Tagged: Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion

The Democratic minority in the Alabama Senate has prepared legislation to require Alabama to expand its Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act.

Democratic Sen. Hank Sanders of Selma said Tuesday the legislation is a life-or-death matter for some of the 300,000 people who would be covered by Alabama's Medicaid program.

Democrats in the Alabama Senate are having trouble pressing their top issue.

Senate Minority Leader Vivian Davis Figures of Mobile offered a resolution Thursday urging the Republican governor to reconsider his decision not to expand Medicaid. The Senate's Republican leader, President Pro Tem Del Marsh, cut off debate on the resolution by getting it sent to the Senate Rules Committee.

Senate Democrats say their priority for the 2013 legislative session is getting Alabama to expand its Medicaid program.

The Senate Democratic Caucus announced at a news conference Tuesday that it hopes to get Republican Gov. Robert Bentley to reverse his decision not to expand the program under the federal Affordable Care Act. Bentley, a physician, is opposed to enlarging the Medicaid program under the current structure.

The Alabama NAACP is planning a rally Saturday at the Capitol in Montgomery to show its support for the Affordable Care Act.

Organizers say the rally is also to express concern about Gov. Robert Bentley not using the law to expand Medicaid coverage in Alabama.