Alabama Rural Health Association Member Legislative Alert #1

(Issued on May 3, 2012)

·         In 2011 1 in 3 people living in rural Alabama were eligible for Medicaid.  Of the 1.2 million people living in rural Alabama , 341,000 live below 100% of the federal poverty level ($10,890 for an individual or $22,350 for a family of four).

·         Supporting the Medicaid program has a tremendous multiplier effect on the Alabama economy – a greater impact than state spending on other programs – because it pulls in a large infusion of new dollars – federal dollars – into the economy from outside the state. For every $1 spent by Alabama , the state receives $3.18. 

·         1,237 years of potential life were lost by infant deaths due to maternal smoking during pregnancy in 2009

Contact your legislature to support a user fee on cigarettes to ensure Medicaid’s survival

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

Alabama Rural Health Association Member Legislative Alert #2

(Issued on May 8, 2012)

·        Physicians in rural areas are more likely to serve Medicaid beneficiaries than their urban counterparts.  Almost 20% of rural patient revenue comes from Medicaid, compared to only 15% for urban physicians. 

·        Each $1 million that Alabama invest in Medicaid results in nearly $4.9 million in new business activity and nearly 50 newly created jobs.  Medicaid expenditures supported more than 84,323 jobs in various industries within the state.

·        $83 million in medical costs due to excess morbidity and $83 million in productivity losses due to excess mortality and disability from second hand smoke.

Contact your legislature to support a user fee on cigarettes to ensure Medicaid’s survival

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

Alabama Rural Health Association Member Legislative Alert #3

(Issued on May 9, 2012)

 

·        Over 21% of all Alabamians are eligible for Medicaid. This is greater than 25% in 25 rural counties.

·        35 rural counties in Alabama have only 1 rural hospital. These hospitals are the anchor for rural health care in Alabama . Medicaid cuts would put access to health care in their communities in jeopardy.

·        789 deaths due to secondhand smoke (SHS) and smoking-related fires occur in Alabama annually.

Contact your legislature to support a user fee on cigarettes to ensure Medicaid’s survival

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

Alabama Rural Health Association Member Legislative Alert #4

(Issued on May 11, 2012)

 

·         Only 3 Alabama counties (all urban) have per capita personal income that exceed that for the nation. Alabama ’s urban county residents have a per capita income more than 24% higher than rural residents. The 25 counties with the lowest per capita income are all rural. 4 rural Alabama counties have per capita incomes that are among the 250 lowest among all 3,113 counties in the country

·         7 rural Alabama counties do not currently have a hospital. 36 of the 55 rural counties do not have a hospital providing obstetrical service. This spiral will accelerate with reductions in Medicaid

·        An additional dollar cigarette use tax would add $220,000,000 to Medicaid (and with the Federal match potentially add another $500,000,000) to help pay for illnesses related to tobacco use and second hand smoke

 

Contact your legislature to support a user fee on cigarettes to ensure Medicaid’s survival

http://www.legislature.state.al.us/misc/zipsearch.html

 

 

 

It's Time To Contact Gov. Bentley

(Issued on May 2, 2012)

 

ARHA Members:

 

Your Alabama Rural Health Association joined with at least 15 other Alabama organizations sharing a serious concern over the far reaching and potentially devastating impact of failing to adequately fund Medicaid in proposing a $1 per pack user fee for cigarettes.

 

Governor Bentley, a friend and strong supporter of rural health care, is threatening a veto if this is passed.  ARHA would very much like for the Governor to reconsider supporting this positive proposal.  ARHA ask each of you to follow the American Cancer Society recommendations below in letting the Governor know that you support this user fee.


 
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ACS CAN Action Alert Email Header
It’s Time to Turn up the Heat on Gov. Bentley
Thank you to everyone who has sent emails to the governor asking him to support a $1.00 cigarette tax increase. Your voice is being heard but the governor remains opposed to increasing the cigarette tax.
This week I'm asking you to go a step further and call Gov. Bentley’s office to tell him a cigarette tax increase can help solve Alabama’s financial crisis.
Will you take a moment to call the governor’s office at (334) 242-7100? Tell him you support a $1.00 tobacco tax increase.
A cigarette tax could be one solution to the financial crisis, especially as it relates to the Medicaid program, which provides health care for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. A drop in state revenue, coupled with a constitutional requirement to balance the budget, has led to proposals that would cut some of the services offered by Alabama Medicaid. These cuts could leave as many as 900,000 Alabamians struggling to get the health care services they need.
Please call the governor at (334) 242-7100 and tell him that you support a $1 increase in the cigarette tax. Click here to log a call to the governor now!
A $1.00 increase in the cigarette tax would be a health and fiscal victory for several reasons:
  • Nearly 33,200 adults would quit smoking
  • 34,200 fewer youth would never start smoking
  • 20,000 people could be saved from smoking-related deaths
  • Alabama would save more than $26.64 million in smoking-related health treatment costs over five years.
  • Alabama would realize $212 million in new revenue in the first year of the tax increase

 
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