“Medicaid expansion has moved forward now in 36 states, and those states’ Medicaid programs are doing very well with it. No state is trying to pull out,” Arise’s Jim Carnes tells Business Alabama.
“Everybody has shown improvements. New research is coming in all the time about health improvements resulting from Medicaid expansion and the positive economic impact of expansion. Rural hospitals in those states are significantly more stable than the ones in the non-expanded states.”
“The grocery tax is a tax on a basic necessity of life. It’s a tax on survival,” Arise’s Chris Sanders tells CBS 42 in Birmingham. “This is a tax that drives folks in poverty deeper into poverty. It makes it tougher for folks who are struggling to make ends meet to put food on the table and provide for their families.”
“We celebrate the improvements in Alabama’s rate, but there are some disturbing trends,” Arise’s Jim Carnes tells the Associated Press, including persistent racial disparities and a high number of births without prenatal care. “That is something we could impact in a huge way with Medicaid expansion.”
Alabama is the only state east of the Mississippi River to provide no state funding for public transportation. “That choice is limiting opportunities for folks. It’s limiting our economic development as a state,” Arise’s Chris Sanders tells CBS 42 in Birmingham.
Arise’s Robyn Hyden talked to the Foreword South podcast about Arise’s work to build a movement for change in Alabama. The discussion touches on the power of organizing, the importance of patience and the need to include everyone’s voice.
Listen to the interview on Foreword South starting around the 11:00 mark.
“Children’s health coverage has long been a point of pride for Alabama, and we can’t afford to backslide,” Arise’s Jim Carnes tells the Alabama Political Reporter. “ALL Kids and Medicaid have played huge roles in that success. And our state should build on those gains by expanding Medicaid to cover adults with low incomes as well.”
“The states that have expanded Medicaid showed less of a decline in children’s coverage,” Arise’s Jim Carnes tells WHNT 19 in Huntsville. “When parents have coverage in the family, the children are more likely to have coverage.”
“A lot of qualified students decide not to pursue the degree or to finish a degree program because they’re simply priced out of the opportunity to do so,” Arise’s Chris Sanders tells WBHM 90.3 in Birmingham. “So we are dissuading folks from pursuing their dreams. We’re reducing campus diversity, and we’re reducing opportunity for people to get ahead and build a better life for themselves and their families.”
Soaring college tuition means “we’re reducing campus diversity, and we’re reducing opportunity,” Arise’s Chris Sanders tells WSFA 12 in Montgomery. “A lot of jobs these days require two-year and four-year degrees. And if folks are priced out of that, they lose the opportunity to advance in their careers and pursue their dreams.”
“Anybody who’s ever paid for child care knows it’s cheaper to pay for college sometimes,” Arise’s Carol Gundlach tells AL.com. This story cites Arise research on Alabama’s shortage of affordable child care. It also examines how stronger state investment would help struggling parents.
