Several years ago, we urged then-Gov. Robert Bentley to take advantage of a plan that would provide tiered federal funding for an expansion of Medicaid in Alabama, a move that would have extended health care benefits to thousands of poor, uninsured Alabamians.
That didn’t happen; Alabama left as much as $3 billion in federal money on the table. It was an opportunity lost.
Fast-forward five years, and the state is in the throes of the global coronavirus pandemic. Everyone —rich, poor, and in between — is at risk. A virus doesn’t differentiate among economic status, income, race, political affiliation, or any of the circumstances that divide us. That doesn’t mean we’re all equally at risk; those without access to healthcare are likely in greater danger should they become infected.
However, we agree with Gov. Kay Ivey’s reluctance to move toward expanding Medicaid now. On one hand, the cost is too great. The time to have done so was years ago, when the federal government would have footed the bill entirely for three years, giving the state time to develop a revenue mechanism to pay for it in the years ahead.
But Ivey’s most cogent remark resonates: “It would be irresponsible to think about expanding Medicaid just for the sake of expanding Medicaid without having a complete and honest discussion about the source of stable funding to pay the match,” Ivey said recently in response to renewed calls for expansion.
She’s right; such a decision should not be made under the pressure of a health pandemic.
There is a move afoot to recreate a federal program similar to the one rejected by Bentley and several other governors who chose not to expand Medicaid five to seven years ago. Should it come to fruition, Ivey and other state officials should strongly consider the options. It would not likely be offered again.