iMEDICAID EXPANSION TO BEGIN DECEMBER 1
In North Carolina, Medicaid expansion will go into effect on December 1 and provide hundreds of thousands of the state's working poor with nearly free health insurance.
The state and the federal government are currently working out the specifics of the initiative's funding, which will amount to billions of dollars.
The expansion was approved by the General Assembly in March, but a start date was postponed pending passage of the state budget. That budget was approved by lawmakers on September 22 and Governor Cooper stated he would not veto it — meaning it would become law on October 3 and allow the program to move forward.
In general, North Carolina residents who are between the ages of 19 and 64 and meet the following annual household income requirements will be eligible for Medicaid coverage under the expansion:
- single adults: $20,120 or less;
- family of two: $27,214 or less;
- family of three: $34,307 or less;
- family of four: $41,400 or less;
- family of five: $48,493 or less; and
- family of six: $55,586 or less.
Medicaid offers full coverage, and the majority of medical services are free or very inexpensively priced. Based on information from North Carolina DHHS, that includes:
- hospital visits, both inpatient and outpatient;
- routine checkups and sick visits at a primary care physician's office;
- prescription drugs;
- maternity and postpartum care;
- vision and hearing services;
- behavioral health; and
- devices and therapies
According to Kody Kinsley, Secretary of the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, of the 600,000 people who are qualified for coverage under the expansion, about 300,000 will transition to full coverage on December 1. As new applicants approach the state’s county partners, the remaining applicants will be enrolled.
“Medicaid expansion is a game changer for 600,000 North Carolinians that it will directly benefit," said Kinsley. "It’s a game changer for healthcare providers and for hospitals, especially in rural North Carolina, who now, with incoming payments of federal dollars through Medicaid, will be able to sustain their operations and keep their doors open. It’s a game changer for North Carolina’s economy which will have the benefit of billions of dollars flowing into North Carolina, dollars that we had left behind for too long."
Additionally, he added that the expansion will enable investments in state-wide emergency rooms and Division of Social Services (DSS) offices. Additionally, $200 million will be allocated to support the state's efforts to promote child and family well-being, enabling them to provide better care for hospital patients and children.
The expansion bill only repeals two Certificate of Need (CON) laws for the 23 largest counties, two to three years after the start of federal HASP payments to the hospitals. These two CON laws relate to addiction and mental health beds as well as replacement equipment up to $3 million. North Carolina continues to be the state with the fourth-highest level of CON regulation in the country.
Read more by The Carolina Journal
NC BUDGET INCLUDES STATE HEALTHCARE IMPROVEMENTS
North Carolina's first budget since the overturn of the Roe v. Wade decision will result in Medicaid expansion and a $1.6 billion federal bonus, which lawmakers will use to improve the state's healthcare system.
A $60.7 billion two-year budget plan received the General Assembly's final approval on September 22. Governor Roy Cooper said in a statement on Friday that he will permit House Bill 259 to become law without his signature, despite his objections to many Republican spending and policy provisions in the bill.
According to Senator Jim Burgin (R-Harnett), the budget represents "the largest investment in healthcare in North Carolina history," with a first-year appropriation of $7.33 billion, rising to $7.76 billion in the second. The first-year allocation is $829.2 million higher than the base budget, Burgin said.
The spending includes:
- $319 million for the construction of a new UNC children’s health hospital;
- $55 million for community college healthcare programs and $40 million for other healthcare workforce programs;
- $40 million in employee bonuses for state health facilities;
- $60 million for direct care workers; and
- $130 million in increased reimbursement rates for mental health and substance use service providers.
Many different mental health policies and expenditures are included in the spending plan. In order to strengthen the system, one provision will give the state Department of Health and Human Services more authority over regional mental health organizations, while a second will give users of the services the option to switch providers, which is not currently possible.
The budget includes $210 million for UNC and ECU to build three clinics in rural areas, $170 million for rate increases for nursing homes, and $80 million for services to assist families with children who have mental health issues.
In addition to the $1 billion in additional funding for the implementation of Medicaid expansion, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network also welcomed the $43.5 million for cancer research and $1.6 million for the state’s Breast and Cervical Cancer Control Program included in the budget.
Read more by The Center Square
REDISTRICTING TO BEGIN AGAIN IN NORTH CAROLINA
In April of this year, the North Carolina Supreme Court overturned its prior ruling in Harper v. Hall, a case challenging the state's congressional and legislative maps created using data from the 2020 census, with a 5-2 opinion. With its reversal, the court found that the state constitution does not permit partisan gerrymandering claims to be litigated.
State law already stipulated that any court-drawn plan, such as the 2022 congressional district map, could only be utilized for one election cycle, requiring a redraft in 2024. Additionally, the justices decided in April that since the 2021 maps were never truly "established," lawmakers could also change the boundaries of the General Assembly's seats.
The House and Senate Redistricting committees scheduled three public hearings this week — with the final one taking place on Wednesday in Raleigh — to gather input from the general public on the process of determining district boundaries that would be used for the 2024 elections and the following ten years.
Republican redrawing of the Congressional maps is anticipated to give them a likely 104 or 11-3 split in future elections for the state's 14 U.S. House seats. The state's legislative maps are also likely to solidify Republican supermajorities in the House and Senate, enabling lawmakers to override any vetoes issued by whoever is elected governor in 2024.
The criteria that mapmakers will adhere to are influenced by a variety of state and federal court decisions, constitutions, and the U.S. Voting Rights Act.
For instance, lawmakers must make sure that the population of districts on the same statewide map is equal to or nearly equal to one another. Prior redistricting procedures included criteria for maintaining compact districts and taking current legislators' residences into account.
Additionally, the number of districts that cross county lines must be kept to a minimum in General Assembly district boundaries, and the county groupings that result must also conform to Voting Rights Act requirements.
According to Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham), votes in the General Assembly could take place as early as the week of October 9. Lawmakers intend to redraft the Congressional maps first and then begin working on the maps for their districts a few days later.
Read more by The Associated Press
GOVERNOR VETOES ELECTIONS OVERHAUL BILL
A bill that would reorganize elections boards and alter how members are chosen was vetoed by Governor Roy Cooper on Thursday.
As previously reported, the State Board of Elections and each of the 100 county boards would undergo major changes as a result of Senate Bill 749. It would remove the governor’s ability to appoint the board members who make decisions such as where to place early voting locations, whether to declare someone ineligible to run for office, and whether to launch an investigation into claims of fraud or other wrongdoing.
Additionally, the bill would change the boards from having an odd number of members, with a 3-2 majority in favor of the party in power in the governor's office, to having an equal number of Republicans and Democrats.
The changes to the boards would take effect on January 1 and the state board would have until January 10 to choose an executive director; otherwise, it would be up to Senate leader Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) to make the selection.
In his veto message, Cooper issued a warning that the bill "could doom our state's elections to gridlock" by encouraging board deadlocks that might reduce the number of early in-person voting locations and give the General Assembly or courts more opportunities to determine the results of close elections.
The veto came as no surprise since Cooper had previously stated that he would oppose the bill. However, despite the governor's objections, the bill is likely to become law since Republican lawmakers currently have veto-proof majorities in both the state House and Senate. Any successful veto override could be followed by litigation to prevent the law from being enforced.
Read more by The Associated Press
ENVIRONMENTAL BILLS HEAD TO GOVERNOR’S DESK
The week of September 25 has been proclaimed "Clean Energy Week" by Governor Roy Cooper. It is unclear if this means he will sign Senate Bill 678, titled "Clean Energy/Other Changes," into law. The bill, which was approved by the state legislature on Friday, is now on his desk. The measure might open the door for more nuclear energy investment in North Carolina, which experts say is the state's most effective energy source.
Since being elected, Cooper has promoted a green agenda. He signed House Bill 951 in 2021, a bipartisan piece of legislation mandating that the North Carolina Utilities Commission take the necessary actions to ensure that state utility providers reduce carbon emissions by 70 percent from 2005 levels by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
The 2023 legislation would redefine "clean energy resources" to include nuclear fission and fusion as well as rename "renewable energy resources" as "clean energy resources" in the State's Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard. If approved, this bill would make nuclear energy a viable alternative to coal-fired power plants in order to replace them with new, cleaner sources. The bill also delays the closing dates of particular coal-fired power plants. The measure would also help advance nuclear energy by repealing laws that previously restricted the construction of nuclear facilities in House Bill 951.
Also on the Governor’s desk is House Bill 600, the General Assembly's nearly annual regulatory reform bill. The bill contains amendments supported by the Republican majority as a reasonable means of preserving the state's robust business climate including revision or repeal of environmental regulations that apply to the agriculture and natural gas sectors as well as businesses that release hazardous chemicals into waterways.
