The advocacy group Cover Alabama, along with more than 80 businesses and organizations signed on to a letter urging Gov. Kay Ivey to expand the state’s Medicaid program, citing the need to cover the nearly 300,000 uninsured Alabamians who fall into the coverage gap.

Ivey, however, remains skeptical of the proposal, with her office telling Alabama Daily News late last week the long-term costs of expansion remained a great concern for her.

“Gov. Ivey’s position remains unchanged,” Gina Maiola, communications director for Ivey’s office, told ADN Thursday. The governor has the authority to expand Medicaid without a vote in the Alabama Legislature.