Category: Healthcare
by Tom Campbell North Carolina’s official toast boldly proclaims that ours is a state where the weak grow strong and the strong grow great. But we can never be that great state as long as so many of us are so unhealthy. According to the non-profit United Health Foundation North Carolina ranks 33rd in overall [...]
In March of last year, NC SPIN hosted a day-long forum on healthcare. More than a dozen experts in our state spoke to the unsustainability of our current healthcare system, pointed out that North Carolina consistently ranks in the bottom third of states in health outcomes, agreed that we could not wait for solutions from [...]
by Tom Campbell In the 1970’s, the federal government mandated that most medical service providers, including hospitals, doctor’s offices, long term care facilities and others obtain a certificate of need in order to operate. In the 1980’s, the feds removed the requirement and many states eliminated their certificate of need laws, but North Carolina actually [...]
By Alex Wayne - Mar 13, 2013, Bloomberg Governors who refuse to expand their Medicaid programs for the poor may cost employers in their states as much as $1.3 billion in federal fines, a study found. A clause in the 2010 health-care overhaul penalizes some employers when their workers aren’t able to obtain affordable medical coverage through the company. Employers [...]
Written by Christine Vestal in Stateline. The ranks of Republican governors refusing to expand Medicaid has shrunk in recent weeks. Nationwide, 14 of the nation’s 28 Republican governors have rejected the federally funded expansion. Eight of the holdouts are in the South. Carol Steckel sides with the governors who have decided not to expand Medicaid. [...]
Published in Washington Post, March 9 The Obama administration has taken a hard line with governors about an option to expand Medicaid under the new health law, telling them to take it or leave it — but leave it and lose access to millions of federal dollars. It turns out there is some wiggle room after [...]
The Governor of Colorado, concerned about the growing problem of obesity in his state, issued a challenge to his citizens to become the healthiest state in the nation. In an article in The Atlantic, Governor John Hickenlooper said, “We can be hopeful about our future. We can be bold. We will come through this rough [...]
We had been hearing rumors that another Medicaid audit was going to be released but the report finally came Thursday. The audit showed that as many as a dozen state employees collected more than 500,000 dollars in overtime that was never properly vetted or authorized over a six year period. The payments went to employees, [...]
I’ve been listening to Governor McCrory and Republican legislative leaders talking about the expansion of Medicaid and they make one convincing point: Too many questions remain unanswered regarding the expansion of Medicaid and the feds have not provided sufficient answers to those questions to make an informed decision on the issue. North Carolina does not [...]
by Tom Campbell Most everyone agrees North Carolina’s Medicaid program is broken, but fixing Medicaid hasn’t been a high priority for previous governors or legislators. Now might be the right time and Governor McCrory might be assembling the right team to make Medicaid operate more efficiently and effectively. Medicaid is expensive, complicated and a large [...]
The arrogant power-grabbing continues on Jones Street
by Chris Fitzsimon The General Assembly is always chaotic during the week of the crossover deadline and this session is no exception with rushed committee meetings, late night sessions, and supplemental calendars issued for the House and Senate floor listing what will be debated and voted on. Even for legislative insiders like lobbyists, reporters, and [...]
by John Hood Decisions made by the North Carolina General Assembly over the next two weeks will likely determine not only the political fate of its Republican majority but also how the core functions of state government will operate for years to come. Some analysts have chosen not to wait to assess these matters. Liberal [...]
By Jim Ahler Already this year, seven different tax reform bills have been introduced in the General Assembly, and countless organizations on both sides of the aisle have staked out a position on the highly complex issue. So it’s understandable that many North Carolinians feel overwhelmed by the partisanship, unsure about where to turn for [...]
