Alabama Medicaid Faces Deep Cuts If Voters Reject Bailout

Like many such programs around the country, it's teetering on the edge of collapse

Before beginning his presentation on Medicaid Wednesday morning, Don Williamson told legislators and and a crowd in the Capitol Auditorium that things might be painful.

"You may feel much like someone being waterboarded," said Williamson, the state's public health officer and leader of a transition team looking at the future of the Alabama Medicaid Agency.

It was equally clear at the end of the presentation to the Joint Legislative Committee on Medicaid Policy that there are almost no escape options for Medicaid should voters reject a constitutional amendment on Sept. 18 aimed at shoring up the General Fund, which provides a significant portion of the state's Medicaid funding.