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.

Fact Sheet

Universal school breakfast helps Alabama children learn and thrive

School breakfast helps kids learn: Children who start the day with breakfast learn better. They have better classroom participation and are less likely to skip school than kids who don’t get breakfast. But tight family budgets and stressful mornings mean many children arrive at school hungry. School breakfast can help fill this gap. School, bus [...]
Issues
Safety Net, Other Issues, Budgets, Health
Date
August 26, 2024
Author
Carol Gundlach
Fact Sheet

Expand Medicaid to save moms and babies in Alabama

Where you live shouldn’t impact whether you get health care. But many women face preventable barriers to obtaining maternal health care in Alabama. Closing Alabama’s health coverage gap through Medicaid expansion is an essential part of the solution. Alabama has experienced a steady rate of labor and delivery department closures in recent years, creating several maternity [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
August 20, 2024
Author
Debbie Smith
Fact Sheet

Summer EBT for 2025

A state appropriation for Summer EBT will ensure $40 in food benefits per summer month for more than 500,000 eligible Alabama children ages 5-17.   1 in 4 Alabama children are food insecure. Too many of our children don’t know where their next meal will come from. Because of systemic barriers to food access, a [...]
Issues
Budgets, Health, Safety Net
Date
August 1, 2024
Author
LaTrell Clifford Wood
Fact Sheet

Close the health coverage gap for Alabama’s veterans

Many Alabama veterans face preventable barriers to obtaining health care. Closing our state’s health coverage gap through Medicaid expansion is an essential part of the solution. Approximately 10,000 Alabama veterans are uninsured. In 2022, half of Alabama veterans who were uninsured had an income below 138% of the federal poverty level (FPL), which is the [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
May 14, 2024
Author
Suhas Kellampalli
Fact Sheet

Summer EBT for 2025

A $15 million appropriation for Summer EBT would reduce hunger by providing eligible Alabama children $40 per summer month for food. 1 in 4 Alabama children are food insecure. Hundreds of thousands of Alabama children don’t know where their next meal will come from. And a disproportionate amount of food insecure children come from communities [...]
Issues
Budgets, Health, Safety Net, Economic Opportunity
Date
April 2, 2024
Author
Alabama Arise
Fact Sheet

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 health coverage gap. The vast majority of people who would gain coverage through Medicaid [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
April 2, 2024
Author
Alabama Arise
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, Budgets, 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, Safety Net, Other Issues
Date
February 1, 2024
Author
LaTrell Clifford Wood
All Issue Resources