A plan unveiled at the beginning of this month by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper to leverage Medicaid funds to help North Carolinians struggling with medical debt has been approved by the federal government.

On Friday, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved a plan that has the potential to relieve $4 billion in existing hospital medical debt for people in the state, according to a news release. In order for the plan to take effect, hospitals would need to sign on.

“Unlike most other debts, medical debt is not intentional because people don’t choose to get seriously ill or have an accident,” Cooper said, according to the news release.

“Medical debts are often beyond people’s ability to pay, ruining their credit, keeping them from getting credit cards, loans and jobs and sometimes driving them into bankruptcy. That’s why we’re working with hospitals and federal partners to help relieve the burden of medical debt for North Carolina families,” he said.

Vice President Kamala Harris — who appears set to become the Democratic presidential nominee for the November election, and has been considering Cooper as a possible running mate — has been “coordinating” with state officials on the medical debt plan, The Washington Post reported.

“No one should be denied access to economic opportunity simply because they experienced a medical emergency,” Harris said in a statement sent as part of a news release Monday.

“Yet today, more than 100 million Americans struggle with medical debt — making it more difficult for them to be approved for a car loan, a home loan, or a small-business loan, which makes it more difficult for them to just get by, much less get ahead.”

“I applaud North Carolina for setting an example that other states can follow by advancing a plan that has the potential to relieve $4 billion in medical debt for two million individuals and families. This critical step also strengthens financial assistance for emergency medical procedures moving forward,” Harris said.

Harris wrote that over $650 million in medical debt had been forgiven through the American Rescue Plan, which was passed under the Biden administration.

The News & Observer has contacted several hospitals and the North Carolina Healthcare Association, which represents hospitals, regarding their stances on the plan.

UNC Health “continues to have discussions with state and federal officials,” UNC Health spokesperson Alan Wolf said in an email.

“We support efforts to reduce medical debt and we expect to receive more details on the approved plan soon,” he said.

Medical debt relief provided

According to Cooper’s news release, hospitals that opt in to the plan must implement the following to be eligible for enhanced payments offered under the plan:

• For those on Medicaid, relieve all unpaid medical debt dating back to Jan. 1, 2014.

• Relieve all unpaid medical debt that has become virtually impossible to collect dating back to Jan. 1, 2014, for people not enrolled in Medicaid whose income is at or below at least 350% of the federal poverty level (FPL) or whose total debt exceeds 5% of their annual income. A family of two at 350% of the FPL makes about $71,000 a year.

• Provide discounts on medical bills for people at or below 300% FPL.

• Automatically enroll people into financial assistance, known as charity care.

• Not sell medical debt of people making below 300% FPL to debt collectors.

• Not report debt covered by policies laid out in the plan to a credit reporting agency.

Patients of participating hospitals will not need to take any actions to benefit from medical debt relief, according to the news release.

Plan to leverage Medicaid funds

When the state expanded Medicaid in December, it implemented a mechanism that allowed hospitals to receive higher federal reimbursements in return for paying the state’s share of costs under the expansion bill.

The federal government covers 90% of Medicaid coverage costs for the expansion population, while the state covers 10%. This funding mechanism was called the Healthcare Access and Stabilization Program.

The medical debt relief plan further leverages federal funds by providing higher HASP payments to hospitals that choose to implement the plan.

Hospitals often only collect a small fraction of the medical debt they are owed, Cooper said during a press conference announcing the plan on July 1.

However, large debts that remain on the books can prevent people from buying a home or getting a credit card and sometimes can lead people into homelessness and bankruptcy, he said.

North Carolina has one of the highest percentages — 13.4% — of adults with medical debt, according to KFF, a health policy organization. About 20 million people — or nearly 1 in 12 adults — owe a combined total of at least $220 billion in medical debt in the United States, KFF says.

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — A North Carolina river is deemed ‘too dirty’ to swim in.

People are advised to refrain from swimming in the French Broad River near Asheville for 24 to 48 hours, or until the water is less muddy.

Samples showed high levels of bacteria, including e-coli from recirculating water. According to officials, it’s because of the recent heavy rains.

“What we recommend for folks to do is…find somewhere else to go swim,” Anna Alsobrook, the watershed science and policy manager at MountainTrue, said. “We’ve seen everything from ear infections to GI issues (to) sinus infections.”

Officials are also telling people to avoid ingesting any water until the quality level improves, which could be in a matter of days.

French Broad River flows from North Carolina into Tennessee.

SEE ALSO | NC farmer losing crop because of unsafe levels of chemicals in water

Part of the reason for publishing these travel pieces is to help spread the word about quality wineries worth visiting to those who do hit the road and explore.

The other part is to find good stories up and down the East Coast of individuals and families who are operating wineries and/or cideries.

A story on Parker-Binns Vineyard in Mill Spring, North Carolina, around 85 miles west of Charlotte and 45 miles southeast of Ashville in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It operates on 40 acres.

Dan McLaughlin, a member of North Carolina Fine Wines and a familiar figure in the state’s wine industry, noted in an email that “if Jimmy Buffet had a vineyard, it would be like Parker-Binns. It has four generations there (on the weekends, the great-grandson of the owner is there helping his dad in the vineyard.) They have a restaurant that is very relaxed and great food at reasonable prices. … Their vibe is very chill, but classy. Everything is spa-like in perfection. Just a place to enjoy the view and enjoy excellent wines. James Suckling gave them five 90+ scores this past year.”

Parker-Binns Vineyard is open noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and noon to 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

Prices for its canned ciders and bottled wines are in the $20s, with a few exceptions. You can see the full list at this link, although the 2021 Loco Lulu Red should be mentioned because $1 of every bottle sold goes to the local pet adoption organization.

The Relish Kitchen is open noon to 5:30 on Thursday and noon to 6:30 on Friday through Sunday. Here’s a link to the menu.

There’s a full section on the history of the place, founded by Karen and Bob Binns.

Per the website:

After spending twenty-five years in the food and beverage industry on the Jersey Shore, we headed to South Florida where we purchased raw land, north of the Everglades, just east of the Great Cypress Swamp. After months of clearing jungle-like conditions, we planted a tree farm and established a plant nursery. After twenty years of a very successful business, the Government approached us to acquire the land for a project to restore and save the Everglades. The timing was right, it was a good reason to sell, and we thought we could retire!!

After only a couple of years of retirement, we were bored and needed inspiration. With our background in the food and beverage industry, we decided that we wanted to be part of the emerging East Coast wine industry. We searched up and down the region and finally found what we felt was the perfect parcel, 10 acres in the Tryon Foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Polk County, North Carolina had a rich history of growing and selling grapes in the late 1800’s. Now with the area having over 20 vineyards and 3 wineries, we knew this was the place to begin. And begin we did…clearing the trees and thickets, preparing the soil and planting over 4000 grape vines. Although we were familiar with this, we made an outstanding discovery … we’re 31 years older (ouch!) and yet another adventure begins!!!

The business, which opened in 2010, eventually welcomed daughter Kelly Binns and grandson Cory Lillberg and his family.

Justin Taylor makes wine for Parker-Binns Vineyard as well as Marked Tree Vineyard down the road in Hendersonville.

Karen died in April. Her obituary includes this line: “Leave a mark, dance like no one’s watching, and love hardest.” She said it, and lived it.”

Thanks to Lillberg for responding to PennLive’s questions with answers that cover plenty of ground for the latest in the “Grape Escape ‘24″ series.

Q, I want to include the history of how Bob and Karen wound up starting the winery. Pretty fascinating. Just because of our proximity, what did the two do while they were on the Jersey Shore early in their careers? And when did the winery open?

A, They spent their time on the Jersey Shore operating “The Fairview,” a rock ‘n’ roll bar that my grandfather owned and operated from Memorial Day to Labor Day each year from 1957-90. My grandmother wasn’t in the picture until 1979 when they started managing that business as a team. Eventually, they would live in South Florida year-round once they sold the business in 1990. They met and worked together first at my grandfather’s restaurant and bar in Fort Lauderdale called “Maggie Mae’s.”

Once they sold that business, they then started their next adventure, which was growing a plant and tree nursery in the Fort Lauderdale area. They operated “B.J Binns Plants and Trees” for over 20 years. They grew tropical hardwoods, palms, shrubs, hedges and flowering bushes on over 100 acres of South Florida farmland. The tree farm has since been viewed as the birth of their passion for agriculture. Fast forward to 2006 when they sold the tree farm and began looking for their next adventure. At the ripe age of 73, the old man decided that he would plant a small vineyard as a passion project to leave the heat of Florida for the summer. After finding the 10-acre lot in North Carolina’s Polk County, he and my grandmother cleared the land, dug the holes, pounded the posts, planted the vines, and took care of them until their first fruit came in 2011. They had intended on selling most of the fruit to the Biltmore estate as our neighborhood vineyards had already been supplementing The Biltmore’s estate vineyard in Asheville for years. Upon finding out the Biltmore house was not looking for more contracts, a decision had to be made. Drop the fruit or make wine? Ultimately, they decided to each make their own wine in order to figure out who had the better mind for winemaking. Admittedly, my grandmother kicked my grandfather’s @$$ and she became the winemaker while he tended to the vines. Fast forward to today and the vineyard and winery have grown to 40 acres of estate and are officially our “hobby out of control” as my late grandmother would say. Their passion for what they started is what made this business successful from the beginning even without the intent.

Q, Four generations working at the winery now? What roles do everyone play there?

A, We do have 4 generations working the farm and in many capacities. Bob Binns, Kelly Binns, myself, and my soon-to-be 10-year-old son Hunter Lillberg round out the four generations respectively. At nearly 90 years young, my grandfather is more of an overseer these days. However, he does still make appearances in the tasting room regularly as well as being our resident flower man. He makes sure to get himself out to water, feed and maintain our rose and English gardens with some regularity during the growing season. While his body may be slowing down a bit, his cognitive prowess is as strong as ever. Kelly is our tasting room manager and bookkeeper. She also books our music schedule for the year as well as being an integral piece of executing our many events over the calendar year. As for myself, I have assumed the responsibilities of vineyard manager, winemaker (alongside Justin Taylor), and server (on the weekends). Essentially, I have assumed all of my grandparents’ primary responsibilities. My son, Hunter, helps on every level and in every arena that this business possesses. He is hard-working, motivated and eager to help always. He has given tours to families, helps out on the weekend with appropriate taskings around the tasting room and has also started learning operations in the vineyard and winery. As the only one of us to grow up in this business, I envision him becoming the best of all of us with an already evident passion for what we do as an estate vineyard and wine producer.

Q, For someone who has never visited, how would you describe the vibe there?

A. For someone who has never visited, I would simply say that anyone who walks in our doors leaves feeling like a part of our family. We extend an unrivaled level of customer service and care in an aesthetically stunning environment that defies pretension and a “snooty” atmosphere. Wine should be fun, and we try VERY hard to harness that fun, light-hearted approach to wine, with a family-centric experience like vineyards of the Old World.

Q, Are you sourcing your own vineyard (s) or others in the area? What are some of the grapes that thrive down there?

A, We are currently producing fruit on 10 acres of vineyard with another 3 acres coming online over the next 2 seasons at the estate. We will certainly bring grapes in from other local facilities around North Carolina as needed in a pinch, usually in lieu of a cold event in the vineyard. We grow 10 different varities including Chardonnay, Muscat, Petit Manseng and Vidal Blanc for white varieties. Our reds include Merlot, Cab Franc, Chambourcin, Malbec, Tannat and Petit Verdot. To keep things simple, I would say that the Petit Manseng and Merlot are my favorite white/red performers in the vineyard and winery respectively. Our 2021 Merlot won the “Best Red” category in our 2024 state competition.

Q, Wines mostly dry? Looks like a wide mix of red and white still wines? Anything new on the horizon?

A, We are currently producing a wine portfolio that is mostly dry. However, we do have a tier of off-dry labels that feature a mild sweetness and approachability as well as some dessert-style wines made from both our fruit and that of other local growers. Our blackberries are sourced from a family operation in the Henderson County area. We also produce a line-up of 4 seasonal hard ciders! The fruit for that project comes from the same neighborhood in Henderson county. From A-Z, we like to think anyone can find a wine or drink they enjoy in our tasting room. Our newest project we are working on is a Piquette that we intend on serving on tap at the tasting room. It is a low-alcohol, lightly carbonated, Muscat-derived sparkling wine that we hope appeals to a future generation of “consumption-conscious” patrons.

Q, For those traveling into town, is that list you have on the website up to date?

A, Our website is up to date for those who would like to order wine online or stop in for a tasting. www.Parkerbinnsvineyard.com

Q, Is Relish the restaurant? Open Thursday through Sunday?

Q, Relish is open Thursday-Sunday during our busy season (Apr-Oct) and Fri-Sun the other half of the year. They were a successful food truck in the Lake Lure area for many years and we joined forces in the winter of 2022. They have brought an incredible menu to bolster an already breathtaking winery experience.

Q, Finally, tell me about the Hippie Bash in September. How long have you been doing that?

A, With my grandmother passing in April of this year, we decided to “rebrand” our harvest festival into a celebration of our deeply missed matriarch. She was a hippie at heart, and it was glaringly obvious to anyone who met her. We will be celebrating her with the inaugural event this year on Sept. 14 and every year forward. We will celebrate her legacy and the harvest that she cared so deeply for with music all day, yard games, food trucks, Relish restaurant, event-specific tie-dye shirts and local craft vendors to help us make the day extra special. 12-7p.