certificate of need - Carolina Journal

CON critic seeks boost at NC Supreme Court from Ace Speedway case

The New Bern eye surgeon challenging North Carolina’s certificate-of-need law in court hopes the N.C. Supreme Court’s decision in another case will help his cause. Dr. Jay Singleton is focusing on the high court's decision to take up a lawsuit involving Ace Speedway.

CJ Staff

Cooper signs NC’s Medicaid expansion into law

Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper signed the Medicaid Expansion bill Monday afternoon outside the Governor’s Mansion.

We’re sliding towards single payer

North Carolina is about to become the 40th state to expand its Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. The bill drew huge, bipartisan majorities of legislators. Republican leaders resisted expansion for years, arguing that the promise of permanent 90% funding from Washington was either implausible or fiscally irresponsible. They no longer feel that way....

Cooper requests $1 billion for mental health and substance abuse crisis

Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled his plan Wednesday that will put $1 billion into addressing North Carolina’s mental health and substance use crisis. His budget proposal will be released in the coming days and will include the investments detailed in the Mental Health Plan.

Folwell calls on AG to investigate antitrust as hospitals consolidate

N.C. State Treasurer Dale Folwell discussed hospital acquisitions, Medicaid expansion, certificate of need, and a new senate bill focusing on bond referendum transparency Tuesday at his monthly “Ask Me Anything” conference call with reporters.

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State approves WakeMed to build new hospitals and restricts others

The state has given WakeMed preliminary approval to build a new hospital in Garner and a new mental health hospital in Knightdale. The state also approved adding beds to both Duke Raleigh and UNC Rex hospitals.

Doctor: Healthcare crisis ahead if lawmakers don’t cut CON red tape

Fayetteville's Dr. Dickson Schaefer is working as hard as he can, but his Cumberland County waiting room keeps filling back up. He’s an orthopedic surgeon treating a large Medicaid population in one of the state’s hardest-hit areas for doctor shortages. He sees about 100 patients a week and performs 750 surgeries a year.

Donna King

Lawmakers have chance to end state’s CON game

A vote for Senate Bill 48 could end ongoing legal disputes about a regulation that stifles health care competition.

Mitch Kokai

Deaths of despair need careful analysis

According to the latest-available set of comparable data, North Carolina ranks 33rd in the nation in “deaths of despair” — that is, in the combined rates of suicides, fatal drug overdoses, and alcohol-induced deaths. In 2020 our age-adjusted rate was 55.5 deaths of despair per 100,000 residents, slightly higher than the national average of 54.8....

How North Carolina can expand opportunity

Having enacted major reforms of North Carolina’s tax code, regulatory system, budgeting process, transportation funding, and education system over the past dozen years, what should the General Assembly do next? Phil Berger wants to double down on the legislature’s impressive record of conservative policy innovation. “We must build on that success so future generations of...

Patients deserve more choice of hospitals

Asheville’s Mission Hospital will soon have a new competitor in Western North Carolina. That’s good news: when a single hospital system dominates a market, that rarely works to the advantage of patients, employers, or physicians. The bad news here, however, is that it was a state agency that chose which hospital network will build the...