Serious error in media Medicaid stories

There is a serious error in the Associated Press reporting about Medicaid that's been running in local media this week. Contrary to the reports, the Medicaid Advisory Commission roundly rejected a conversion to for-profit managed care. Rather, the commission proposed a statewide system of up to eight community-led Regional Care Organizations, similiar to the Patient Care Networks currently operating in four regions of the state. That proposal is reflected in SB 340, the Medicaid reform bill now before the Legislature.

ACPP has spoken to the reporter, and she is consulting with her editors about how to address the problem. In the meantime, we urge you to write to your local papers and TV stations to highlight the error and correct it. Misinformation is a pain, but it also presents opportunities for education.

Weak PSC oversight benefits Alabama Power at customers' expense, report finds

Alabama Power earns higher profits than most utilities nationwide while leaving customers paying more for their electricity than customers in all Southern states but Florida, according to a report released today by Arise Citizens' Policy Project.

"The outdated way Alabama sets electricity rates is hurting families and businesses," ACPP executive director Kimble Forrister said. "It's not just numbers on paper. When people are living paycheck to paycheck, having to spend so much of their income on electricity bills really hurts."

Read news release here.

Read full report here.

Higher minimum wage would benefit nearly 500,000 Alabamians, study shows

Increasing the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $9.80 per hour would create 1,800 net new jobs in Alabama and give nearly half a million Alabamians a raise, according to a study released Tuesday by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), a nonprofit policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.

"A minimum wage increase would be good for low-income Alabamians and good for our economy," ACPP executive director Kimble Forrister said.

Read news release here.

Appeals court blocks HB 56's school requirements

The U.S. 11th Circuit Court of Appeals dealt a severe blow to Alabama's anti-immigration law Monday, with a particularly stinging rebuke of provisions regarding K-12 schools. The decision came in two separate rulings on USA v. Alabama and HICA v. Alabama.

"Alabama's legislators let a Kansas politician use them as a guinea pig, and we paid the price in months of lawsuits and in the suffering of children and families," ACPP executive director Kimble Forrister said. "It's going to take a long time to heal the wounds caused by this mean-spirited law."

Read news release here.