Editorials

Want a clear measure of the extent of poverty in this state? Today, some 900,000 Alabamians rely on Medicaid, the federal health program for low-income individuals and families.

Take it a little farther. Almost three-fourths of our nursing-home beds are paid for by Medicaid. And Medicaid covers the cost of about half of the births in the state.

Or, to put it more directly, there are a lot of poor people in Alabama, and the weight of poverty falls heavily on the old and the young.

Given those statistics, one would think we would be doing everything possible to make sure this program is well funded and that those who need the coverage get it. But we aren’t.

Instead of allocating regular revenue to keep the program afloat, administration after administration has patched together annual budgets that relied heavily on one-time money so that we could cover fewer people and offer fewer services than all but three other states.

Now our irresponsibility may be catching up with us.

Although exact figures are not available, it is clear that the federal and state funds for Medicaid next year will be hundreds of millions of dollars short of what is needed. That’s why members of the state’s Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid and the Joint Legislative Committee on Finances and Budgets met recently to begin working on a solution.

As evidence of their concern, these committees invited the entire Alabama congressional delegation to the meetings. Only U.S. Rep. Artur Davis, D-Birmingham, showed up.

We are not in a position to determine if what kept the rest of our congressional delegation from attending was more important than finding a solution to the Medicaid situation.

However, we do wish to note that unless state and federal officials work together — and unless Democrats and Republicans set aside party differences — the future will be bleak for people who already are suffering.