HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – More than 94,000 fewer Alabamians enrolled in health care coverage under the Affordable Care Act in February of this year, according to the Associated Press, leaving many residents without insurance and raising concerns about increased emergency room use.
Mary Elizabeth Marr, CEO of Thrive Alabama — a healthcare provider that serves both insured and uninsured patients — said the drop is tied to the expiration of federal ACA subsidies and the state’s decision not to expand Medicaid. She said patients who would otherwise see a primary care doctor may now turn to emergency rooms for care.
Marr said the loss of ACA subsidies has driven a 50 to 100 percent increase in the cost of health care insurance this year. She said Alabama’s Medicaid eligibility requirements compound the problem…