We all love to rave about spring in Alabama – the weather, the flowers in bloom and the preparation for school to end. But one thing we need to add to our list: The spring concert calendar is stacked with plenty of amazing concerts and festivals.
A bunch of us here at AL.com decided to look through concert listings all over the state from Huntsville to Mobile to find some of the most notable ones for the season. These are by no means all of the great live acts playing the state during that time; just a few we want to highlight. You can’t say there’s nothing to do this spring!
Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty will play in Decatur this spring. (Photo by Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)Getty Images
The War and Treaty
April 24, Princess Theatre, Decatur
The War and Treaty thrive in the borderlands between R&B and country. Husband and wife duo of Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter have been nominated for Grammy, Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards. Their sultry 2018 groover “Are You Ready To Love” Me? has been streamed more than 13 million times on Spotify. The War and Treaty have recorded with go-to music producers like Buddy Miller and Dave Cobb. The Michigan-formed duo has collaborated with stars like Jason Isbell, Emmylou Harris and Dierks Bentley. In 2023, The War and Treaty scored a top 15 hit with their Zach Bryan collabo cut “Hey, Driver.” In a 2021 AL.com interview, Michael said of he and Tanya’s musical chemistry, “I think the really cool thing about creating this music with the one you love is knowing when I’m weak, she’s strong, where she’s weak, I’m strong, and we’re strongest together.” Find tickets here.– Matt Wake
Wilco
Fairhope, Halstead Amphitheater, April 25
Wilco in Fairhope? It’s happening, and soon. The “Live at Five” concert series of shows at Halstead Amphitheater has had a fun community vibe for years, and in 2024, it gave a glimpse of bigger things by showcasing the Red Clay Strays just as the south Alabama group was skyrocketing to national fame. Organizers have continued to build on that. This season just presented Old Crow Medicine Show on April 11, and it’ll give fans “An Evening with Wilco” on April 25. Tickets are $65 and can be ordered here. The spring season concludes with concerts by two export-grade local favorites: The eclectic international acoustic jazz of Roman Street on May 16 ($25) and Mobile’s favorite R&B party band The Tip Tops on May 30 (also $25).— Lawrence Specker
The 14th annual Bob Sykes BBQ & Blues Festival will be held April 26, 2025, in DeBardeleben Park in Bessemer, Ala. This photo is from the 2023 festival.(Photo by Roger Stephenson; used with permission)
May 2, Von Braun Center Mark C. Smith Music Hall, Huntsville
The snakes. The cadaver. The noose. The guillotine. The chickens. Alice Cooper pioneered the use of theatrics in rock concerts. But he wouldn’t have sold more than 50 million records, been a star for more than 50 years and been inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame without great songs too. Cooper’s live show is populated by hard-rock classics. For starters, “No More Mr. Nice Guy,” “I’m Eighteen,” “Under My Wheels,” “Billion Dollar Babies,” “Welcome to My Nightmare,” “Poison,” “School’s Out” and “Feed My Frankenstein.” As a singer and performer, Detroit native Cooper still delivers the goods onstage at age 77. His longtime touring band is stocked with virtuosos, including guitar goddess Nita Strauss. You can get tickets here. – Matt Wake
Rhiannon Giddens & the Old-Time Revue
May 4, Birmingham, Jemison Concert Hall, Alys Stephens Center
Think you don’t like old-time music? Rhiannon Giddens, a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, is certain to change your mind. The artist, 48, is famed for her creativity, commitment and deep roots in folk music. She’s also an expert at making old-time music sound fresh and new. Fans in Birmingham have seen Giddens perform here several times over the years — as a solo artist, as a standout member of the Carolina Chocolate Drops and in a creative duo with Francesco Turrisi, an Italian percussionist and pianist. Giddens’ talents have led to two Grammy Awards, a Pulitzer Prize and a “Genius” grant from the MacArthur Foundation. For all of these reasons, her concert at the Alys Stephens Center is a must-see. Tickets are $39-$79 via the venue website, https://www.alysstephens.org/– Mary Colurso
MudBottom Revival Music Festival
May 4, Bender Point on Dog River, Mobile
Spring is the season for some great musical fundraisers in the Mobile area, but the Dog River Clearwater Revival’s 10th annual MudBottom Revival Music Festival on May 4 stands out for a stellar lineup of local talent presented amid the ecological charms of Dog River itself. For the 10th anniversary, the lineup is stacked: Red & the Revelers. Will Kimbrough & Friends and Jimmy Hall & Friends. The outdoor site can be reached by Riviere du Chien Road or by water, and they’ll even have “boat taxis to transport ticket holders from their anchored parking spot to the dock.” Adult tickets are $35 through April 27, and children 12 and under are admitted free. – Lawrence Specker
Turnover in Birmingham
May 7, Iron City, Birmingham
The concert I’d most like to see (and actually will be seeing) this spring is a performance by Turnover on May 7 at Iron City in Birmingham. The indie rock band is celebrating the 10th anniversary of their album “Peripheral Vision” (which is one of my favorites) by playing it in full. The combination of getting to see my favorite live as well as watch the openers Balance & Composure play sounded like too good of a deal to resist. Plus, general admission tickets are only $39 plus fees, which feels like a good deal for watching a band I’ve been a fan of for over a decade but have never seen perform live.– Amber Sutton
Blue Öyster Cult will perform in Oxford, Ala., this spring. (Photo by Rick Kern/Getty Images)Getty Images
Blue Öyster Cult
May 17, Oxford Performing Arts Center, Oxford
Enough with the “more cowbell” jokes. That “Saturday Night Live” skit was fun and all, but there’s much more to Blue Öyster Cult. Yes, “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” is a timeless rock song. But so are “Godzilla” and “Burnin’ For You.” Dig deeper for opals like banger “ME 262,” witchy “Then Came the Last Days of May” and punkish “Hot Rails to Hell.” The Stony Brook, N.Y., founded group still rotates on the axis of classic era members Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom. Blue Öyster Cult’s musical disciples include the likes of Metallica and Iron Maiden. Their umlaut copycats include Mötley Crüe and Motörhead. Buy tickets here. – Matt Wake
Steve Earle
May 25, Princess Theatre, Decatur
Steve Earle is a longtime hero in the Americana world, and rightly so. The singer-songwriter and guitarist is a riveting storyteller with more than 20 studio albums to his credit and signature songs that date back to the 1980s. Earle, 70, has lost none of his outlaw energy — or his twangy authenticity — over the years, and he’s equally mesmerizing with a band or during a solo concert. Some fans will have their fingers crossed for vintage favorites, such as “Copperhead Road” and “Guitar Town,” while others will expect to hear tunes that emphasize Earle’s tendency to be a social and political firebrand. No matter what he plays, though, this artist is sure to satisfy. Buy tickets here.— Mary Colurso
The Alabama House of Representatives passed a bill last week that would ban drag performances in schools and public libraries.
But it could also impact theater productions statewide.
HB 67, sponsored by Rep. Scott Stadthagen, R-Hartselle, defines drag performances as “a performance in which a performer exhibits a sex identity that is different from the sex assigned to the performer at birth using clothing, makeup, or other physical markers.”
According to the Alabama Educational Theatre Association (ALEdTA), with fewer boys participating in theater in high school, girls often play boys’ roles to fill the cast. The association said the legislation could impact school theater productions.
“We all know that in the current environment where boys are not participating as much in theatre; this will have a negative impact on educational theatre,” ALEdTA wrote in a Facebook post Monday.
Historically, the opposite was true. In Ancient Greece, women were considered inferior to men and unfit for the stage, so female roles were played by men. The same was true in the Elizabethan era for plays by William Shakespeare. Premature boys often played female roles because of women’s limited social status.
The association is calling on its members to advocate for an amendment to the legislation in the Alabama Senate that would exempt theater productions from the restriction on drag performances. The association provided a letter template on the post for its members to send to their senator.
“This bill without needed amendments will force teachers to provide less performance opportunities for students. It will also heavily reduce the plays and musicals that we can perform in Alabama,” the letter said.
Stadthagen said in an interview Wednesday the legislation was not meant to impact theater and that he is working on an amendment for the Senate to make that explicit.
“It does not pertain to that at all,” he said. “The intent is not to harm theater or anything like that. The intent, of course, is to eliminate drag.”
Huntsville High School this fall planned to stage “Peter and the Starcatcher,” a Tony-award winning play based on the backstory of Peter Pan but switched productions due to the possible implications of the legislation.
“This change was made thoughtfully and early in the planning process before casting occurred to ensure the production aligns with any legal and logistical considerations that may arise,” Craig Williams, a spokesperson for the school system, wrote in an email Wednesday.
Stadthagen said in an interview Wednesday that he had not heard of any theater productions being cancelled and said that was not necessary.
“They don’t need to be cancelling anything at all,” he said. “They have nothing to worry about, I promise you.”
The bill awaits consideration from the Senate Education Policy Committee, which did not have its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday.
Our state has garnered the nickname “Alabama the beautiful,” and during spring, it’s not hard to see why.
With the season in full swing, the natural beauty of our state’s many botanical gardens, parks and more are on full display. So whether you’re looking for a place to enjoy the beautiful spring weather by relaxing beneath a canopy of trees, strolling through rows and rows of colorful blooms or getting active with a hike or kayaking through some picturesque scenery, Alabama has you covered.
In fact, the hardest part might be choosing your destination, and with that in mind, we wanted to spotlight some of the many beautiful places in Alabama where you can see spring in bloom and more.
Mums hanging at the entry way to the Rose Garden at Bellingrath Gardens & Home in Theodore, Alabama.(Al.com file photo/Kate Mercer)
Bellingrath Gardens and Home
12401 Bellingrath Gardens Road in Theodore
Bellingrath Gardens and Home, which sits on 65 acres in Theodore and has been open to visitors looking to tour its pristine gardens and estate since 1932. While there, you can take a stroll through the gardens to see the azaleas and dozens of other blooming flowers on display during the spring before viewing the grand home of Walter and Bessie Bellingrath. Not to mention, Bellingrath is hosting the Gulf Coast Chinese Lantern Festival now through June, which features 41 towering, handcrafted light sculptures you can see light up the gardens at night.
Why should flowers — albeit beautiful, fragrant flowers — get all the glory every time spring rolls around? The Donald E. Davis Arboretum in Auburn has plenty of plants and flowers, including plenty of native azaleas and more that you can see through its spring bloom tours, among its 14 acres. The arboretum is also home to almost 900 trees — which you’ll be grateful for if you visit on one of those spring days that feel more like summer. You can take a variety of self-guided tours of the grounds, with brochures available at the Davis Arboretum Pavilion, or simply explore on your own. Either way, the arboretum is the perfect place to enjoy the greenery of spring from a shady spot.
The Cahaba lilies are shown in full bloom on Sunday, May 19, 2024. (Photo by Jessica Garrison)Jessica Garrison
Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge
Located in West Blocton
A visit to the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge is always a good idea, but it’s especially worthwhile around this time of year, meaning May into June, when the Cahaba lilies bloom in the Cahaba River. After all, the star-shaped flowers up close attract visitors from across the Southeast every year. To see them, you can either take a guided canoe tour for an up close view or head for the hiking trails, including the Piper Trail, within the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge to get a glance from afar. Of course, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy spring’s beauty — whether it’s getting active with some kayaking and biking or just relaxing with a picnic — during your visit to the refuge as well.
The Huntsville Botanical Garden is another one of our state’s must-see venues if you want to get outside and surround yourself with natural beauty. Throughout its 118 acres, the garden offers visitors the chance to enjoy everything from vibrant florals, including more than 3,000 azaleas, shady woodlands along the paths of the Cedar Glade, picturesque aquatic plants, like Victoria and water lilies, and so much more. Plus, it’s nearly peak butterfly season at the Purdy Butterfly House, and the garden’s newest permanent exhibit, the Mother Earth Troll Garden, designed by world-renowned artist Thomas Dambo, is now on display.
Cherry blossoms at Birmingham Botanical Gardens. (AL.com file photo/Mark Almond)
Birmingham Botanical Gardens
2612 Lane Park Road in Birmingham
The Birmingham Botanical Gardens is open year-round and offers visitors a (free!) way to enjoy everything spring has to offer. From the Japanese Garden to the Dunn Formal Rose Garden, Kaul Wildflower Garden and more, you may have to make multiple trips just to see all the lush foliage and flowers growing throughout the Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ 67 acres. Also, the gardens hosts a variety of events and programs, including book clubs, exercise classes, planting tutorials, guided walks, wine tastings and more, if you want to take your visit up to the next level.
While any of Alabama’s state parks would be a good pick for seeing the state’s natural beauty firsthand, DeSoto State Park in Fort Payne has a little something extra to offer this time of year, thanks to the wildflowers in bloom. The park hosts a special event, filled with guided hikes and presentations, on the first weekend of May to help visitors learn more about the many species of blooming plants found on Lookout Mountain. Of course, you can also simply take a stroll down DeSoto’s Azalea Cascade Boardwalk or go on a hike of your own while there, too. Just be sure to grab one of the wildflower checklists at the nature center to ensure you don’t miss anything.
For nearly a decade, The Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park has been working to create a space in the center of the Capital City that allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy the area’s natural beauty without having to go far from home.Photo courtesy of Montgomery Botanical Garden
Montgomery Botanical Garden
1010 Forest Avenue in Montgomery
For nearly a decade, The Montgomery Botanical Gardens at Oak Park has been working to create a space in the center of the Capital City that allows visitors and locals alike to enjoy the area’s natural beauty without having to go far from home. While additional phases of the gardens are still in the works, there are currently plenty of colorful flowers, including azaleas, in bloom beneath the backdrop of the park’s many large trees, as well as its nature walk and meditation garden. You can also visit the nearby Gayle Planetarium, also located within Oak Park, while you’re there, and be on the lookout for special gardening classes held from time to time.
Dothan Area Botanical Gardens
5130 Headland Avenue in Dothan
The Dothan Area Botanical Gardens has a little bit of everything for everyone throughout its 50 acres of greenery. Whether you want to spend your day strolling through its many varieties of gardens, relax in a shady spot, picnic at its pavilion, explore the seasonal “Wings of Wonder” butterfly house or all of the above, you can do so right there in Alabama’s wiregrass. The Dothan Area Botanical Gardens, which is open daily, also hosts special events throughout the year, including plant sales, art displays and special admission days where you can visit the gardens for free.
Whimsical sculptures by Frank Fleming can be found at Aldridge Gardens in Hoover. (AL.com file photo/Beverly Taylor)
Aldridge Gardens
3530 Lorna Road in Hoover
Aldridge Gardens in Hoover is another place where visitors can enjoy spring while surrounded by nature. With free admission and open daily, the gardens consist of more than 30 acres and are the former property of well-known horticulturist Eddie Aldridge. It features walking trails visitors can explore on their own through lush green spaces and gardens showcasing a variety of blooms, including the Snowflake Hydrangea that was patented by Aldridge and is the official flower of the city of Hoover. In addition, the gardens is also home to several works of art, which can be found throughout its grounds.
Audi is considering building its first U.S. auto factory, likely somewhere in the South, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Gernot Döllner, Audi’s chief executive, told the newspaper that the carmaker was moving “full throttle” toward a final decision.
The plant would likely be located near one of parent company Volkswagen’s plants. The automaker has a factory in Chattanooga.
And should the Trump Administration continue with a 25% tariff on imported automobiles, the company could build Audis in Chattanoooga in the short-term, he said.
Audi has a plant in Mexico and has exported its Audi Q5 SUV to the U.S.
Volkswagen has also started building a plant in Blythewood, S.C., to build Scout vehicles.
However, building a new plant could take around four years. Döllner said the South makes sense as a destination as there are already auto suppliers in the region.
A decision on the plant—including its location, if the decision is to go ahead—will be made this year, he said.
About 53,000 Alabamians are directly employed in the auto industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The state is home to manufacturing plants by Mercedes-Benz, Honda, Hyundai, and a joint manufacturing facility by Toyota and Mazda.
It’s hard to believe but the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season is just about six weeks away.
The official first day of the season is June 1, and it could be another active summer and fall.
NOAA won’t release its hurricane season outlook until the end of May, but one long-running forecast is already out.
Colorado State University released its 2025 Atlantic hurricane outlook earlier this month. The university has been releasing hurricane forecasts for 42 years now.
The CSU researchers think it could be another year with an above-average number of storms.
The CSU forecast said the 2025 season could have:
17 named storms
9 hurricanes
4 major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger)
An average hurricane season, according to NOAA, has 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes. That average is based on data from 1991-2020.
The CSU forecast also includes probabilities of hurricanes making landfall.
According to the report there will be a 33 percent probability of a hurricane landfall on the Gulf Coast from the Florida Panhandle to Texas. The average probability of that happening is 27 percent, according to the report.
The CSU researchers are basing their 2025 forecast for an above-average season in part on continued warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in parts of the Atlantic Ocean.
ENSO is driven by ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, the CSU researchers said. Those ocean temperatures can influence weather patterns worldwide.
El Niño occurs when above-average temperatures persist in that region. La Niña is the opposite, with cooler-than-average ocean temperatures. Neutral conditions indicate neither El Niño or La Niña.
La Niña was in control during the 2024 season. La Niña can make conditions more favorable for hurricanes in the Atlantic. El Niño is the opposite and can create less-favorable atmospheric conditions in the tropics.
The CSU team thinks that the current La Niña conditions will shift to neutral over the next few months, but the report also noted “considerable uncertainty” about which phase ENSO will be in this summer and into the fall.
The CSU team will issue updates to this forecast on June 11, July 9 and Aug. 6.
What will this year’s storm names be? The 2025 name list is one that is recycled every six years, so the 2025 storm names were last used in 2019.
One name will be missing from the 2025 list: Dorian. That Category 5 hurricane devastated the Bahamas in 2019, and the name was later retired by the World Meteorological Organization.
Dorian has been replaced with Dexter in this year’s list.
Here are the 2025 storm names for the Atlantic:
Andrea
Barry
Chantal
Dexter
Erin
Fernand
Gabrielle
Humberto
Imelda
Jerry
Karen
Lorenzo
Melissa
Nestor
Olga
Pablo
Rebekah
Sebastien
Tanya
Van
Wendy
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season will begin on June 1 and end on Nov. 30.
The Blackstone Adventure Ready Griddle features 362 square-inches of cooking space with a rolled-steel cooktop surface. It also comes with a matching hardcover and holds a 1-Lb propane tank, which is sold separately.
“Satisfy your hunger for amazing food with the updated Blackstone 22″ Adventure Ready propane griddle on your next outdoor adventure. With 362 square-inches of cooking space and 24,000 BTU’s, you’ll be equipped to cook for your loved ones in the great outdoors,“ Walmart’s product details state.
“Not only does this bundle include the 22″ griddle, but it also comes with a matching hardcover to help keep your griddle clean between uses. The hardcover is designed with a heat-resistant, rugged handle grip and interior hooks to hang it off the back of the griddle while cooking. Enjoy other elevated design elements on this model like the sleek, easy-glide burner dials with pops of orange.”
Over the past three years, states have been receiving settlement funds from federal lawsuits against major pharmaceutical companies. To date, Alabama has secured over $300 million, and I expect that figure to continue growing. These funds are directed to the state’s Opioid Settlement Fund, which the Legislature appropriates.
In 2022, the Legislature created the Oversight Commission on Alabama Opioid Settlement Funds to guide these efforts. Chaired by Senator Greg Albritton and myself, the commission held four public hearings after the 2023 Regular Session and during the 2024 Regular Session, gathering input from 44 agencies and associations providing services related to prevention, treatment, and recovery for individuals suffering from opioid addiction in Alabama.
The outcome was a comprehensive, statewide plan that outlines the approved uses of settlement funds by organizations that receive them through direct supplemental appropriations from the Alabama Legislature and the Opioid Settlement Grant Program.
Through the Opioid Settlement Fund prevention, treatment, and recovery grants, providers collectively reported the following outcomes:
6,898 individuals served
4,094 individual treatment services provided
1,252 Narcan Kits distributed
1,000 Fentanyl Test Strips Distributed
13 pounds of medication collected
83 coaching events
Last year, the second appropriation from the settlement funds was made, having a significant impact across the state. These funds supported Alabama’s 988 Crisis Line, a veterans’ pilot program, mental health courts, and numerous prevention and recovery programs.
In this year’s Opioid Supplemental Appropriations Bill, $41 million from the Opioid Settlement Fund will be appropriated for similar purposes. However, this year, we will broaden the scope of funded programs and services to continue addressing coverage gaps.
We are leveraging one of Alabama’s most robust and effective resources—higher education.
$3 million will be allocated among the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Auburn University, and the University of South Alabama Health (USA Health).
UAB will receive $1 million for psychiatry residencies in Montgomery and Huntsville related to the study and treatment of substance abuse.
Auburn University will receive $1 million for the expansion of the School of Pharmacy and its K-12 education program focused on substance abuse training.
USA Health will receive $1 million to provide rapid response to overdose outbreaks related to opioid use.
Another key component in this year’s appropriation is marketing.
Alabama has numerous opioid prevention and recovery resources available at no cost to its citizens—but what good are these programs if those struggling with substance abuse don’t know they exist?
Through a partnership between the Alabama Legislature and the Department of Mental Health, the state recently launched the Opioids Take Campaign, which includes a website highlighting treatment and prevention resources, billboards, and educational materials. You might have noticed the black and orange billboards along the side of I-65 and other high traffic areas in the state.
Additionally, we are making a significant investment in law enforcement, which is critical given the unfortunate reality that officers frequently encounter individuals suffering from substance abuse.
In 2020, the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program reported that drug abuse violations were among the most common categories of arrests. These violations include both possession and trafficking offenses, with many individuals arrested for drug-related crimes facing underlying addiction issues.
Given this trend, providing Alabama’s law enforcement community with additional resources to identify and address substance abuse is essential—and, frankly, long overdue.
The final component of this year’s appropriation I’d like to highlight is our support for veterans.
Last year, we established the Veterans Mental Health Steering Committee, consisting of elected officials, state agency heads, and representatives from veteran service organizations, to assess how the state is supporting veterans with mental health and substance abuse challenges and determine what additional resources are needed. This committee was charged with the important task of reviewing the current state of veterans’ mental health and substance use in Alabama and developing a comprehensive plan in response to these findings. Further, this committee was authorized to establish pilot projects that align with this comprehensive plan with new dollars.
We funded this initiative with an initial appropriation of $3 million from the Opioid Settlement Fund. Further, we are investing an additional $1.5 million to support existing programs and establish new resources for Alabama’s veterans.
The bottom line is that the Legislature is working hard to maximize the impact of these dollars. One outcome that I’m so proud of is Alabama’s reduction in overdoses, which I largely attribute to the distribution of Narcan and access to services.
Our combined efforts and partnerships are positioning Alabama to overcome an epidemic that has claimed the lives of thousands and helping ensure that more do not suffer the same fate.
Alabama state Rep. Rex Reynolds, R-Huntsville, is chair of the Alabama House Ways and Means General Fund Committee.
Alabama’s rural hospitals are vanishing. This devastating crisis is unfolding in the heart of our state, jeopardizing not only the health of our people but the very foundation of rural communities.
Since 2011, at least seven rural hospitals in Alabama have closed their doors for good. On our current path, more than half of the state’s remaining 52 rural hospitals are at risk of closing, with 19 identified as being at “immediate risk” of shutting down within the next three years. But this isn’t just about numbers – it’s about lives, livelihoods and the long-term survival of rural communities across Alabama.
Even now, access to basic healthcare services in rural Alabama is slipping away. Pediatricians and dentists are disappearing. Maternity care has become a distant memory in more than a third of our counties. The closure of hospitals only accelerates this decline. In 2025, it’s appalling that emergency care isn’t available within 30 minutes of many of our rural communities, along with specialty care or even routine checkups. The consequences reach far beyond the emergency room – they ripple through every part of daily life.
That’s because hospitals are more than treatment centers. They are economic anchors. Nearly 78,000 Alabamians work in hospitals, and hospitals generate an astonishing $25 billion in annual economic impact. They are the lifeblood of rural economies, with hospitals often being the largest private employer in the area and typically second only to the local school system in the total number of employees.
So when a rural hospital closes, it doesn’t just mean fewer medical services. It means lost jobs, shuttered clinics, declining property values and a shrinking tax base. It weakens the entire community.
Imagine a rural town where the hospital has closed – where patients must travel an hour or more for emergency care. The quality of life inevitably suffers. Small businesses struggle to find and keep workers, and there is little hope of attracting new employers or industries that will sustain and grow these communities.
This crisis demands urgent action. Alabama’s leaders must act now to stop the bleeding and prevent more hospitals from closing.
One important step forward is passing the Rural Hospital Investment Tax Credit, a new program designed to incentivize private donations to rural hospitals. Modeled after a successful initiative in Georgia, this tax credit would provide struggling rural hospitals with new funding for patient care, facility improvements and critical services. Since 2017, Georgia’s program has generated more than $430 million in donations. In Alabama, this tax credit could generate millions of dollars to support rural hospitals that serve entire regions of Alabama and are critically important to our state’s healthcare infrastructure.
We must create innovative policies and incentives that recognize the unique challenges of delivering care in rural communities – and we must do it now. Every Alabamian deserves access to life-saving care, no matter where they live in our great state.
This is a matter of life and death, but it’s also a matter of economic survival for the rural communities that are the heart and soul of Alabama.
Senator April Weaver was elected in 2021 to represent Alabama’s 14th Senate District, which includes parts of Bibb, Chilton and Shelby counties. A former nurse and healthcare executive with more than 25 years of experience in healthcare administration, she was appointed by President Donald Trump to serve as Regional Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She previously served in the Alabama House of Representatives from 2010 to 2020.
As health insurance companies across the nation use artificial intelligence more often to decide what gets covered, patients and doctors may be getting left in the dark about the algorithms that deny their claims.
And in Alabama, lawmakers don’t plan to do anything to regulate the rapidly evolving practice for at least another year.
“There’s ongoing discussions about what we need to do, what direction this needs to go in,” said Mark Jackson, executive director of the Alabama Medical Association. “And so I don’t think there was any rush to try to get it done this session and instead we’ll let everybody who’s got an interest in it be involved.”
It’s not clear exactly how insurance companies are using AI in Alabama or how often. But, the Alabama Department of Insurance told AL.com that “most insurers use AI in some form or fashion.”
A public hearing was scheduled in the Alabama legislature this week on a bill that would require insurance companies to tell patients and doctors when they use AI to deny or approve claims, and limit how insurance companies can use the technology. But in a meeting that lasted just five minutes, Rep. Corley Ellis, R-Columbiana, announced that House Bill 515 would instead be revisited during the legislative session next spring.
“We’re actually going to carry that bill over at the sponsor’s request,” said Corley, the vice chair of the insurance committee.
Rep. Mark Shirey, R-Mobile, who sponsored the bill, did not return a call for comment on Wednesday.
The bill says “the decision to cover or deny a treatment would always be made by a competent health care professional, who may consult with or consider a recommendation by artificial intelligence, but must also consider the particular circumstances of the insured as assessed by the attending health care provider.”
The Alabama Hospital Association, Jackson and the Department of Insurance all told AL.com that human oversight is critical if AI is going to continue to be used.
“In the interest of consumer protection, the department would like to have a human involved when AI is utilized, particularly where claims denials are concerned,” a Department of Insurance spokesperson said in an email.
Jackson, executive director of the Medical Association, said they are still trying to navigate the “unchartered waters” of AI before moving forward with legislation.
“We’re all still learning and before we pass something that we don’t understand the full consequences of, let’s do our due diligence and make sure everything in that bill is the proper way to go about it.”
Ellis said that interest groups such as the medical association and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, the state’s largest health insurer, have already been discussing the legislation, adding that he wants them to work together to come up with a better bill for next year along with the Department of Insurance and the Alabama Hospital Association.
“What I want to do is encourage that conversation to go on in the off season, in hopes that we come back with a bill that encompasses everything,” Ellis said.
The Alabama Hospital Association told AL.com they were not involved in any discussions about the bill before it was introduced, though they do support it.
“We’re supportive of what it does, and we would welcome the opportunity to be engaged with whatever discussions may occur in the off season. It’s a big issue, and I think it’s something that does need to be addressed,” said Danne Howard, deputy director of the hospital association.
Howard added that she doesn’t know how widely AI is used to process claims in Alabama but “it’s a growing concern nationally.”
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama said in an email that:
“Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, along with our vendors acting on our behalf, do not use artificial intelligence for a final determination of a prior authorization request. However, we are striving to implement AI technology in the future to speed up the approval process, which could include the initial approval determination.”
Shirey’s bill in the Alabama legislature would have required the Alabama Department of Insurance to provide enforcement of AI standards. It also would have allowed patients to sue health insurance companies that violated the law.
Jackson said he doesn’t think any harm will come to patients as they wait another year for the bill to be discussed.
“We need to make sure we can make improvements where we can and that will be beneficial to all.”
