By Brian Lyman | Editor
Thanks to all of you who got our fall fundraiser off on the right foot. We sincerely appreciate any contribution you can make. The fact we have several stories this morning touching on affordability is a coincidence.
Stephanie Azar, CEO of the State Employees Insurance Board, speaks to SEIB members at its meeting on Sept. 23, 2026, in Montgomery, Alabama. (Andrea Tinker/Alabama Reflector)
HEALTHCARE
By Andrea Tinker
The Alabama State Employees’ Insurance Board, overseeing health insurance for approximately 102,000 state employees and their families, voted Wednesday to approve a $15 across-the-board premium increase, the first in 11 years. Officials said a deficit caused in part by rising healthcare costs required the increase. The $15 increase was slightly smaller than the $20 officials originally sought, though other services saw cost increases as well.
An electric meter. (Dave Cummings/New Hampshire Bulletin)
ELECTION 2026
By Ralph Chapoco
Issues of affordability are taking the spotlight in the fall elections, and Alabama’s power bills stand among them. The state has some of the highest residential bills in the South, and lowering them has become an issue in state races. The Alabama attorney general has power under state law to intervene on behalf of the public in cases setting power rates, a power the office ignored until recently. We reached out to both AG campaigns to get their views.
The White House, south facing, early on the morning of June 11, 2026. (Ashley Murray/States Newsroom)
DC BUREAU
By Jane Norman
A federal judge early Thursday issued an order temporarily blocking the Trump administration from taking press credentials from CNN, MS Now and Politico. U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, a Trump appointee, expressed skepticism toward U.S. Department of Justice claims that the bans were a result of national security issues, saying DOJ had given no evidence for the contention.
ICYMI
False birth control claims are proliferating, survey says | Sofia Resnick, Stateline
US Senate Republicans spotlight trans athletes issue as midterms approach | Shauneen Miranda, DC Bureau
More Americans lose SNAP as Congress weighs food stamps’ future | Kevin Hardy, Stateline
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