Alabamians Join Southerners in Eight States to Fight for Medicaid Expansion

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MONTGOMERY-Medicaid expansion supporters in eight Southern states that have rejected the option are uniting to demand affordable health care for essential workers, communities of color and rural hospitals.

The newly formed Southerners for Medicaid Expansion coalition will host a Facebook Live event on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 11 a.m. CDT. The Southern Storyteller Spotlight will feature a special preview of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network short film “On the Edge: Health Care in Alabama” by award-winning filmmaker Ky Dickens. Part of ACSCAN’s Medicaid Covers US public education project, the documentary closely follows the challenges facing Alabamians who lack comprehensive and affordable health insurance coverage. Advocates from Alabama will be joined by their coalition partners from Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas to lift up the voices and experiences of Southerners who have been harmed by our states’ refusal to expand Medicaid.

 

Jane Adams

Every Thursday for three weeks, a different Southern state will feature a personal voice in the Southern Storyteller Spotlight to share how the denial of Medicaid expansion has put their residents at risk, led to rural hospital closures and exacerbated health disparities. The Southern Storyteller Spotlight series will culminate Oct. 1 with simultaneous candlelight vigils across the region. The action of solidarity and remembrance will honor the lives of people who are suffering from the denial of access to health care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Profile photo of Ginny Campbell

Ginny Campbell

“There has never been a more urgent time for Southerners to unite and fight for health coverage,” said Jane Adams, campaign director of the Cover Alabama Coalition. “Our region’s legacy of poverty and racial injustice only compounds the threat of COVID-19. With 56 rural hospital closures since 2014 and 7.5 million people who are uninsured, these eight states have been sliding backward for too long. It’s time to follow the lead of Arkansas, Kentucky and Louisiana and move forward with expanding Medicaid.”

“Our Southern states are significantly and disproportionately affected by cancer,” said Ginny Campbell, ACS CAN Government Relations Director. “Expanding Medicaid would promote earlier cancer detection, leading to fewer deaths and improved health outcomes for patients during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.”


Media Release/Jane Adams
Campaign Director | Cover Alabama Coalition

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