A group of House Republicans is taking another whack at what they call an alternative to Medicaid expansion so uninsured North Carolina residents can obtain health coverage. State Reps. Donny Lambeth, R-Forsyth; Josh Dobson, R-McDowell; Greg Murphy, R-Pitt; and Donna McDowell White, R-Johnston, held a news conference Tuesday, April 9, before they introduced House Bill...
The state treasurer and the N.C. Healthcare Association can’t reach consensus over how to pay for health insurance for state employees. The governor and some legislative leaders are advocating Medicaid expansion to cover an additional 600,000 people, which would cost the state roughly $600 million the first two years. The debate, proposals, and arguments have...
North Carolina’s largest insurer has brokered an agreement with three national health care companies to open intensive primary care clinics this year in areas lacking services. “When patients with multiple health issues have access to intensive primary care, we know they’re more satisfied, and we know it improves their overall quality of care, and reduces...
State lawmakers expressed concern Tuesday the long-awaited transformation of the state Medicaid system to a managed care format might have missed the mark in a fundamental area. During a House Health Committee meeting, Senior Chairman Greg Murphy, R-Pitt, told N.C. Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mandy Cohen the entities which will treat 1.6 million...
North Carolina has received federal approval to transition to a cost-saving, whole-health Medicaid managed care system that will take the state out of the day-to-day management of the government insurance program for the elderly, disabled, and poor. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services signed off on a required waiver North Carolina requested to...
As chief budget writer in the House, state Rep. Nelson Dollar is accustomed to dealing with big numbers. But he marvels at the pending $6 billion layout to launch the first phase of the state’s Medicaid transformation to a managed care format. “That’s roughly a third of the Medicaid procurement, so it’s the largest procurement...
The proposed partnership making UNC Health Care and Carolinas HealthCare System one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation has a new antagonist: BlueCross BlueShield of North Carolina. In a letter dated Wednesday to the top executives of the two systems, BCBSNC President and CEO Dr. Patrick Conway publicly came out against the...
Angry lawmakers Tuesday advocated civil and possibly criminal action against former executives of Cardinal Innovations Healthcare Solutions, the state’s largest behavioral health network. The state wants to recoup $3.8 million in severance pay to the ousted managers. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen told the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and...
The once-floundering state Medicaid system is expected to stay within its budget for the fourth consecutive year. Meanwhile, a planned switch to managed care is getting positive reviews from federal regulators. State Department of Health and Human Services officials gave those updates Tuesday to members of the Joint Legislative Oversight Committee on Medicaid and NC...
RALEIGH — Amy Walsh remembers vividly the day she quit her job as primary-care doctor at a medical practice to seek a better way to provide health care. In a few weeks she will join nearly a dozen direct primary care family practices in North Carolina that deliver primary services for a monthly fee while not accepting medical insurance.
RALEIGH — After several major revisions, on Tuesday Medicaid reform that had delayed budget approvals in recent years passed the General Assembly. Gov. Pat McCrory signed the measure yesterday. The law overhauls the delivery of Medicaid services in a hybrid plan comprising Managed Care Organizations and separate Provider-Led Entities.
