North Carolina
Why North Carolina is changing course to expand Medicaid
When President Barack Obama and a Democratic Congress enacted the Reasonably priced Care Act in 2010, states received the choice of increasing Medicaid applications. Most took the provide of constructing on their joint federal and state applications, which assist cowl medical prices for some low-income individuals.
However a number of states have declined to develop Medicaid below Obamacare, although that is shifting considerably. South Dakota voters in 2022 handed a poll initiative to take action. One other holdout, North Carolina, is altering course by way of the legislative course of relatively than a voter referendum. These late-in-the-game embraces of Medicaid growth provide examples to the remaining holdout states if there may be eventual curiosity: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
MEDICAID EXPANSION IS IN SIGHT FOR NORTH CAROLINA
In these locations, that are pink bastions aside from swing-state Georgia, political leaders have cited what they are saying are hovering medical prices in different states after Medicaid growth, together with an hostile influence on susceptible sufferers already on Medicaid who could also be pressured to compete with growth enrollees for restricted accessible medical companies.
(AP Picture/Hannah Schoenbaum)
President Joe Biden’s administration has provided a $1.5 billion bonus to incentivize states that haven’t expanded their applications. That performed a task in North Carolina’s change of coronary heart, as GOP legislators say they’ve discovered a approach to develop the state’s Medicaid program with out elevating taxes or compromising high quality of care. On March 2, state Home Speaker Tim Moore and state Senate President Phil Berger introduced a Medicaid growth settlement.
In a joint assertion, the Republican pair expressed confidence that the invoice would cross via the North Carolina Common Meeting within the coming weeks. If enacted, almost 600,000 extra residents will probably be eligible for healthcare protection. The proposal additionally has a broad swath of help from Democratic lawmakers in a state the place the legislature tilts Republican however has turn into a political battleground, as former President Donald Trump in 2020 solely beat Biden there 49.93% to 48.59%.
FINAL STEPS
Present drafts of the laws specify that growth would solely go into impact when the Tarheel State’s price range is signed into legislation. That gives leverage to legislators unwilling to compromise if the price range contains measures they oppose.
Each legislative leaders additionally mentioned they haven’t but spoken in regards to the Medicaid growth settlement with Gov. Roy Cooper (D-NC). But Medicaid growth has been a precedence for Cooper since he was first elected as North Carolina’s governor in 2016. And if the proposal passes the Common Meeting, Cooper is anticipated to signal it into legislation by the fiscal 12 months’s finish on June 30.
The Medicaid growth deal additionally embraces different adjustments to the state’s healthcare system. On the high of the precedence record for a lot of legislators is an overhaul of the state’s certificate-of-need regulation, a legislation that requires healthcare regulators to grant permission on hospitals’ plans for growth, how a lot they will spend, and the place they might construct.
Nonetheless, not everybody’s a fan of the Medicaid growth proposal.
“In what can solely be deemed as the most important growth of entitlements in state historical past, the Republican-majority legislature has determined to saddle North Carolina taxpayers with vital monetary burdens and drive up healthcare wait instances for our state’s neediest and most susceptible residents,” mentioned Donald Bryson, the president of the John Locke Basis, a conservative suppose tank.
And political leaders within the Medicaid growth holdout states aren’t satisfied, both. In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has steadfastly opposed increasing Medicaid. As a congressman in 2017, DeSantis voted to repeal the ACA. In DeSantis’s four-plus years as governor, state Republican leaders have joined him in rejecting Medicaid growth, citing considerations about entry to care and its potential value.
In response to the Commonwealth Fund’s 2019 Scorecard on State Well being System Efficiency, Florida ranks close to the underside of states primarily based on measures of entry and affordability. And it has the very best charges of uninsured adults and preventable hospitalizations. Some say Medicaid growth may assist mitigate these issues.
DeSantis, a possible 2024 Republican presidential candidate, does not have a lot political incentive to alter his method to Medicaid growth now. So, if Floridians do want to observe via with Medicaid growth, it’s solely more likely to occur via a poll initiative course of. That’s a troublesome logistical process to navigate that has even induced activists to push off initiative efforts to 2026.
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The subject isn’t going away, although. Biden has been ratcheting up stress on congressional Republicans to keep away from chopping Social Safety and Medicare of their makes an attempt to chop the federal price range deficit and nationwide debt. Biden usually contains Medicaid in that basket of social insurance coverage applications, which voters balk at shrinking, per years of polling on the problem.
If a state-level, bipartisan compromise may someway be reached within the states that haven’t expanded Medicaid, North Carolina’s burgeoning mannequin could be a spot to begin.
North Carolina
Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina At Battle 4 Atlantis 2024 – FloHoops
No. 16 North Carolina and MAC favorite Ball State face-off in the Bahamas for a special one to kick off two weeks full of holiday college basketball tournaments coming live to FloHoops. The game begins at 6:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, Nov. 23 and is the second of many in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s College Basketball tournament.
The Paradise Island, Bahamas-based tournament hosts eight teams including No. 18 Baylor, Indiana, and Texas A&M.
No. 16 North Carolina is 3-1, coming off of a close loss a week ago to No. 2 UConn, falling 58-69 to the Huskies. They hold wins this season against NC A&T, UNC-Wilmington, and Charleston Southern.
Currently undefeated, Ball State will be hoping to upset North Carolina to add an important win to their resume en route to a potential at-large bid to the NCAA tournament at the end of the season. They have defeated Northern Iowa, IUPUI, Memphis, and Old Dominion so far this season.
Read the live updates, watch highlights and view scores after the game tips off at 6:30 p.m. ET.
Live Updates: Ball State vs No. 16 North Carolina Score At Battle 4 Atlantis
Refresh the page for live updates, highlights and scores from today’s game in the Bahamas. Tip off is at 6:30 p.m. ET.
While You Wait…LIVE NOW: Watch Columbia vs Indiana
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Earlier Today On FloHoops: Baylor Puts Up 15 Threes, Hits Triple Digits vs Southern Miss
After four great quarters of basketball between Southern Miss and Baylor—the Lady Bears come out on top of game one of the Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s tournament.
Five Baylor players had more than 14 points today against the Lady Eagles and were 44% (15-34) from behind the three-point line, making that the most threes for them this season. Fontleroy and Andrews both tallied four.
For Southern Miss, Grayson and Evans led the points with 12, despite Grayson fouling out.
Despite their quick start, the Eagles were unable to keep up with Baylor and will be looking for redemption against the loser of Columbia vs Indiana. Baylor will play the winner.
Read the full game recap.
Battle 4 Atlantis Women’s Tournament Schedule
Saturday, November 23
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Monday, November 25
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GREENSBORO, N.C. (WTVD) — North Carolina A&T State University is now offering a bachelor’s degree in artificial intelligence.
It is a milestone for the university to be the first in our state and one of only a handful in the nation to offer this program.
In the program, students can pick one of two concentrations: Advanced AI Systems through the College of Engineering and Applied AI in the College of Science and Technology. Courses are available both in-person and online.
Some schools already offer a concentration in artificial intelligence, but A&T will be offering a full program dedicated to AI. The university said there are talks to develop a graduate studies program in AI.
School officials report that AI jobs are increasing in North Carolina, which will help in workforce development. According to a recent Hanover Research report, North Carolina is projected to grow at a pace over three times faster than the overall labor market, potentially generating more than 20,000 new jobs.
“Artificial Intelligence and machine learning are increasingly part of everyday life with the potential for profound and far-reaching impact on virtually every facet of society,” Chancellor James R. Martin II said in a news release. “Collaborating with federal and state agencies, major industry leaders and fellow research universities, we have created a rich AI learning environment that is well informed by the latest in science and policy. Our new bachelor’s degree will prepare students for immediate impact, especially in the critical area of human interaction with AI.”
They anticipate enrolling their first group next fall.
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North Carolina’s solar energy landscape is at a crossroads as the state works to meet its ambitious climate goals.
Under House Bill 951, passed in 2021, North Carolina is required to cut carbon emissions in the energy sector by 70% from 2005 levels by 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. However, meeting these targets is proving difficult as energy demand surges.
Jeff Hughes, a commissioner with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, says that it’s challenging to maintain grid reliability while pursuing aggressive decarbonization goals.
“If we have two gigawatts of load coming in the next three or four years, it’s going to be very difficult to model our way, to solarize our way out of it,” Hughes said, pointing to the growing demand from industries like AI-driven data centers.
Duke Energy, the state’s largest utility, has said fossil fuels are essential to ensuring reliable power amid increasing demand. Critics argue that the company’s reliance on natural gas and coal could derail progress toward cutting emissions.
North Carolina has long been a leader in solar energy, initially driven by smaller, five-megawatt projects. Today, the focus has shifted to larger installations, which are more efficient but face growing local opposition.
Carson Hart, CEO of Carolina Solar Energy, said scaling up has been key to increasing clean energy capacity. “Moving to these bigger projects has been really beneficial for getting more megawatts in the ground and meeting the state’s climate goals,” Hart said. But she noted that large projects often draw pushback from residents concerned about aesthetics and land use.
Rural areas are at the heart of the state’s solar boom, hosting about 80% of large-scale projects. Reginald Bynum Jr., director of community outreach at the Center for Energy Education, said rural North Carolina plays a critical role in meeting the state’s clean energy goals.
“My job is to make sure rural communities don’t miss the movement,” Bynum said. “These projects bring jobs, economic growth, and opportunities to areas that desperately need them.”
The economic impact of solar energy is substantial. In counties with significant solar development, property tax revenues have increased by as much as 1,600%, according to the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association. These funds have supported schools, infrastructure, and emergency services in areas facing population declines and economic challenges.
The state’s clean energy sector also supports more than 110,000 full-time jobs, according to a report from e2, with many more expected as solar development continues.
Hughes said the state’s carbon plan, which is updated every two years, will play a key role in charting a path forward.
“There’s a lot of check and adjust that will occur over the next few years,” he said.
As North Carolina advances its solar energy ambitions, balancing the needs of developers, communities, and environmental goals will be essential to achieving a sustainable and reliable energy future.
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