Lackluster 2016 Receipts to General Fund and ETF
Both the accounts that pay for state government operations, the General Fund and the Education Trust Fund (ETF), ended the 2016 Fiscal Year basically flat when compared to the previous year, a sign that the state’s struggles to balance budgets will continue in the future. What would have been a moderately healthy year of receipts to […]
PARCA Poll of Public Attitudes on Taxes, Education, Corrections and Medicaid
According to a new poll of public opinion commissioned by the Public Affairs Research Council of Alabama, state residents would be willing to pay more in taxes to avoid budget cuts in key areas like education, health care, and public safety. However, the public remains distrustful of government’s ability to spend tax dollars wisely. The […]
PARCA Winter Quarterly Tackles Budgeting, Corrections, Medicaid, and Education
The PARCA Quarterly Winter 2015 edition provides perspective on Alabama’s budget challenges and reform efforts in education, Medicaid, and the state prison system. The Quarterly provides background for our upcoming annual meeting, which is February 13 at the Harbert Center in downtown Birmingham. The meeting will feature: State Sen. Cam Ward and […]
A New Prescription for Medicaid
Any attempt to address the perennial shortfalls faced by the state’s General Fund account has to start with attention to Medicaid, the program that pays for the healthcare and long-term care of the poor and disabled. Total spending on Medicaid in Alabama is budgeted to reach $6.1 billion in 2015, with about 30 percent of […]