By Brian Lyman | Editor
State enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans fell by nearly a quarter this year after Congress allowed enhanced tax credits to expire. It means more expensive insurance for some Alabamians and none for others.
The expiration of enhanced premium tax credits at the end of 2025 led to an Affordable Care Act (ACA) enrollment decline of 23% in Alabama in 2026, according to a late July report from KFF. (File/Getty Images)
HEALTHCARE
By Anna Barrett
The number of Alabamians in Affordable Care Act plans fell by 95,000 — about 23% — after Congress allowed enhanced premium tax credits to expire at the end of last year. The credits made ACA plans more affordable and available for a wider range of households. Without the credits, prices for ACA plans have risen an average of 58% nationwide.
Children playing with colorful wooden building blocks. Children who live in the Black Belt have worse health and educational outcomes than those who do not live in the region, according to research from the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama. (Getty Images)
GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
By Ralph Chapoco
Children raised in the Black Belt see worse health and education outcomes due to poverty, and a lack of health care access, according to a new round research done by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center. Infant mortality in the region is higher than Alabama’s already-high rates due to a lack of obstetric and prenatal services, while barriers to childcare remain significant in the Black Belt.
A server room in a data center. (Getty Images)
COMMENTARY
By Catherine Dorrough
More than 70% of Americans say they do not want a data center built near them, and the issue has become a major part of state races in Alabama. In this commentary, Catherine Dorrough writes that the state Legislature must take action to regulate the impacts of the enormous facilities; revise outdated tax credits that make little sense for the state, and give local communities the power to decide whether they want to host a facility or not.
ICYMI
Violent crime in US fell at a record pace in 2025 | Amanda Watford, Stateline
Refugee admissions on track to hit record low | Shalina Chatlani, Stateline
Dozens of cities and counties sue fire truck makers over soaring costs, delivery delays | Anna Claire Vollers, Stateline
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