May 19, 2013
Statement from Alabama Democrats Chairman, Judge Mark Kennedy, on Democratic Plan to Save Medicaid and Education Trust Fund
MONTGOMERY— Yesterday, Democratic members of the Alabama House and Senate proposed a plan to avert a crisis that will affect every citizen in Alabama.
The Republican plan for the General Fund Budget will result in unnecessary suffering and death across Alabama. We will see reductions in prescriptions for senior citizens, a reduction in services offered by revered institutions like the Children’s Hospital at UAB, and the shuttering of nursing homes and hospitals.
What the Republicans seem to be missing is that this problem doesn’t just affect the poor—it affects us all. The Republican budget will result in doctors and dentists leaving Alabama, and rural hospitals across the state will either cut services or be forced to close. This isn’t politics. This is reality. Allowing our rural hospitals to close their doors and forcing our doctors and dentists to close their offices would be an unnecessary tragedy.
The Democratic plan announced yesterday will save lives and save jobs without raiding our classrooms or the Alabama Trust Fund, and the Democrats’ proposal protects the jobs of 1,900 teachers and support staff without raising a dime in new taxes or fees.
For more than a century, Alabama Democrats have made tough decisions and guided our state through times of financial stress. Today, while we find ourselves in the minority in Montgomery, Alabama Democrats stand ready to work with Governor Bentley and the Republican Majority to protect the lives and jobs of our citizens.
