affordable care act

July 1, 2021 - Over 2 million adults — including over half a million essential workers — fall into the Medicaid coverage gap in states that have refused to expand the program under the Affordable Care Act, and most are people of color living in the South. Congressional Democrats from Georgia and Texas recently unveiled plans to work around GOP-controlled legislatures' refusal to authorize broader Medicaid coverage even when facing a deadly pandemic.

October 28, 2020 - Alabama has one of the most restrictive Medicaid programs in the country, available only to people with incomes 18% or less of the federal poverty level. We spoke with Jim Carnes, the policy director of the nonprofit coalition Alabama Arise, about how this year's elections could impact the coalition's fight for Medicaid expansion.

April 9, 2019 - Federal judges have — so far — halted attempts by the region's conservative state leaders to limit or block access to health care through the Affordable Care Act. But Republicans are changing U.S. Senate rules to stack those courts with conservative Trump appointees.

January 25, 2019 - Southern states have long had the nation's highest rate of uninsured adults. While the Affordable Care Act lowered those numbers, the law is under attack — and a new Gallup survey finds the uninsured rate is climbing to levels not seen since the ACA took effect.

July 16, 2018 - The public has until July 31 to weigh in on a proposal to bar key federal funding from family planning service providers who so much as mention abortion to patients. The policy would have a disproportionate impact on the health of poor women and women of color in the South.

January 19, 2018 - Federal funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, which covers nearly 3 million children in the South, isn't guaranteed for every state past Jan. 19. If Congress fails to find a fix, the results would be disastrous in a region consistently ranked low for children's health outcomes.

June 16, 2017 - Arkansas, Louisiana and West Virginia are among the 10 states with U.S. senators considered key to blocking the deeply unpopular Republican health care plan, which is expected to come up for a vote before the July 4 recess. They're also among the states with the sickest residents.