Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People

Persistence pays off. Let’s remember this as we celebrate 50 years of Medicaid on July 30. In 1965, Medicaid entered the world as a Medicare add-on for low-income families. Now, the program provides comprehensive coverage to more people than any other insurer in the United States. Almost 70 million people in the U.S. turn toContinue reading “Celebrate 50 Years of Medicaid by Expanding It to Cover More People”

Racial Disparities in Health Care Access Magnified As More Gain Coverage

I was recently on a telephone call with Antron McKay-West, the president and founder of Upgrade Mississippi. He was describing the frustration people in his tiny hometown on the Mississippi Delta experienced trying to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Most families in the town still don’t have Internet in theirContinue reading “Racial Disparities in Health Care Access Magnified As More Gain Coverage”

Today in Montana: Big Win on Medicaid Expansion

Today, Montana Governor Steve Bullock signed SB 405 into law, making Montana the 29th state in the country to expand health coverage for low-income residents through Medicaid expansion. Thanks to this bill, up to 70,000 Montana residents who are currently uninsured will be eligible for quality, affordable health coverage for the first time. It’s aContinue reading “Today in Montana: Big Win on Medicaid Expansion”

“Breaking Barriers” Research Uncovers Disparities in Health Care Access

As more families get health insurance, it’s becoming clear that despite the many advances of the Affordable Care Act, we must do more to fundamentally change our health care system. The doors of quality health care are still closed to many people of color, families in rural communities, the poor, and those with language and culturalContinue reading ““Breaking Barriers” Research Uncovers Disparities in Health Care Access”

Ebola Should Remind Us of Our Values and Priorities

After months of being ignored by much of the mainstream media and U.S. government, the ebola epidemic in West Africa has become headline news. The reason is that a traveler from Liberia—one of the West African countries most severely impacted by the outbreak of the disease—came to Dallas, TX infected with ebola. The deaths ofContinue reading “Ebola Should Remind Us of Our Values and Priorities”

ACA Enrollment Figures Show More Focus Needed On Latino Communities

HHS must do more to close the Latino coverage gap; state officials who’ve resisted ACA implementation bear responsibility for making it worse. For Immediate Release: Friday, May 2, 2014 Contact: Kathy Mulady, Communications Director, kathy@allianceforajustsociety.org, (206) 992-8787 Seattle, WA – The Alliance for a Just Society released the following statement from executive director LeeAnn HallContinue reading “ACA Enrollment Figures Show More Focus Needed On Latino Communities”

After Obamacare Enrollment, Three Critical Steps

This article by LeeAnn Hall, first appeared in Colorlines.com More than 7.1 million people have obtained health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, despite the early confusion and glitches with the computer system. In addition, 6.3 million are approved for Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and an estimated 3 million more young peopleContinue reading “After Obamacare Enrollment, Three Critical Steps”

Hall and Smedley in USA Today: Provide Data, Expand Medicaid to Close Racial Health Divide

On the opinion pages of USA Today, LeeAnn Hall, executive director of the Alliance for a Just Society, and Dr. Brian Smedley, with the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, call on on HHS to release full data on who is enrolling – and who is being missed. They also call on states whereContinue reading “Hall and Smedley in USA Today: Provide Data, Expand Medicaid to Close Racial Health Divide”