Medicaid Expansion

Alabama Arise is proud to be a member of the Cover Alabama Coalition, a group of advocates, businesses, faith leaders and health care professionals making the case for Medicaid expansion. Click here to learn more about Cover Alabama.

Hundreds of thousands of Alabama adults have no health coverage. Tens of thousands of them suffer daily because they can't afford treatment for chronic health conditions like cancer, diabetes or heart disease. Hundreds die every year as a result. Meanwhile, eight rural hospitals have closed in Alabama since 2011, and many others are at risk of the same fate.

Medicaid expansion would reduce human suffering and strengthen Alabama's health care system. It would save lives and deliver financial peace of mind to families who desperately need it. And it would create jobs and generate tax revenues by pumping billions of federal dollars into the state's economy. Arise's research reveals why Medicaid expansion is the right choice for Alabama from economic, health and moral standpoints.

Featured Resources

Personal Stories

When Alabama Medicaid waiver services disappear, independence is at risk

A year after Alabama Arise first shared Angel Garrett’s story(opens in new tab), the DeKalb County writer and disability advocate is speaking out again. In this new personal video essay, Angel shares why she believes people with disabilities are at risk of losing hard-won progress — and why protecting Medicaid waiver services is essential to [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
August 17, 2026
Author
Whit Sides
Personal Stories

Rev. Shane Isner advocates for affordable healthcare for all Alabamians – including his own family

As someone who centers his work on bridging gaps for those in need, Rev. Shane Isner realized he also had his own story to share.

Issues
Budgets, Health, Tax Reform, Medicaid Expansion
Date
June 17, 2026
Author
Whit Sides
Fact Sheet

2026 Alabama election guide – election information

Key dates for the 2026 elections Runoff election: Tuesday, June 16, 2026 May 29 was the deadline to hand-deliver a voter registration form for the runoff. June 1 was the deadline to register online or postmark registration forms delivered by mail. The election manager must receive absentee ballot applications by June 9 (by mail) or [...]
Issues
Health, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Voting Rights, Medicaid Expansion
Date
June 12, 2026
Author
Matt Okarmus
Resources

Frequently asked questions: Why Medicaid matters for Alabamians

What is Medicaid? Medicaid is a joint federal and state program that provides health insurance for families and individuals with low incomes. It helps ensure access to essential healthcare services, such as doctor visits, hospital stays, prescription medications and preventive care. Who does Medicaid serve in Alabama? Medicaid serves some of Alabama’s most vulnerable populations, [...]
Issues
Medicaid Expansion, Health
Date
May 22, 2026
Author
Debbie Smith
Fact Sheet

Close Alabama’s health coverage gap: Enact policies to save lives

No one should have to choose between going to the doctor and putting food on the table. But for more than a decade, Alabama lawmakers have turned down the opportunity to expand Medicaid to cover adults with low incomes. This choice has cost lives, weakened our healthcare system and left billions of federal dollars unused. [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
May 20, 2026
Author
Debbie Smith
Personal Stories

‘Resilient communities begin with healthy people, period’

Warren Alan Tidwell has spent years doing work that depends on trust. He does the slow, often unseen work of bringing people together across differences after an emergency.

Issues
Medicaid Expansion, Tax Reform, Health, Budgets
Date
May 5, 2026
Author
Whit Sides
Fact Sheet

2026 Alabama election guide – candidate questions

2026 election questions Where do candidates stand? Meeting and talking with candidates as they campaign for your vote helps shape the conversation and let them know which issues are most important to their constituents. Below are some questions you can ask and info you can share when meeting candidates. Please let us know what you [...]
Issues
Safety Net, Medicaid Expansion, Voting Rights, Tax Reform, Health
Date
May 1, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Fact Sheet

Closing the health coverage gap: Alabama must enact policies to save lives

Haga clic aquí para leer esto en español. By Jennifer Harris, senior health policy advocate, and Debbie Smith, Cover Alabama campaign director As Alabama enters the 2026 legislative session, Medicaid expansion and maternal health will be central to the state’s health equity conversations. Recent federal policy changes have made these conversations more urgent and more [...]
Issues
Health, Medicaid Expansion
Date
January 13, 2026
Author
Alabama Arise
Resources

Las prioridades legislativas de Alabama Arise para 2026

Más de 150 grupos miembros de Alabama Arise y más de 1,500 miembros individuales eligen todos los años nuestras prioridades legislativas. Este proceso garantiza que los habitantes de Alabama más afectados por la pobreza participen de las decisiones. A continuación se enumeran las prioridades que nuestros miembros eligieron para 2025. Para obtener una versión de este [...]
Issues
Health, Criminal Justice, Budgets, Public Transportation, Safety Net, Tax Reform, Other Issues, Economic Opportunity, Voting Rights, Coronavirus, Medicaid Expansion
Date
December 18, 2025
Author
Alabama Arise
Member Resources

Alabama Arise 2026 legislative priorities

More than 150 Alabama Arise member groups and nearly 2,000 individual members choose our legislative priorities each year. This process ensures that Alabamians most impacted by poverty have a seat at the table. Below are the priorities that our members selected for 2026. For a PDF version of this document, click here or click the [...]
Issues
Other Issues, Medicaid Expansion, Voting Rights, Economic Opportunity, Tax Reform, Safety Net, Public Transportation, Housing, Health, Criminal Justice, Budgets
Date
November 4, 2025
Author
Alabama Arise

Issue Expert

Debbie Smith

Cover Alabama Campaign Director
Email

The Latest on this Issue

When Alabama Medicaid waiver services disappear, independence is at risk
Rev. Shane Isner advocates for affordable healthcare for all Alabamians – including his own family
2026 Alabama election guide – election information
Frequently asked questions: Why Medicaid matters for Alabamians
Close Alabama’s health coverage gap: Enact policies to save lives