Latest news with #LindaColeman-Madison
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Gov. Kay Ivey signs presumptive Medicaid eligibility bill into law
Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, speaks in the Alabama Senate on April 9, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey Thursday signed a bill sponosred by Coleman extending presumptive MEdicaid eligibility to expectant mothers. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector_ Gov. Kay Ivey signed a bill Thursday increasing access to Medicaid coverage for expectant mothers in Alabama. SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, would provide 'presumptive eligibility' for pregnant women by allowing health care providers to determine eligibility for Medicaid based on preliminary information. The process is aimed at expediting access to prenatal care by allowing eligible women to receive Medicaid coverage and necessary medical services within the first trimester. A spokesperson for the governor confirmed the bill was signed Thursday but did not provide further comment. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation explicitly states that a pregnant woman can only receive one 60-day presumptive eligibility period per pregnancy. The Medicaid Agency is prohibited from retroactively denying coverage during the presumptive eligibility period due to the woman's failure to submit a formal application or a negative decision on her application. The provider must notify the Medicaid agency within five working days of determining a woman's presumptive eligibility. They are also required to inform the woman that she must apply to the agency for Medicaid by the end of the following month. This legislation is set to be repealed in October 2028. Robyn Hyden, executive director of Alabama Arise, said in a statement that the new law has the potential to 'save lives and money.' 'For too long, Alabama mothers have faced needless barriers to early prenatal care – care that can mean the difference between hope and heartbreak. SB 102 will lift some of those red-tape barriers at last,' Hyden said. A'Niya Robinson, ACLU of Alabama's Director of Policy and Organizing, said that ACLU is 'pleased with the passage of the Alabama Maternal Healthcare Act' but acknowledged that the legislation will not entirely resolve the state's maternal and infant mortality challenges. 'While this law will not end the maternal and infant mortality crisis in Alabama, we believe that it does have the potential to save lives and lessen the burden for pregnant people to access prenatal care early in pregnancy. As part of our reproductive justice work, we will continue working on policies to make Alabama safer for those experiencing pregnancy,' Robinson said in a statement. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama mothers praise passage of bill giving pregnant women eligibility for Medicaid
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — Pregnant women in Alabama will soon have access to health care coverage through Medicaid before the agency approves their application. On Tuesday, the Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed HB 89, a bill that would give pregnant women 'presumptive eligibility' for Medicaid. Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, authored the companion bill, adding that it would go a long way toward saving lives. 'It's saving the lives of babies,' Coleman-Madison said. 'It's often times saving the lives of the mother, because if the mother has some kind of issues early on, that will be detected as well.' According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, the infant mortality rate across the state increased to 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, the highest it's been since 2016 and higher than the national rate of 5.6 deaths per 1,000 live births. 'We are very aware that we need to do better maternal and infant outcomes, our numbers are at the bottom and that's a trend that has to be reversed, and so I think this is a really good first step toward that,' said bill author Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville. A chart from the Alabama Department of Public Health shows that 45% of infant births in state were paid for by Medicaid in 2023. Yuriana Serrano of Bessemer gave birth to her first child in Florida, which has presumptive eligibility, but her daughter was born in Alabama. 'With my first child I had him in Florida, so it's a lot different than the process here, but with my second one, I had to wait about a month until I had Medicaid coverage,' Serrano said. Thanks to new legislation that gives pregnant women presumptive eligibility for Medicaid, that will all change. 'I know the struggle that I went through getting care and everything, so I think it's important,' she added. While Gretchen McCreless, who has two children, had her pregnancies covered private coverage, she was excited about the passage of the new bill. 'I think we have a lot of work to do for maternal care in the country, but especially in Alabama, and so I think that opens a lot of doors for those women to get adequate care sooner without having to go through a lot of hurdles,' McCreless said. The bill now awaits Gov. Kay Ivey's signature. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama Legislature gives final approval to presumptive Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women
Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, applauds during a session of the Alabama Senate on Feb. 20, 2025 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. The Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed Coleman-Madison's bill to give pregnant women presumptive Medicaid eligibility on April 8, 2025. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation on Tuesday that gives pregnant women presumptive eligibility for Medicaid. SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, is the companion bill for HB 89, sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville. Lands' bill passed the House unanimously in February. 'Women and families in Alabama are proud today,' Lands said after the Senate bill passed. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX The legislation would allow pregnant women in Medicaid to receive health care coverage for up to 60 days before their formal application for the program. The bill only allows a single period of eligibility for a woman who is pregnant. The legislation also says care received during the presumptive period cannot be retroactively denied. According to the Legislative Services Agency, the expanded eligibility would increase the obligations of the Alabama Medicaid Agency by an agency-estimated $1 million annually, with $273,700 coming from state funds. Alabama has persistently high maternal mortality rates as well as poor infant health outcomes. Pregnant women in the state also have a high number of babies that are born preterm, before 37 weeks gestation. The bill passed with no discussion. It goes to Gov. Kay Ivey to be signed into law. A message seeking comment from the governor was sent Tuesday afternoon. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate passes bill to provide prenatal care to low-income Alabamians
Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham (center) speaks to Sen. Merika Coleman, D-Pleasant Grove, in the Alabama Senate on May 9, 2024 at the Alabama Statehouse in Montgomery, Alabama. Coleman-Madison's bill would provide low-income people presumptive Medicaid coverage for up to 60 days for prenatal care before their application is formally approved. (Brian Lyman/Alabama Reflector) The Alabama Senate Thursday approved a bill that would provide prenatal coverage for low-income people. SB 102, sponsored by Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison, D-Birmingham, passed the chamber 31-0. It would provide presumptive Medicaid coverage for up to 60 days to pregnant people before their application for the program is formally approved. 'Presumptive eligibility is for uninsured women who would likely already be on Medicaid once they become pregnant … but in the meantime, they can start receiving the care that they need in the first trimester so that they can have healthy babies,' Coleman-Madison said on the Senate floor. The bill would provide a 60-day period of Medicaid eligibility per pregnancy. It would also ban Medicaid from retroactively denying the care received during the presumptive period. The Alabama House of Representatives last week approved a similar bill sponsored by Rep. Marilyn Lands, D-Huntsville. Coleman added an amendment to sunset the initiative in October 2028, to mirror Lands bill. According to a fiscal note, the federal government would cover about 73% of the estimated $1 million annual cost. Alabama has long struggled with high maternal mortality rates and poor infant health outcomes, with the infant mortality rate increasing to 7.8 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2023, the highest since 2016. Additionally, 143 of the 1,112 babies born on average each week in Alabama are born preterm, defined by the CDC as births that happen before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Of those, 22 babies a week are born 'very preterm,' or under 35 weeks gestation. The earlier a baby is born, the higher the risks for breathing problems, feeding difficulties, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, or vision and hearing problems. Coleman-Madison's bill moves to the House. The Senate has not yet scheduled a committee hearing on Lands' bill. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alabama Senate passes bill defining girls and boys
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — Some have dubbed it as the 'what is a woman' bill. Republicans say it gives clarity. But Democrats say it discriminates. 'You don't know you're a man?' said Sen. Linda Coleman-Madison (D-Birmingham). 'You don't know you're a woman?' Republicans want to make that answer clear. The bill said everyone must be defined as male or female. Sen. April Weaver (R-Brierfield) argues judges and state agencies need consistency in the law. 'Because you're dressing like a pirate, doesn't make you pirate,' Sen. Weaver. 'It doesn't have anything to do with that. It is simple definitions. It doesn't have anything to do with HIPPA. It doesn't have anything to do with serving others. It is indisputable biology.' Trump attends bipartisan National Prayer Breakfast, a decadeslong Washington tradition But, Democrats said the bill comes with consequences. 'It doesn't matter what you wear,' said Sen. Coleman-Madison. 'It doesn't matter what you call yourself. You are who you are. Why do we need a law to now define or tell us?' 'This bill is vague enough to justify scrutiny,' said Sen. Rodger Smitherman (D-Birmingham). 'Harassment of women who don't look enough like women to a bystander.' Senate Pro-Tem, Garlan Gudger (R-Cullman), said the bill is needed. 'The consequences I think are not what they're saying it is. I think they're just against the bill,' he said. 'And, I'll let them have their voice and their opinion.' The bill passed in the Senate with a vote of 26 to five. It now heads to House of Representatives. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
