Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Terri A. Sewell joined the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus as a founding member. The Caucus is chaired by Reps. G.K. Butterfield (D-NC) and Hank Johnson (D-GA) and is comprised of 33 Members of Congress from states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid.

“I am proud to join with my colleagues to highlight the urgent moral and economic need for our State leaders to expand Medicaid. The consequences of our States’ decisions to not expand this critical program are extensive, with dire implications for both the health and well-being of our constituents and the strength and vitality of our States’ economies,” explained Rep. Sewell. “To not expand this critical program for 235,000 hard-working Alabamians and 5.7 million Americans is a reckless disregard for the responsibilities we are called to uphold as elected officials.”

“While I understand the political realities within which our State leaders operate, I do not understand this neglect of our most vulnerable constituents, our rural hospitals, and our fragile economy. Our most sacred responsibility to serve our constituents should not be examined and instituted through such a dangerous partisan lens. Americans who are both impoverished and sick should not have to wait one more day to receive the healthcare they deserve while our State leaders play political football with this most urgent issue.” Rep. Sewell concluded, “I look forward to working with my colleagues on the State Medicaid Expansion Caucus to put pressure on our States’ leaders to expand Medicaid for both our constituents and the American economy.”

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Background:

One additional way the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is expanding coverage for all Americans is by providing generous financial support to states that choose to expand Medicaid for all non-elderly individuals in families with incomes up to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Under the expansion, the federal government will pay 100 percent of the additional costs for the first three years, with the contribution phasing down to 90 percent in 10 years. Alabama is one of the 24 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid, leaving 235,000 Alabamians uninsured because they have incomes too high for the state’s existing Medicaid program and too low to qualify for subsidies. Nationwide, 5.7 million people have been left uninsured in the 24 states that have refused to expand Medicaid. These states can choose to accept these federal funds by taking up expansion at any time.