaper to pay for college sometimes.” That’s what I told AL.com’s Anna Claire Vollers about Alabama’s shortage of affordable child care. Her new article this week examines how expensive child care limits economic opportunity for struggling parents across our state. Quality, affordable child care is essential [...]
Blog
How Alabama can untax groceries and boost education
Alabama has two intertwined structural problems that, together, keep us from meeting our people’s most basic needs. One problem is that our state’s tax system is upside down. Rich people get huge tax breaks, forcing people with low and moderate incomes to make up the difference. The other problem is that this upside-down system doesn’t [...]
Blog
ACHN launch begins a new era for Alabama Medicaid
Alabama Medicaid reforms first envisioned six years ago are finally going into effect today. And Alabama Arise will work hard to ensure Medicaid's new structure keeps patient needs and consumer voices at the forefront. The new plan brings regional control and care coordination of primary care services through seven Alabama Coordinated Health Networks (ACHNs) serving [...]
Blog
Criminal justice study group offers Alabama a chance to set the right course toward reform
Alabama needs a criminal justice system that values the lives and well-being of everyone involved. Our state should treat people fairly, apply punishment humanely and focus on restoring offenders to productive roles in society. Alabama Arise is closely monitoring the Study Group on Criminal Justice Policy that Gov. Kay Ivey appointed in July. Former Alabama [...]
Fact Sheet
Meet the working men and women caught in Alabama’s health coverage gap
As we celebrate Alabama’s workforce on Labor Day, here’s a fact that deserves special attention: More than 100,000 Alabamians are working without health insurance. They work in child care, construction, food services and other vital jobs. They’re the folks who keep things going. Yet they’re trapped in the health coverage gap. They can’t afford employer-based [...]