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A task force appointed by Gov. Robert Bentley today recommended that the governor and the Legislature find a way to provide health insurance for Alabamians without coverage. The Alabama Health Care Improvement Task Force approved a recommendation that said the biggest obstacle in improving health is the "coverage gap that makes health insurance inaccessible to hundreds of thousands of Alabamians." The majority of that group are working people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid but don't have private insurance, according to the Task Force statement. (Cason, 11/18)

A task force created by Gov. Robert Bentley voted Wednesday to recommend Medicaid expansion, citing the potential public health and economic benefits and the need to keep state hospitals open. Bentley and the Legislature will still have to decide how — and if — to move forward on the proposal, which could extend health insurance to 300,000 people in the state. But the vote by the Alabama Health Care Improvement Task Force, passed without dissent, means one step forward in a difficult process. (Lyman, 11/18)