Barry Moore's Rural Healthcare Record: Alabama Deserves Better

Guest Opinion by Everett Wess

Rural Alabama is facing a healthcare crisis. Hospitals are struggling, healthcare workers are in short supply, and communities like Thomasville have already watched their hospital close.

At the same time, Barry Moore voted for the Republican budget legislation that included major Medicaid cuts, cuts that healthcare experts warn will put additional financial pressure on rural hospitals and patients. Alabama legislatures have not accepted Medicaid expansion.

Now Washington and our legislatures want Alabama to believe that a new five-year Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP) will solve the problem. Barry Moore stated that rural hospitals in Alabama would receive a little more than $9 million from the so called Big Beautiful Bill. This is not true.

Alabama is expected to receive approximately $203 million in the first year of the program. The money will support initiatives involving telehealth, electronic health records, EMS, maternal care, cancer treatment, mental health and workforce development.

Some of these investments are worthwhile.

But let's be honest:

An electronic health record cannot replace a hospital.
Telehealth cannot replace a doctor.
A grant cannot replace a nurse.
A consultant cannot perform surgery.

Ask Thomasville

Thomasville Regional Medical Center opened in 2020.

It closed in 2024.

That is the reality facing rural Alabama.

When a hospital closes, families don't need another government presentation. They need emergency care. They need physicians. They need nurses. They need EMS. They need affordable healthcare close to home.

Rural hospitals were already financially fragile, and experts warn that Medicaid reductions can make that situation worse.

Follow the Money

I support bringing federal resources to rural Alabama. But Alabama taxpayers deserve to know where every dollar goes.

How much will reach hospitals and clinics?

How much will go to consultants and contractors?

How many doctors and nurses will actually be recruited?

How many hospitals will remain open?

And when the five-year program ends, will rural Alabama have stronger healthcare—or simply another collection of programs and technology platforms?

We cannot allow rural healthcare dollars to become a Washington-to-consultant pipeline while patients continue driving hours for basic medical care.

My Plan Is Simple

As your United States Senator, I will fight for a rural healthcare strategy built around people and access, not bureaucracy.

I will fight to:

*Strengthen rural hospitals and emergency departments.

*Recruit and retain doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals.

*Expand EMS and emergency transportation.

*Improve maternal and mental-health care.

*Make prescription drugs and healthcare more affordable.

*Demand transparency for every federal rural-health dollar.

*Measure success by patients served, not grants awarded.

Barry Moore can defend his Washington voting record.

I will defend rural Alabama.

Rural Alabamians don't need another politician telling them that everything is getting better while hospitals struggle to keep their doors open.

They need someone who will fight to make sure those doors stay open.

Rural Alabama deserves healthcare, not excuses.

Everett Wess
Democratic Nominee for U.S. Senate

For more information: https://wessforsenate.com.

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