Congress' plan to cut Medicaid threatens Alabama's rural communities

[yallerdawg]

Source: al.com, by Jim Carnes, policy director for Arise Citizens' Policy Project, a statewide nonprofit coalition of 150 congregations and organizations working to improve public policies that affect low-income Alabamians.

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Medicaid is a critical lifeline for 24 percent of Alabama's rural and small-town residents, and the deep cuts to Medicaid being considered right now by Congress would have a harmful and disproportionate impact on our children, seniors and families in need. 

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About 52 percent of children living in non-metro areas of Alabama are covered by Medicaid and ALLKids (known in other states as the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP), compared to 42 percent in metro areas. Nationally, the researchers found a direct connection between increases in Medicaid and CHIP coverage and reductions in the rate of uninsured children in small towns and rural areas.

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The study also found that Medicaid covers a higher percentage of adults living in small towns and rural areas (14 percent) than in our state's metro areas (11 percent). Many adults covered by Medicaid are parents or caregivers, and when they have health care coverage, they are better able to provide children with the care they need to grow and thrive. Medicaid also helps improve financial security by protecting the entire family against medical debt and bankruptcy.

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Medicaid is a lifeline for the rural parts of our state. It ensures that the most vulnerable among us -- children, seniors, and people with disabilities -- can get the care they need. It keeps our rural hospitals running and able to serve patients who otherwise would be forced to drive long distances to get care. City dwellers sometimes forget that rural health care can be a life-saver for any traveler who has a highway emergency.  

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Read it all at: http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2017/06/congress_plan_to_cut_medicaid.html#comments