Latest news with #MONTGOMERY
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama lawmakers pass legislation that could give pregnant women more access to health care
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama legislators unanimously passed a bill on Tuesday that would expedite access to Medicaid for pregnant women, as more states across the South attempt to stem high maternal and infant mortality rates. The 'presumptive eligibility' legislation states that Medicaid will pay for a pregnant woman's outpatient medical care for up to 60 days while an application for the government-funded insurance program is being considered. The bill will now go to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey's desk for her signature. Many Republican legislators endorsed the bill as 'pro-life." Democratic lawmakers said that it was essential for addressing Alabama's delivery health outcomes that lag behind the rest of the country. Other states have adopted a similar strategy for addressing some of the highest infant and maternal mortality rates nationwide. Legislators in Mississippi and Arkansas have passed laws that would offer similar coverage to expectant mothers. One study found Alabama had a maternal mortality rate of 64.63 deaths per 100,000 births between 2018 and 2021, nearly double the national rate of 34.09 per 100,000 births. That jumps to 100.07 deaths for Black women in the state. Hospital closures in rural parts of the state have left many women without access to prenatal care. Last year, nearly 1 in 5 pregnant Alabama women didn't receive prenatal care until after five months of pregnancy, or otherwise received less than 50% of the appropriate number of the recommended visits throughout her pregnancy, according to The March of Dimes. That is in part because one in six women of childbearing age fall within the coverage gap, making too much to qualify for Medicaid but too little to afford private insurance, according to Alabama Arise, an advocacy group for low-income families. Alabama is among 10 states nationwide that have not expanded Medicaid, which means many low-income women are only eligible for Medicaid once they become pregnant. A pregnant woman in Alabama with no dependents can qualify for Medicaid if she makes $21,996 or less, or up to $37,704 if she is part of a household of three. Medicaid was used to pay for 45% of all births in Alabama in 2023, according to the most recent report published by the Alabama Department of Public Health. More than half of all infant deaths were to mothers who used Medicaid. The Alabama bill would increase Medicaid spending statewide by about $1 million annually over the course of three years, with about two-thirds coming from the federal government. Another bill that advanced in March seeks to expand access to medical care for expectant mothers by allowing midwives to provide care outside of hospitals in freestanding birth centers. But recent amendments to the legislation prohibits midwifes from performing many standard medical screenings for newborns that are necessary to detect genetic disorders. The Alabama Midwives Alliance said that the legislation 'started as a good bill' in a video posted on Facebook in April, but added that the amendments 'take it in the wrong direction.' ___ Safiyah Riddle is a corps member for The Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
Associated Press
20-03-2025
- Health
- Associated Press
Alabama lawmakers approve paid parental leave for state employees
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama lawmakers on Thursday approved a bipartisan bill that would make teachers and state employees eligible for paid parental leave. The Republican dominated House of Representatives voted 94-2 to pass legislation that would offer up to eight weeks of maternity leave and two weeks of paternity leave after the birth, stillbirth or miscarriage of a child. The legislation now goes to Republican Gov. Kay Ivey, who endorsed the legislation in her annual state of the state speech in February. Sen. Vivian Figures, who co-sponsored the bill, said it would give mothers time to heal after pregnancy, improve education and help the state 'recruit the personnel we need and be able to retain them.' Alabama is one of just over a dozen states that does not offer paid parental leave to state employees, according to A Better Balance, the non-profit organization that advocates for paid family leave. Alabama state employees currently use sick leave and unpaid time off if they wish to stay home after a child's birth or adoption. Alabama had just under 29,000 state employees in 2023, according to the latest available data from the Alabama Personnel Department. Around 57,000 public school staff and over 50,000 public university staff also would be eligible for paid leave if the law is signed, according to the Alabama Department of Education and the University of Alabama. Paid leave laws for private sector workers vary nationally. At least thirteen states have state-funded programs that mandate paid family and medical leave, funded by payroll taxes, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Alabama and seven other states, employers in the private sector have the option of purchasing paid leave plans through private insurers. The bill drew support from Republican and Democratic legislators alike. 'We say we're pro-life, and people say we don't care about them after they're born, and this is showing that we do,' Republican Rep. Ginny Shaver, one of the bill's sponsors, said on the house floor.
Yahoo
05-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission talks solutions to gridlock in court system
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WIAT) — John McMillan is the director of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission. He said a stalemate in the court system is keeping it from moving forward and putting medicine in the hands of patients. Now, McMillan said it's up to the judges or the legislature to take action. 'I went from less than 100 pounds, barely able to work or do anything … to flourishing,' said Amanda Taylor, an advocate for medical cannabis patients. Taylor said medical marijuana saved her life, and there are other patients just like her. 'I have a ton of my own stories,' Taylor said. 'But I'm ready for Alabamians to be able to share theirs.' New collection of short stories, essays from Alabama icon Harper Lee to be released this fall A legal battle, however, has kept the medicine out of their hands, according to McMillan. People sued the commission after they weren't given a license to sell medical marijuana. 'A lot of that has to do with the fact that there are a limited number of licenses,' McMillan said. 'In the integrated category, for example, where most of the litigation stems from, there are five licenses and 38 applicants for those. So everybody can't get a license.' McMillan said the solution to the problem is the courts lifting a temporary restraining order or the legislature passing a bill to revise the licensing process. He said the commission is not taking a position on any legislation. 'We've got cultivators that are growing cannabis right now and very successfully,' McMillan said. 'But you can only do that for some abbreviated period of time if you don't have some sort of revenue coming in, so the program needs to get going.' Will Somerville represents Alabama Always, a company suing the commission. He said the commission hasn't followed the law when awarding licenses. 'What the commission wants to do is force everybody through its flawed, invalid process, and then have them challenge the process on the back end,' Somerville said. 'Well, the problem is anybody who gets license under the flawed process is going to be challenged on the back end.' McMillan said he just wants to get medicine to patients. 'We've tried to address every demand that some of the litigants have told us that they would be satisfied,' McMillan said. ''If we just did this or did that,' and then as soon as they don't get a license in the next round, [we're] right back to court again.' McMillan said it's had oral arguments before the Alabama Court of Civil Appeals. He said it is waiting on that decision and have another hearing in circuit court April 17. McMillan said he doesn't know when the commission will be able to move forward. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
