Latest news with #SB102
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 This legislation is set to be repealed in October 2028.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
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
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Bill aims to helps Floridians with autism secure work
Florida's Old Capitol and New Capitol, viewed from the Leon County Courthouse on March 21, 2022. (Photo by Michael Moline/Florida Phoenix) The Senate Committee on Education PreK-12 gave unanimous support Tuesday to a bill aiming to secure work opportunities for people with autism during its first of three committee stops. Sen. Don Gaetz, a Republican representing Escambia, Santa Rosa, and part of Okaloosa counties, is the Senate sponsor of SB 102, which would establish credentials for employers to verify students' capabilities. The program focuses on verifying a student has demonstrated how to be safe in the workplace. 'Persons with autism are on time, they have a great work ethic, and they can perform work requirements proficiently, especially repetitive skills,' Gaetz said Tuesday. 'There's a place for employees with autism in the workforce in productive jobs, but a major stumbling block is safety.' The bill requires badges, which would be verified by special education staff, to document five skills, one of which must be workplace safety. It tasks the Florida Department of Education with developing the program. Gaetz said consequences from Occupational Safety and Health Administration safety standard violations can be a 'major disincentive' for businesses to hire individuals with autism. According to a study by Personnel Review, people with autism face lower rates of hiring and higher rates of termination driven by employers fearing perceived barriers to making accommodations and fear of low productivity and high turnover. Amy Wetherby, director of the Florida State University Autism Institute, told the committee the bill is a 'really, really important as a step' in employing more people with autism. 'I think one of the most important things in the life of a person with autism is to get a job. It improves their outcome as adults. The best outcomes are associated with employment in terms of mental health outcomes, in terms of wellbeing and in terms of quality of life,' Wetherby said. Fewer less than 10% of people with autism have jobs that match their skill level and earn a competitive salary, she added. The bill will be heard next by the Senate Pre-K-12 appropriations committee and then the Fiscal Policy committee. The measure is one of a raft of initiatives focused on Floridians with autism, such as SB 112, a sweeping proposal introduced by Sen. Gayle Harrell and backed by Senate President Ben Albritton that would expand grant programs for autism services. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
