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Alabama Medicaid to request $1.184 billion for 2026 • Alabama Reflector

Published

5 months ago

February 7, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Anna Barrett – 2025-02-07 07:01:00

Alabama Medicaid to request $1.184 billion for 2026

by Anna Barrett, Alabama Reflector
February 7, 2025

The Alabama Medicaid Agency will request $1.184 billion from the state for FY 2026, about $229 million more than its budget this year.

“Most of it is related to health care inflation cost,” Alabama Medicaid Commissioner Stephanie Azar told legislators Thursday afternoon. “We have to build that in to make sure that we can pay our providers for what comes along.”

The request was not a surprise but represents something of a landmark for Alabama Medicaid, a cornerstone of the state’s health care sector.

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Despite strict eligibility requirements that mostly limit the program to children, the elderly and those with disabilities, Medicaid provides health care coverage for about 20% of the state; pays for more than half the births in Alabama and is critical to keeping hospitals, nursing homes and medical practices open.

Azar said that the increase in her request is technically $53 million, but it appears to be $229 million because of the federal aid the state received during the COVID-19 pandemic, aid that is no longer coming to the state.

“It looks like the growth of the program is a lot more than it was, because we’ve had federal COVID dollars that has made the Legislature be able to appropriate us less,” she said. “And this year, that’s really moving away.”

Since last June, Alabama Medicaid enrollment has dropped by nearly 300,000 to 1.081 million, according to Azar’s presentation. This is nearly back to its pre-COVID enrollment at 1.054 million.

“I’ve always been an advocate for the people in this state that have needs. But there are some that have taken advantage of the system,” Rep. Chris Blacksher, R-Smiths Station, said. “That’s not fair to the people who truly need it.”

Medicaid makes up the largest single allocation in the Alabama General Fund budget, which pays for most noneducation state programs. But the state share is only a fraction of the total cost of the program. The federal government is expected to pay about 73% of the program’s costs next year. Azar estimates that Medicaid will receive over $7 billion from the federal government.

“I’m optimistic that I will be appropriated for my 2026 budget,” she said. “As long as we follow federal requirements, which is our full intention, we should draw our matching dollars for that state share.”

House General Fund Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Hazel Green, said the committee will try its best to grant Medicaid its requested budget.

“We certainly hope we can. We know that if we don’t, it impacts our hospitals, impacts our nursing homes and impacts our providers,” he said. “We really got to find a way to make that happen.”

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Alabama Reflector is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Alabama Reflector maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Brian Lyman for questions: info@alabamareflector.com.

The post Alabama Medicaid to request $1.184 billion for 2026 • Alabama Reflector appeared first on alabamareflector.com

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Alabama’s weekend weather forecast features standard summer heat and storms.

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20 hours ago

July 12, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2025-07-12 06:06:40

SUMMARY: Alabama’s weekend weather features typical summer heat and scattered storms. Early morning fog affects parts of central and east Alabama but will clear by mid-morning. Daytime temperatures reach the upper 90s with heat indices nearing triple digits, though no heat advisories are expected. Afternoon thunderstorms have about a 30% chance each day, possibly producing gusty winds but no widespread severe weather. High pressure builds next week, reducing rain chances and increasing temperatures. A 20–40% chance of tropical development exists in the northern Gulf later next week, but no organized system is currently present.

Alabama’s weekend weather forecast features standard summer heat and storms.

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News from the South - Alabama News Feed

Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Margaret Huang resigns

Published

2 days ago

July 11, 2025

Staff Editor

alabamareflector.com – Ralph Chapoco – 2025-07-11 12:58:00

by Ralph Chapoco, Alabama Reflector
July 11, 2025

Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Margaret Huang has resigned from the nonprofit after serving in the role for five years.

SPLC announced Huang’s resignation in a statement on Thursday. The release from the civil rights organization said Huang planned to focus more on her family.

“Margaret has led SPLC with deep care, clarity and conviction, guiding us through moments of growth and moments of challenge,” said Karen Baynes-Dunning, the current chair of the SPLC Board of Directors, in a statement. “Her legacy is woven into the fabric of this organization, and we are well positioned in part because of her leadership.”

Bryan Fair, a former board chair and constitutional scholar at the University of Alabama, will succeed Huang as the leader of the organization on an interim basis.

“The board is confident that he will provide steady, familiar and thoughtful leadership throughout the transition and as a national search for a new leader is conducted. With his guidance, the center remains grounded in its values and prepared to meet the future with strength and purpose,” Baynes-Dunning said in the statement.

A message was sent to SPLC on Friday seeking additional comment.

Huang, previously executive director of Amnesty International USA, took the reins of the organization in 2020 after a year of turmoil. The organization ousted co-founder Morris Dees in 2019 amid questions about racial and gender equity in the SPLC. Dees’ ouster was followed by the resignation of several top SPLC executives.

Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Margaret Huang (left) and SPLC Alabama State Director Tafeni English-Relf are seen in this photograph. (Southern Poverty Law Center)

As CEO, Huang tried to steer SPLC to include community organizing in its mission, particularly as an increasingly conservative judiciary made its litigation strategies more difficult. As part of that effort, it has hosted training sessions for individuals and organizations to train them on how to advocate and organize.

But SPLC announced in June 2024 that it would lay off employees in what the organization characterized as “streamlining operations.” SPLC’s employee union indicated that at least 60 people had lost their jobs due to$13 million deficit.

That September, the union overwhelmingly approved a no-confidence motion regarding Huang’s leadership.

A message was sent to the SPLC Union Friday seeking comment.

Fair, the interim CEO, will take leave from the University of Alabama while serving in the role. He has taught constitutional law for 34 years at the law school while also previously serving as a member of several other nonprofits, from the Equal Justice Initiative to Alabama Appleseed.

According to SPLC’s most recent 990 filing, the organization had $129 million in revenue between Nov. 1, 2023 and Oct. 31, 2024, down from $169.8 million in revenue the previous year. It reported expenses of $128.9 million for the period, and total assets of $786.7 million on Oct. 31, 2024.

Huang’s reported compensation from the organization that year was just under $467,000, with another $55,806 listed as “other compensation from the organization and related organizations.”

The post Southern Poverty Law Center President and CEO Margaret Huang resigns appeared first on alabamareflector.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Left-Leaning

This article reports on leadership changes at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), a well-known civil rights nonprofit typically associated with progressive and left-leaning causes. The tone is largely neutral and factual, outlining organizational challenges, financial details, and leadership transitions without overt editorializing. However, the focus on civil rights, social justice efforts, and the framing of SPLC’s mission to include community organizing reflects values generally aligned with left-leaning perspectives. The absence of criticism or partisan framing maintains journalistic balance, though the subject matter itself is rooted in progressive advocacy.

News from the South - Alabama News Feed

You could be the new owner of the old St. Clair Co. jail

Published

2 days ago

July 10, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WVTM 13 News – 2025-07-10 23:09:46

SUMMARY: Saint Clair County officials are putting the old St. Clair County jail up for sale after it has been vacant for nearly two years. The original 1939 building, with a major addition from 1992, is described as a fixer-upper but with good structural “bones.” The jail is costly to maintain, with some leaks estimated to require about $50,000 in repairs, though it features a useful heating, air conditioning system, and a large generator. The minimum bid started at $60,000 after the county moved operations in October 2023. Any sale will depend on the buyer’s intended use, ensuring it aligns with the community’s historic character.