North Carolina
North Carolina governor and allies celebrate kickoff of Medicaid expansion
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Gov. Roy Cooper and health care advocates celebrated Friday’s official start of Medicaid expansion in North Carolina, the result of state legislation this year that’s expected to help roughly 600,000 low-income adults obtain the government health insurance.
Visiting a Goodwill location in Charlotte that hosted a Medicaid enrollment event, Cooper said that the gathering marked the end of “a long and winding road” for the state to agree to the Medicaid coverage offered through the 2010 Affordable Care Act, The Charlotte Observer reported.
North Carolina became the 40th state along with the District of Columbia to accept expansion since coverage began in 2014. The Democratic governor had made expansion a top priority since taking office in 2017.
“A dream a decade in the making finally becomes a reality,” he said at a news conference.
Expansion provides low-cost health care for people ages 19 to 64 who make too much money to receive traditional Medicaid but generally not enough to benefit from public subsidies available for private health insurance.
About 300,000 people receiving family planning benefits who now qualify for full Medicaid coverage under the expansion were automatically enrolled Friday, Cooper’s office said. Enrollment should grow over time as social service agencies meet with residents. Other enrollment events are scheduled across the state in the coming days.
One of the newly enrolled, Penelope Wingard, received her Medicaid card from Cooper on Friday. She described her experiences seeking care and accumulating thousands of dollars in debt when she lost health insurance while being treated for breast cancer.
“It’s like I got sick and I got punished for it,” Wingard said, adding that her tears Friday were “tears of joy.”
Carolyn Allison, CEO of the Charlotte Community Health Clinic, estimated Friday that about half of the uninsured people who visit the clinic will now be eligible for Medicaid.
Republicans who have controlled the General Assembly since 2011 had been wary for years of accepting expansion through the federal government, which covers 90% of the medical costs.
But GOP leaders recently warmed to the idea, their interest piqued in part by a $1.8 billion bonus to the state from Washington if North Carolina joined. The state’s hospitals are covering North Carolina’s 10% share. Expansion is expected to help rural hospitals financially and local economies.
Expansion legislation passed the legislature with bipartisan support in March and was signed by Cooper. In early October, the state budget was enacted — the final step before the governor’s administration could formally accept expansion from federal regulators.
“Every American deserves high-quality affordable health care,” President Joe Biden said in a statement Friday that also praised Cooper and the bipartisan support. “Today, we are one step closer towards meeting that promise as 600,000 North Carolinians can now access the affordable, quality coverage they need under Medicaid.”
The USC Trojans are in pursuit of flipping two class of 2025 recruits, Nela Tupou and Alex Payne. Can the Trojans flip one or both of these players before national signing day?
Nela Tupou Player Profile
Nela Tupou is a 6-4, 220 pound tight end/defensive end out of Folsom, California. He is rated as a three-star recruit and ranked as the 43rd-best ATH in the class of 2025 per 247Sports.
Tupou committed to the Utah Utes in February of 2024, but he just recently visited USC last weekend for the Trojans’ 28-20 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
On3 is now predicting that Tupou will likely flip this commitment from Utah to USC.
Alex Payne Player Profile
Alex Payne is a 6-5, 265 pound offensive tackle out of Gainesville, Florida. He is rated as four-star recruit and ranked as the 16th-best offensive tackle in the class of 2025.
Payne committed to the North Carolina Tar Heels in January of 2024, but he as well as Tupou, visited USC last weekend.
In 247Sports recruiting analyst Tom Loy’s updated crystal ball prediction, he had Payne flipping his commitment from North Carolina to USC. Loy has a good track record of predicting where recruits will end up as his all-time hit rate for predicting recruits’ final destinations is 81.64 percent.
USC Bolstering Up Offensive Line to Go Along With Weapons
One of the glaring holes for the USC Trojans this season has been the offensive line. For USC to bounce back next season, they will have to get much better in the trenches. This has been exposed in their first season in the Big Ten. Landing Tupou, who can both be a factor in the run blocking scheme as a blocker, and Payne, one of the top tackle prospects in the country, would go a long way for next season and the future of the program.
Barring a flurry of transfer portal decisions, the Trojans will have an abundance of skill position talent coming back next season.
Freshman running back Quinten Joyner has been the second best back this season behind senior running back Woody marks.
Four of the Trojans five leading receivers are sophomores. Makai Lemon, Zachariah Branch, Ja’Kobi Lane, and Duce Robinson all have shown flashes of potentially being a number one wide receiver next season.
Add in the Trojans starting sophomore quarterback Jayden Maiava and they have one of the youngest teams in the Big Ten. If USC continues to address the offensive line in the last days of the 2025 recruiting cycle and in the transfer portal this offseason, the Trojans could be a dangerous team next season.
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Sledding in Haw Creek Dec. 9, 2018
The Tracey family enjoys the snow in Haw Creek with some sledding.
Angeli Wright, Asheville Citizen Times
Some school systems in Western North Carolina are closed Friday, Nov. 21, due to winter weather.
- Avery County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Graham County Schools: Closed, workday for staff.
- Madison County Schools: Closed, optional teacher workday.
- Mitchell County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
- Watauga County Schools: Two-hour delay.
- Yancey County Schools: Closed, remote learning day.
This story will be updated
NORTH CAROLINA (WBTV) – North Carolina has some of the highest STD rates nationwide, according to a new study by the U.S. News & World Report.
The report analyzed the highest combined rates of three major sexually transmitted infections: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.
As far as the 10 states with the highest STD rates, N.C. ranked No. 7.
The data
According to the report, the state’s total STD rate is 911.5 per 100,000. That has actually decreased by -0.3% since 2022.
Rates for the three major STDs are:
- Chlamydia: 607.9 per 100,000
- Gonorrhea: 243.2 per 100,000
- Syphilis (cumulative): 60.4 per 100,000
South Carolina
South Carolina also has some of the highest STD rates in America, according to the report.
Ranked at No. 8 for the 10 states with the highest STD rates, the state’s total STD rate is 882.8 per 100,000. That has decreased by 10.9% since 2022.
Rates for the three major STDs are:
- Chlamydia: 612.1 per 100,000
- Gonorrhea: 222.4 per 100,000
- Syphilis (cumulative): 48.3 per 100,000
WBTV Investigates: Syphilis Tsunami: NC health officials plan campaign to slow the spread
Copyright 2024 WBTV. All rights reserved.
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