AL HJR121

Urges Governor Kay Ivey to immediately expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and rural health care crisis in Alabama.

Cites that approximately 397,000 uninsured Alabamians would become eligible for low-cost health insurance through Medicaid expansion, with an estimated 13,000 uninsured veterans and their spouses also gaining coverage.

Notes that 17 Alabama hospitals have closed since 2011, with 88 percent of remaining rural hospitals and 75 percent of all Alabama hospitals operating at a loss due to uninsured patients.

Projects that Medicaid expansion would create 30,000 new jobs, generate $11.37 billion in increased economic activity over three years, and produce roughly $3 billion annually thereafter.

Emphasizes Alabama's poor health rankings, including the second highest heart disease death rate (224.7 per 100,000 people) and fifth highest infant mortality rate (7.38 per 1,000 live births) in the nation.