BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama has the highest denial rate for in-network health insurance claims among major insurers in the United States, according to newly released federal data analyzing 2023 Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace plans. The numbers are stark: 35% of in-network claims submitted to Blue Cross and Blue…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Residents across Birmingham woke up Thursday to find their cars covered in streaks and spots of dirt, prompting confusion and speculation about the cause of the unusual phenomenon. Drivers from Leeds to Mountain Brook reported the strange residue, describing it as if their vehicles had been splattered with mud after a light…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Alabama Supreme Court has adopted new rules to clamp down on misleading lawyer advertising, responding to growing concerns that aggressive marketing tactics are confusing consumers and eroding public trust in the legal profession. The decision, handed down Wednesday, comes after years of complaints about television, radio, and billboard ads featuring attorneys…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The arrival of white Afrikaner refugees in Alabama this week, part of a Trump administration initiative prioritizing their resettlement, has sparked debate in a state with a long, complex history of race and migration. Fifty-nine Afrikaners from South Africa are being welcomed to the United States under a program President Donald Trump…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama lawmakers have passed a bill prohibiting the use of foreign national driver’s licenses as voter identification, a move critics say is a solution in search of a problem and a reflection of growing nationalist sentiment. Senate Bill 158, sponsored by Sen. Will Barfoot, R-Pike Road, passed the House 82-13 and now…

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — Alabama’s Methodist churches remain sharply divided after the state Supreme Court issued key rulings on property disputes, underscoring the depth of the schism triggered by the United Methodist Church’s decision to fully include LGBTQ+ people in ministry and marriage. Since 2022, about a quarter of Alabama’s United Methodist congregations have left the…