Here's the surprising reality: An Alabama couple with one child Earn $5,000 per year I would make too much to qualify for Medicaid.

We represent the patients, families, and supporters served by the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Lung Association, American Heart Association, and Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We advocate on behalf of people facing serious and often life-threatening medical conditions. We know this because we see the health care plight of Alabama's patients and workers every day.

We also support people who want to stay healthy, such as construction workers with high blood pressure who can't afford medication, hairdressers who have a family history of breast cancer and want to get a mammogram, and truck drivers who have previously had the test. We also support hard-working Alabamians. I'm a smoker and I know I need to get my lungs checked. These Alabamians have a right to take care of themselves, but often end up in an insurance gap where they earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for health insurance. I am.

For neighbors with risk factors for cardiovascular disease, those recovering from a heart attack or stroke, or battling cancer, access to affordable and adequate health insurance is a matter of life and death. By closing the coverage gap, hundreds of thousands of working families, veterans, and small business owners have access to high-quality, affordable health care and the drugs and treatments they need to stay healthy. You will be able to receive

Actually recently, the study Studies show that nearly half of Alabama workers do not have employer-sponsored health insurance. On behalf of these patients and hardworking Alabamians, we want to find solutions to close the coverage gap and take action to address Alabama's health care crisis.

If workers are unable to maintain their health, they will quit their jobs, placing a burden not only on companies but also on their families. It also puts a strain on the health care system when uninsured patients can only receive emergency care. We have seen rural hospitals close, leaving people in those areas vulnerable to additional health problems. Alabama's reluctance to close the coverage gap is costing us all. Patient outcomes are worse, treatment is still needed, and federal tax dollars now fund coverage in other states without any benefit to Alabama.

Heading into this year's legislative session, it's more important than ever that state leaders take Alabama's health crisis seriously. Governor Ivey and members of the Alabama Legislature, we are calling on you to expand access to health care in Alabama and close the health care gap as quickly as possible. It's time to move from dialogue to action. We must implement solutions to solve health system and workforce problems that impact Alabamians every day. Give us and all our friends and neighbors a fighting chance to get healthy, stay healthy, and keep working.