More than 40 states have adopted managed Medicaid because it works. Compared to the old fee-for-service approach, managed Medicaid delivers better care coordination, stronger oversight, and more responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars.
If the goal is to both improve the health of North Carolinians and the fiscal health of the state, Medicaid managed care is proving to be a success on both fronts.
For more than 10 years I was one of the staunchest opponents to expanding Medicaid in North Carolina. The Affordable Care Act as enacted was and is bad federal policy and has done much to exacerbate problems in healthcare. However, given how our federal and state systems currently operate, our ability at the state level...
Medicaid expansion would inexplicably hurt the most vulnerable North Carolinians.
North Carolina state government is facing a severe cash crunch. The General Assembly needs to examine every part of the state budget to mitigate the problem through lower spending rather than higher taxes. N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, announced in April the Senate would not try to override Gov. Roy Cooper’s budget veto because...
It was a tumultuous year for lawmakers in the General Assembly. Lasting well into October, this ‘long session’ was unusually long compared to years past. As will be the case in the 2020 election cycle, health care dominated the issues discussed during policymaking in this session. Many bills related to health care were introduced. While...
Hubert Humphrey once said, “The ultimate moral test of any government is the way it treats three groups of its citizens. First, those in the dawn of life — our children. Second, those in the shadows of life — our needy, our sick, our handicapped. Third, those in the twilight of life — our elderly.”...
The governor’s behind it, and state Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Mandy Cohen is for it. Some freshmen legislators have made it a priority, some leaders in the N.C. House think it’s a good idea, and 32 states have implemented a version of it. But does Medicaid expansion take us in the wrong direction? We begin...
The requirement of a certificate of need for health care facilities and major equipment fails to optimize the “triple aim” of reducing health care costs, increasing access, and improving quality.
Medicaid is projected to cost $3.8 billion in the coming year, or about 17 percent of the General Fund. As recently as 2010, spending was authorized at $2.3 billion, or 12 percent of the General Fund.
The key is not so much who offers services, but whether Medicaid is patient-centered, provides comprehensive care, gives meaningful choices, caps costs, and allows plenty of competition to ensure quality and drive down costs.
