Thanks to predicted funding cuts in NC’s Medicaid rebase, NC DHHS implemented a series of sweeping cuts to adjust for the shortfall. Under the announced plan, nearly all Medicaid providers will face rate reductions of 3 percent to 8 percent, while some categories — including nursing homes, hospitals, psychiatric residential treatment facilities and certain ambulatory services — will see steeper cuts of up to 10 percent. 

The reductions will affect services across the board, from personal care and home health to outpatient therapy and hospital care.

Health policy doesn’t happen in a vacuum—it’s the product of political negotiation, lobbying, legislation and often a delicate balance of regional interests. On a recent episode of the WNC Health Policy Initiative Podcast, we had the opportunity to sit down with Jackson County’s own Dr. Chris Cooper, Robert Lee Madison Distinguished Professor and Director of the Haire Institute for Public Policy Western Carolina University at Western Carolina University, and author of Anatomy of a Purple State, to take a deeper look at the dynamics shaping health policy in North Carolina today. In this article, we explore the current background and landscape of health policy in North Carolina touched on by Dr. Cooper, as well as review some of the relevant legislation coming up on the NC General Assembly’s consideration in the coming months.

In this episode of the WNC Health Policy Initiative Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Chris Cooper, distinguished political scientist from Western Carolina University, to unpack the forces shaping health policy in North Carolina. From the role of lobbying and interest groups to the legislative process behind health-related bills currently on the table, Dr. Cooper offers a look into how policy is made, and offers insights into how you can effectively advocate for the issues that matter most.

On April 29th, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), U.S. Representatives Debbie Dingell (MI-06) and Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) introduced the Medicare for All Act of 2025 to the US Congress. This legislation would provide comprehensive Medicare coverage to every American with no premiums, no co-payments and no deductibles, and would expand Medicare to include dental, hearing, and vision care. Estimates indicate that a Medicare for All system could save $650 billion and 68,000 lives every year.

Across America, 41% of adults struggle with medical bills they cannot pay, a situation that comes with significant financial, emotional and even physical costs, including reduced access to necessary healthcare. On July 26th, 2024 North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper and the NC Department of Health and Human Services took a huge step toward alleviating that burden with the introduction of the Medical Debt Relief Incentive Program, which will eliminate medical debt for millions of Medicaid recipients and middle- and low-income residents across the state. 

Learn more about North Carolina efforts to address health-related social needs via Medicaid and CHIP that are paving the way for a new approach to preventive healthcare and chronic disease management via non-medical social interventions, and that could serve as models for other states and Medicaid programs interested in exploring ways to address health-related social needs.

Despite substantial healthcare spending, chronic illnesses remain the biggest threat to premature death and disability, particularly among working-aged individuals. These trends undermine our economy and threaten long-term fiscal and economic well-being in our region, state, and nation. In response, the 2024 WNC Legislative Caucus is committed to addressing three pressing healthcare policy issues: Social Care Delivery Systems, NC Medicaid Expansion, and Workforce Development.

Despite substantial healthcare spending, chronic illnesses remain the biggest threat to premature death and disability, particularly among working-aged individuals. These trends undermine our economy and threaten long-term fiscal and economic well-being in our region, state, and nation. In response, the 2024 WNC Legislative Caucus is committed to addressing three pressing healthcare policy issues: Social Care Delivery Systems, NC Medicaid Expansion, and Workforce Development.