“[Gov. Kay] Ivey’s inaugural speech laid out a vision for a prosperous future for Alabama,” Arise’s Jim Carnes writes in The Anniston Star. “There’s no better way to jumpstart our state’s third century than by expanding Medicaid.”
Category: In the News
Thousands could now qualify for hardship licenses
Thousands or more Alabamians with revoked or suspended licenses may be able to qualify for hardship licenses. “These hardship licenses will allow people to drive to work, to school, to the doctor, to take their kids and their family members to those places and to do all their basic necessities of daily life,” said Dev Wakeley, a policy analyst for Alabama Arise.
Government shutdown and Alabama food stamps: What you need to know
“There’s no guarantee that this shutdown is going to end, even in February,” said Carol Gundlach, policy analyst for nonprofit Alabama Arise. “If we roll into March, what is going to be a problem will turn into a catastrophe.”
AL ranked third for most higher education cuts since recession
Over the last decade only two states have cut their state funding for higher education, per student, more than Alabama. This is according to a report released Thursday by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Between 2008 and 2018, Alabama has cut $4,290 per student for higher education. Here is how Alabama compares to other states.
High uninsured rates plague Alabama’s rural areas, new report shows
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 by Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) and the University of North Carolina’s NC Rural Health Research Program.
Fight hunger in Alabama by protecting food assistance and strengthening school meals
The thought of a hungry child moves all of us to want to help. Alabamians are among the most generous people in the nation. We give generously to charities fighting childhood hunger, including food banks and food closets from which local agencies and churches distribute food to hungry families.
Alabama Voices: Expanding Medicaid would improve Alabama’s health, budgets and economy
Imagine being an Alabama leader and having a tool at your disposal that could help families, strengthen the workforce, save rural hospitals, fight opioid addiction, improve the state’s health status and grow the economy.
The only catch: It was created by members of another political party. That’s the dilemma that has kept Alabama from expanding Medicaid for the last eight years.
Opinion: Governor Ivey should withdraw catch-22 Medicaid plan
We can’t create a healthier Alabama by taking away people’s health insurance. That’s why Gov. Kay Ivey should withdraw a plan that would punish families by stripping Medicaid coverage from thousands of parents who live in deep poverty.
Lack of affordable housing ‘at crisis levels’ across Alabama
Right now Alabama is 77,000 housing units short for low income families. The crisis was compounded by the April 2011 tornadoes which wiped out many homes. Advocates say the situation is leaving many in substandard housing conditions. ABC 33/40 talked with a state lawmaker and Arise Citizens’ Policy Project about the problem and potential solutions.
Advocates say Medicaid work proposals will target women
Ashley Edwards had a few questions Monday about a move to impose work requirements on a small and mostly-female population receiving Medicaid benefits.
“Who is going to help recipients find gainful employment?” Edwards said at a public hearing on the proposed changes. “Who will provide child care for recipients who get gainful employment? Will new caseworkers be hired or will the state rely on already-overburdened workers?”