By Rep. Johnny Mack Morrow
Governor Bentley, Del Marsh, Mac McCutcheon are the elected officials who determine the success or failure of proposed legislation in Alabama. They are all Republicans. They have a super majority which means that they can pass or kill any bill….any Legislation including Medicaid funding!
Medicaid funding in Alabama for FY 20017 is inadequate to fund Medicaid programs. What does this mean:
1. Many rural hospitals in Alabama will close, and their patients will have to go elsewhere for care.
2. Nursing Homes will release patients who depend on Medicaid. Patient care for these Individuals will be in the hands of their family.
3. Eliminating Medicaid programs such as dialysis is a death sentence for some. Dialysis costs around $70,000 per year according to the U.S. Renal Data System. This service will not be available to these individuals because they do not have the $70,000.
4.Poor children in Alabama will suffer and die because their families cannot afford health care for them.
Did Jesus not teach us to care for the least of these?
How can we as members of the Alabama Legislature just leave Montgomery after a failed Special Session and sleep at night? If we allow this to happen, we are all failures because we lacked the resolve to address the Medicaid crisis. Our inaction will lead to human suffering unimaginable.
Now is the time for strong leadership to inspire cooperation and compassion.
I say to Bentley, Marsh and McCutcheon: If you don’t have solutions to these Medicaid problems that Alabama is facing, THEN YOU ARE THE PROBLEM!
