Before the onset of COVID-19 in early 2020, patients who preferred to obtain medical services through video chats or phone calls were unlikely to be reimbursed for those expenses. Medicare, for example, covered telehealth visits only for patients in remote rural areas and only if they journeyed to some other institution — a doctor’s office,...
The N.C. House unanimously passed a bill Monday to allow mental health counselors to work across state lines. Aimed at increasing public access to professional counseling services, House Bill 791, Licensed Counselors Interstate Compact, would enter North Carolina into an agreement with member states allowing a counselor’s license from one state to be accepted in...
A bill that advocates say would boost access to dentistry, especially in the state’s rural areas, is sailing through the General Assembly. Senate Bill 146, sponsored by Sen. Jim Perry, R-Lenoir, has received nearly unanimous support in both chambers. After minor revisions in the House, the Senate could reconsider the legislation Wednesday, July 21. From...
Improving access to health care is about more than who pays the bill. It’s about the size of that bill, and who possesses the information and the incentives to make decisions about it.
A pair of bills would ease restrictions on dental care by allowing training hygienists to do routine procedures without the presence of a dentist, particularly at schools. Hygienists could, for example, administer local anesthetics, under supervision, and perform dental hygiene at schools, without a dentist. Senate Bill 146 won unanimous approval from senators on March...
The COVID-19 pandemic brought the need for innovative, flexible medical treatment options into keen focus. Now, lawmakers in the General Assembly are weighing reforms that would take strides toward offering out-of-state medical providers the opportunity to consult with patients virtually in North Carolina. Telemedicine and other telehealth options have increased in popularity as patients get...
A decade ago, North Carolina was on a trajectory to look more like New York or Illinois. We were economically stagnant with one of the worst business climates in the nation.
The General Assembly must ensure that any emergency funds address pandemic caused needs and do not expand or create new government programs.
Lawmakers are returning to Raleigh, and they have a loaded agenda. The legislative session begins Wednesday, Jan. 13, when lawmakers will deal with the pandemic, pass a budget, complete redistricting, and tackle needed reforms. Republicans remain in control of both chambers, but they lack the numbers to override any vetoes from Democrat Gov. Roy Cooper. ...
Gov. Roy Cooper is still selling Medicaid expansion, but Republican lawmakers still aren’t buying. The first meeting of the bipartisan N.C. Council for Health Care Coverage fractured into a partisan divide over expanding Medicaid. Cooper spent hours pushing for Medicaid expansion, but Republican lawmakers declared themselves disappointed in his focus. Cooper formed the N.C. Council...
Gov. Roy Cooper owns this. He owns the coronavirus response and everything that will follow. Cooper has refused to confer with the Council of State, vetoed the General Assembly’s efforts to get businesses safely opened and people back to work, relied solely on his administration’s data and science, blamed President Trump and the republican General...
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