Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

News

Bentley’s “Great Victory” Cause For Worry, Warning, Broken Promises

By Bill Britt
Alabama Political Reporter

MONTGOMERY—Shortly after passage of legislation to raid BP settlement funds to cover Medicaid funding, Governor Robert Bentley, who has largely been absent from the process, praised it as a bipartisan “victory.”

Obviously, the Governor failed to hear the Democrat’s pleading for more Medicaid funding and to expand its availability under the Affordable Care Act.

Alabama Arise State Coordinator, Kimble Forrister, sees a different victory: “Expanding Medicaid would be a victory for Alabama’s economy, budgets and families.” He praised the bill’s passage, but echoed the concerns expressed by both Republican’s and Democrats: “Still, the bottom line is that we got yet another temporary solution. Vulnerable Alabamians’ access to health care shouldn’t be left up to stopgaps or one-time money.”

House Minority Leader, Rep Craig Ford (D-Gadsden), weighed in saying, “While this Special Legislative Session did succeed in passing the BP bill, the legislature still failed to let the people vote on a lottery – which was the whole point of the Special Session in the first place.” He expressed dismay over his fellow lawmaker’s refusal to allow the voters to decided the gaming issue. “They trust the voters to elect them, but not to vote on whether they want a lottery or casinos,” Ford said.

Forrister said his organization believes Medicaid expansion would be a boost to the State’s ever-wanting General Fund Budget. He also warned, “Medicaid is essential to the hospitals and clinics on which we all rely. Putting our State’s health care infrastructure at risk is no way to build a stronger Alabama…[and] Neither is lurching from one crisis to another because of a repeated failure to solve the General Fund’s long-term shortfall.”

Bentley’s victory is a cause for worry, a warning and broken promises to others.

Advertisement. Scroll to continue reading.

Bill Britt is editor-in-chief at the Alabama Political Reporter and host of The Voice of Alabama Politics. You can email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.

More from APR

Congress

The projects will directly benefit the residents of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District.

Featured Opinion

Overrun with illegal gambling. Little revenue from legal gaming. Sending other states' kids to college. How did this happen?

Congress

“Access to quality, affordable health care should be a right—not a privilege for the few,” Sewell said.

Congress

Sewell secured an additional $3.3 million for two community projects in the 7th Congressional District.