Download What Happens if the September 18th Amendment Fails?

What Happens if the September 18th Amendment Fails?
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10,483 jobs will be lost statewide.
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We could lose 11% of all jobs in the private
healthcare sector causing unemployment to
soar.
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The State’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) will be cut by nearly a billion
dollars.
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133 workers in the Department of Human
Resources would lose their jobs, forcing
8,800 children to lose their care while child
abuse and neglect cases go uninvestigated.
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Many of our rural hospitals and nursing
homes will be forced to close their doors,
leaving tens of thousands of Alabamians
without any access to quality healthcare.
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We will lose 1,185 corrections officers who
work in our state prison system. Three state
prison facilities could close and 9,500 state
prison inmates would be released.
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Many of our doctors will have no choice
but to close or move out of state.
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Criminal trials throughout the state would
be delayed for months or even years due to
reduced staffing in our courts and the
Alabama Department
of Forensic Sciences lab.
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Entire counties could be left without any
health service facilities. Every
Alabamian’s access to healthcare will be
limited and our overall quality
of life will suffer.
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As many as one-third of the pharmacies in
the state may close.
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Alabama will lose jobs and new industry
to other states because businesses will not
locate or stay in an area with inadequate
or non-existent services.
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Food safety will be threatened. Budget cuts
in FY2012 already required layoffs of twothirds of the Department of Agriculture’s
investigative staff. Lack of inspection
ability also harms local farmers when
perishable agricultural products miss their
shipping deadlines.
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Rural fire departments will lose funding,
placing property and people at great risk.
Many residents in rural areas will see a
drastic increase in their homeowners
insurance.
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We will be forced to reduce the number of
first responders, which means fewer law
enforcement, firefighter, and paramedic
services in our communities.
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The state’s prisons, mental health program, Medicaid program and child protection programs
will face federal lawsuits and possible federal takeover!
Alabama’s Healthcare Delivery System Will Collapse
A 17% cut to Medicaid will cost hundreds of millions of dollars in federal
matching funds and will end health services for thousands of children; end the
Medicaid adult prescription program; and either cut or eliminate a host of other
Medicaid services. That’s tragic, but only part of the story.
It’s Not Just Medicaid
Without the money Medicaid helps fund Alabama’s hospitals, doctors’ offices,
nursing homes and other health providers, the entire system would collapse.
If the Adult Prescription Program ends, 40% of the community pharmacies in the
state will close. On average, pediatricians in Alabama depend on Medicaid for 40% of their total practice. If Medicaid is
cut, many of these pediatricians will leave the state. Many rural hospitals depend heavily on Medicaid to survive.
Medicaid cuts mean these hospitals close.
Your choice of insurance will no longer matter if Medicaid is cut by 17%. The doctor or hospital you’re using today may
no longer be there.
It’s Our Money from Our Savings Account
Every family should have a savings account to help make ends meet when times are
hard. We’re voting on whether to use our money in our savings account to make ends
meet. That’s living within our means.
Even After This 3-Year Withdrawal, Our Savings Account Will Have $300
Million More Than It Does Today.
The savings account being used to help get through this hard time has $2.4 billion in
it today. According to the Legislative Fiscal Office, in three years, after the transfer of
funds from the savings account to the General Fund has ended, the account will have $2.7 billion in it. We pay our bills
with our money for three years. At the end of the three years, our savings account is still $300 million richer – without
raising taxes.
Keeping the Pledge to Spend Your Dollars Wisely
Since January 2010, almost a billion dollars in annual expenses have been cut from state budgets. Today, taxpayers are
spending $648 million less each year to run state government than they were just a few months ago. The number of state
employees has been reduced by 2,300, as have expenses for state-supported insurance and retirement programs for new
employees.
Alabama leaders are keeping their pledge to tighten our belt and live within our means.