U.S. Rep. Shomari C. Figures is backing a new effort to provide health care coverage to thousands of uninsured Alabamians after the state's longstanding refusal to expand Medicaid.

Figures, a Democrat representing Alabama's 2nd Congressional District, is a lead co-sponsor of the Cover Outstanding Vulnerable Expansion-Eligible Residents Now (COVER Now) Act. According to a news release, the legislation seeks to bypass state-level opposition to Medicaid expansion by allowing the federal government to work directly with local governments to provide coverage.

"People across Alabama — both Democrat and Republican — have called for the state to expand Medicaid for over a decade," Figures said in the release. "Because of the state's refusal to do so, more than 300,000 people are unable to receive quality health care that they would have access to if the state expanded Medicaid."

Per the release, the bill would establish Medicaid pilot projects through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), giving cities and counties the ability to expand coverage independently of state governments. The approach mirrors successful county-based expansion programs in California and Illinois.

Under the proposed legislation, the pilot programs would last seven years. The federal government would cover the full cost for the first three years, before gradually reducing support to 90% by year seven. The bill also includes provisions to streamline enrollment, automatically transitioning participants to a state plan if Alabama opts to expand Medicaid during the program's duration.

Medicaid expansion has been a point of contention in Alabama, where state officials have repeatedly declined federal funding available under the Affordable Care Act. While 40 states and the District of Columbia have adopted expansion, Alabama remains one of the 10 holdouts.

The COVER Now Act has garnered support from a range of national organizations, including UnidosUS, the Southern Poverty Law Center Action Fund, the National Partnership for Women & Families, the American Diabetes Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Figures urged congressional colleagues to back the measure, calling Medicaid expansion a bipartisan issue that would improve access to affordable health care for millions nationwide.

"I urge my colleagues to support this bill so that thousands of people in Alabama and millions of people nationwide can finally access the quality, affordable health care they deserve," he said.