Advocacy

AARP Alabama would like to thank the Alabama Legislature for the passage of legislation today that will ensure full funding for Medicaid in fiscal year 2017.

Contact: Jamie Harding

Tomorrow morning could be Alabama's best -- and likely last -- chance this session to see payday lending reform pass. The House Financial Services Committee is meeting on Wednesday, April 27, 2016, to vote on SB 91, sponsored by Sen. Arthur Orr, R-Decatur, which models Colorado’s payday loan reform laws.

It is not an overstatement to say that the 2017 Medicaid budget passed by the Alabama Legislature will hurt frail, low-income seniors who count on critical Medicaid programs for prescription medication, outpatient dialysis and hospice care —and drastically reduce support to family caregivers.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a new AARP survey released today, 8 in 10 say that taking a stand on Social Security is a basic threshold for Presidential leadership. The survey of likely voters age 50+ also shows nearly 40% are dissatisfied with their retirement savings and nearly half of voters worry they won’t be able to achieve their financial goals over the next five years (49%). 4 in 10 (40%) still don’t know for certain which party’s presidential candidate they’ll choose in the 2016 general election.

The 2017 General Fund budget passed by the Alabama Legislature today will have a devastating impact on Alabama's health care delivery system. In overriding Governor’s Bentley’s veto of the budget, the Legislature has ensured that the state’s Medicaid program will be underfunded in fiscal year 2017 by at least $85 million. This underfunding of Medicaid impacts all Alabamians, because it impacts the health care delivery system throughout our state, whether services are delivered to Medicaid patients, Medicare patients, or the privately-insured.

“Tonight, the Alabama Legislature passed a 2016 General Fund Budget that cuts the Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS) by 4.6%. While this is a reduction from the cut of 9% that was passed by the House last Friday, it is still a very disappointing outcome for Alabama’s seniors.

On Friday, September 11, the Alabama House passed a General Fund budget that includes a 9% cut to the Alabama Department of Senior Services (ADSS). This deep cut to ADSS will have devastating consequences for Alabama’s seniors and their families. ADSS provides critical services for seniors under the Medicaid waiver program, including meals on wheels, prescription assistance, home health aides, and respite care for caregivers. Without these vital support services, many at-risk seniors will be unable to remain in their homes, where more than 90% would prefer to stay. Instead, many could be forced into institutional care.

With the Alabama Legislature going into a second special session today, AARP Alabama has joined more than 200 organizations, health care providers, and faith-based groups and churches across our state in urging the Legislature to find an equitable solution to the General Fund budget deficit. AARP Alabama has been particularly focused on fighting potential cuts to services that are critically important to older Alabamians and their families.

AARP Alabama will host a tele-townhall on Wednesday, September 2 at 10 AM CDT on the topic of the General Fund budget crisis. Joining us will be Governor Bentley's Chief of Staff, Seth Hammett; Christy Cain, Executive Director of the advocacy group Alabama Children First; and Jim Carnes from Alabama Arise.