Health

No one should have to go without the medical care they need simply because they can’t afford it. Investments in Medicaid, ALL Kids, mental health care and other health services help Alabamians stay healthy and productive, and they lay the foundation for a future where all of our residents have a chance to thrive, regardless of their income or background.

Arise works to identify and eliminate the structural barriers that prevent many of our friends and neighbors across the state from accessing the health care they need. We examine how a variety of policy solutions, including Medicaid expansion, would help break down those walls and strengthen the health care infrastructure on which all Alabamians rely.

Personal Stories

‘I just thought things were the same everywhere’

Medicaid coverage was a vital lifeline for Saraland resident Jolene Dybas as she recovered from a health emergency. But after losing that coverage during the Medicaid unwinding period, she has had to go without needed health care.

Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
March 25, 2024
Author
Whit Sides
Fact Sheet

How can Alabama ensure Summer EBT for 2025?

Inspired by Pandemic EBT (P-EBT), Summer EBT provides $120 in SNAP benefits per categorically eligible child throughout the summer months.

Issues
Economic Opportunity, Health, Safety Net
Date
March 11, 2024
Author
LaTrell Clifford Wood
Fact Sheet

It’s time for Alabama to prove we care about mothers and children

Healthy parents and healthy children mean a healthier future for Alabama. Comprehensive maternal and infant health care investments are crucial to ensure the health and safety of both infants and Alabamians of child-bearing age, especially postpartum mothers, pregnant women and future mothers. Alabama Arise envisions a world in which each successive generation is ensured a [...]
Issue
Health
Date
February 2, 2024
Author
Akiesha Anderson
Fact Sheet

Universal school breakfast would benefit Alabama’s children in many ways

Universal school breakfast would improve areas such as child hunger, chronic absenteeism, adolescent mental health and standardized testing.

Issues
Health, Other
Date
February 1, 2024
Author
LaTrell Clifford Wood
Personal Stories

‘No one should have to go through what I did’

When Diana Isom became pregnant with her first son, Keenan, back in 2021, it was what she’d always wanted.

“My husband and I had been trying for years. I was so happy, but immediately started thinking about timing,” Diana said.

Timing is always a big consideration for most first-time parents, but for Diana and her husband, Luke, things were a little more complicated. When Luke lost his job suddenly, he had to start training in a new technical field. This meant he lost the private health coverage they had previously.

Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
January 10, 2024
Author
Whit Sides
Resources

Alabama Arise toolkit on the Medicaid ‘unwinding’ period

Alabamians at every income level should be able to get the health care they need to survive and thrive. Medicaid plays a vital role toward meeting that goal, providing health coverage for more than 1 million Alabamians with low incomes. But tens of thousands of Alabamians may lose their Medicaid coverage by June 2024 in a process called “unwinding.”

Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
August 23, 2023
Author
Alabama Arise
Personal Stories

See the Gap: ‘Medicaid expansion would end up creating more revenue for the business’

Just outside the Forecast Salon in Homewood is a gigantic mural painted along the wall. It features every color of the rainbow jumping out into the street. You’re up close with a 10-foot disco ball painted right beside a unicorn and two massive blue and purple manicured coifs. Forecast’s owner Brittany McNaughton (friends call her [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
July 27, 2023
Author
Whit Sides
Personal Stories

See the Gap: ‘I needed help but couldn’t afford it’

The smiles in Eryn Mullins’ photos jump off the screen. But she’ll be the first to tell you it wasn’t always this way. “I was on my dad’s insurance, and then suddenly, I wasn’t. I was uninsured for three years after that,” Eryn said.

Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
July 13, 2023
Author
Whit Sides
Newsletter

June 2023 newsletter

The June 2023 newsletter features a recap of the 2023 Alabama legislative session as well as coverage from our Legislative Day.

Issues
Criminal Justice, Health, Housing, Tax Reform, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion, Budgets
Date
June 28, 2023
Author
Matt Okarmus
Fact Sheet

It’s time to expand Medicaid and close Alabama’s coverage gap

Here are five reasons it’s time to expand Medicaid and close Alabama’s coverage gap: Nearly 300,000 Alabamians with low incomes would benefit from Medicaid expansion. People in the coverage gap earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough for an affordable private health insurance plan on the Marketplace. This leaves them in the [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
April 10, 2023
Author
Alabama Arise
All Issue Resources