Letter from Alabama veterans to Gov. Kay Ivey in support of Medicaid expansion:

November 9th, 2021

The Honorable Kay Ivey

State Capitol

600 Dexter Avenue

Montgomery, Alabama 36130

Dear Governor Ivey and Members of the Alabama Legislature:

As proud members of Alabama’s community of military veterans, we ask you to expand Medicaid to help veterans and their family members who currently lack consistent, quality, and affordable health insurance.

More than 5,000 veterans and 7,000 of their family members are trapped in the coverage gap. They make too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford a private insurance plan. These heroic men and women protected our country and now we are asking for you to do all that you can to protect them by expanding Medicaid coverage to low-income adults.

It’s a common misconception that people who serve in the U.S. military automatically receive lifetime eligibility for health coverage and other benefits. In reality, veterans' health benefits depend on their length of service, military classification, type of discharge and other factors.

That is why we urge you to quickly expand Medicaid to low-income adults so that we can protect thousands of Alabama’s veterans and their families.

Research shows that in states that expanded Medicaid, coverage among veterans has increased and their uninsured rate has fallen. Research also shows that Medicaid expansion has had a positive impact on access to and utilization of care among the low-income population and that nonelderly veterans with Medicaid coverage fare better on measures of access and utilization than those who are uninsured.

For these reasons, we urge you to expand Medicaid now.

Respectfully,