Time to expand Medicaid for rural Alabama

The health care needs of our state are growing and will continue to increase as underserved regions, particularly rural areas, continue to lack in basic health care services and have limited access to family doctors, local hospitals and even specialists.

Solving the challenge of limited access to doctors and hospitals for underserved Alabamians is not simple, but it's also not impossible if state leaders are willing to look beyond politics to the needs of our rural communities.

That is why I am urging Gov. Kay Ivey and the Legislature to expand Medicaid, and to accept additional federal funding to extend Medicaid health insurance coverage for more Alabamians living in rural and underserved areas.

While the COVID pandemic has stretched thin our resources and created new obstacles for our state leaders, it has also provided a once in a lifetime opportunity to truly improve the lives of all Alabamians. In addition to the increase in revenue impacting our state budgets, billions in additional funding have been provided to the states under the American Rescue Plan Act. Those funds simply must be used to (improve) the quality and availability of basic health care for everyone in our state by expanding Medicaid health insurance for more uninsured Alabamians, for our rural doctors and for our rural hospitals.

The extension of Medicaid health insurance opens new doors to improving the quality of health care across our state. Alabama's rural hospitals and doctors will see a significant impact in their ability to effectively treat patients in areas that are deeply underserved by any hospital or health care provider.

I can tell you from my personal experience not just as a former governor, but mostly as a physician myself, rural Alabama must be prioritized when it comes to health care.

There is no doubt Gov. Ivey and legislative leaders are very aware of the estimated 300,000 additional Alabamians who would be able to have health insurance coverage under Medicaid Expansion. We have all seen countless reports, studies and estimates forecasting the impact expansion would have on the state.

One of the more profound budget impacts of Medicaid expansion would be the new federal dollars that will replace state-only spending on other health care programs administered by the Department of Corrections and the Department of Mental Health among others.

By using ARPA Funds to pay the estimated 5% to 10% of the state share of expansion we will save additional dollars we spend now for other state agencies to treat Medicaid patients.

Our state has many pressing needs, all of which must be addressed. But health care simply must be prioritized when determining where to allocate funds.

Expanding Medicaid is not a political decision to be made. It cannot be based on a poll or the direction of the political winds.

The opportunity to fund expansion has been given to Gov. Ivey and the Legislature and they now have the rare but gratifying opportunity to do good for the entire state. Expand the Medicaid insurance coverage for more Alabamians, and we will see the ripple effects on every small town, rural hospital and, in turn, every Alabamian.

As former governor and a former legislator, I know the opportunity state leaders have today is unique and something few in their position (will) ever see. I urge our state leaders not to squander it in the name of politics.

Robert Bentley, MD FAAD, was the 53rd governor of Alabama.