Alabama Insurance

While many public agencies of the state general fund, the budget for significant reductions in the coming year, a committee of the House flickend Alabama deserves the credit for a household, several protection programs, a matter of life and death for some Alabamians less prosperous.

   

The proposed $ 1.9 billion General Fund budget proposal approved last week by the Government House Committee to reduce the amount of the expenses of some government agencies has increased by nearly 11 percent.

However, the new budget for the increase in health insurance for children. It also funds a program for medicines for AIDS patients and demonstrations, and for the treatment of breast cancer for the poorest Alabamians. The Governor of the proposed budget, adequate funding of these three programs of crucial importance.

In the version approved by the committee of the house, which is under the chairmanship of Czech John Knight, D-Montgomery, Department of Public Health would increase the funding that we can continue to meet the needs of three programs:

The Children’s Health Insurance Program, it would be an additional $ 6.3 million.

Dr. Don Williamson, Alabama’s state health officer, who said Monday Montgomery Advertiser, that the $ 6.3 million increase, “it will allow us to connect 74000 children by the end of this exercise, and 79000 children the end of the Geschäftsjahres’09. We wouldn ‘t limit registration, we would not cap listings, we are very pleased with this number. ”

The program currently provides health insurance to about 71000 children.

The Breast Cancer and Cervical Early Detection Program, which helps low-income women who pay for mammography and lubricates smear. The House version of the budget committee restored and expenditures of $ 400000 for this program, thousands of low-income women.

“That is not at all the need, but it should at least let us continue to so many things to do during the next year, we have done this year,” said Williamson.

The AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which would have been $ 2.5 million in restoration funds.

ADAP help low-income Alabamians purchase of antiretroviral drugs they need to live. Last year, the condition of a record $ 5 million in cash to secure funding for the Confederation. But Williamson said that the funds from the federal government this year can be used for the purchase of medicines for the next few years, so that $ 2.5 million of the committee of the house would ADAP over the next year.

With this transfer, “said Williamson would have its place, enough to buy drugs and not on a waiting list. “Bottom line, we can $ 2.5 million for work,” he said.

ADAP is currently around 1,400 people. “If the case load requires that by 1900 could grow at the end of fiscal 2009, and we would be able to provide,” said Williamson.

There’s no guarantee that the Assembly version of the budget committee, the Fund will be the final version, to ensure the full legislature and be signed by the governor. There are serious doubts, if revenue forecasts for the coming years. And given that the budget for the full Assembly and Senate, the State services, which funds major reductions are going to try, at least a portion of its funds restored.

But we ask the legislators to do its best to ensure that these three programs, each with life and death for a considerable number of Alabamians, obtaining adequate financing.