WNC Health Policy Updates

Welcome to the WNC HPI Health Policy Updates Page 

Here you will find brief weekly policy updates relevant to the work of the HPI and Western North Carolina, with a focus on state policies, and a list of state-level health policy resources. Note that this page is updated regularly, and at minimum weekly on Monday mornings. 

WNC & Health Policy Scan of NCGA
2025-2026 Legislation Session

May 5th, 2026

This Past Week Included 

  • On Friday, May 1st,  NC selected regional leaders for “NC ROOTS Hubs” networks as part of the NC Rural Health Transformation. In WNC, Impact Health was named to serve as the hub lead.

  • Two dozen students from 14 counties gathered at the General Assembly Wednesday April 29th to support H.B. 430 (“Solly’s Law”), which would raise the tobacco sales age from 18 to 21 and require retailers to obtain state permits to sell those products.

  • New data from the Center of Budget and Policy Priorities shows millions of Americans are losing access to food assistance under changes tied to HR1. 

  • Drugmakers have filed an emergency appeal asking the Court to restore access to mifepristone by mail, after a federal appeals court ruled that the medication must once again be picked up in person. 

  • The U.S. Department of Justice recently moved to reclassify certain cannabis products, including FDA-approved marijuana medications and state-regulated medical marijuana, to a less restrictive category (Schedule 1 to schedule 3) under federal law.

  • Following the approval of 95 acute care beds for Mission Health, Advent Health formally filed an appeal of challenging the approval. The appeal is now moving into the state’s administrative review system, where a ruling could take several months.

  • Multiple cases of the hantavirus, known to be transmitted through rodents to humans, were reported on an international cruise ship. The outbreak is being monitored. Though, many of the passengers have now arrived back to the mainland. 

April 30, 2026

This Past Week Included

April 20, 2026

This Past Week Included

April 13, 2026

This Past Week Included

April 6, 2026

This Past Week Included 

  • Rep. Chuck Edwards proposes stronger federal hospital oversight following Mission Hospital's repeated failures to meet service delivery standards. Edwards’ proposed legislation would expand CMS enforcement powers for hospitals that are violators. Chuck Edwards aims to allow penalties and intervention short of cutting Medicare and Medicaid funding after repeated “Immediate Jeopardy” citations.

  • The Rural Emergency Hospital model has emerged as a pathway to sustain rural access in North Carolina. A proposal to convert Martin General Hospital in Martin County, NC into the state’s first REH is currently being examined. This center would maintain 24/7 emergency and outpatient services without inpatient care, offering a potential lifeline for struggling rural hospitals.

  • Wake County plans to cut its education budget by millions of dollars. Officials note that the ongoing lack of a finalized state budget, population declines, and workforce shortages all contributed to the decrease. 

  • The North Carolina Cannabis Working Groupmet on April 6th to discuss youth cannabis youth and policy options for curbing usage. The work group was started in July of 2025, and seeks to explore the issues associated with an unregulated cannabis market in NC, particularly as it pertains to youth. 

HPI & WNC-Relevant State Policy Updates and Resources

Read below for weekly updates on state-level policies relevant to the WNC HPI and Western North Carolina. The following updates employ the use of generative AI tools, and are edited and analyzed to reflect real-time policy changes and decisions.

For further analysis, tune into the accompanying WNC HPI weekly podcast. Click here for more NC Policy News Resources.

Would you like to receive a weekly email to remember to visit this policy update page? If so, email jmullen1@unca.edu

Past Updates

North Carolina Policy News Resources

Check out these resources for more information on health policy in North Carolina.

North Carolina Health News

Founded in November 2011 as a North Carolina nonprofit, NCHN is an independent news organization devoted to covering health care in the state. Their mission is to fill the widening gap in media coverage by creating a substantive website that will provide crucial information about health care in North Carolina. 

https://www.northcarolinahealthnews.org/ 

NC News Room

The North Carolina Newsroom is a journalism collaboration expanding state government news coverage for North Carolina audiences, reporting stories that matter in communities served by public radio stations WFAE, WFDD, BPR, WHQR, and WUNC.

https://www.wunc.org/tags/nc-newsroom 

NC State Policy Watch

The North Carolina Justice Center’s mission is to eliminate poverty in North Carolina by ensuring that every household in the state has access to the resources, services, and fair treatment it needs to achieve economic security.

https://www.ncjustice.org/projects/nc-policy-watch/ 

North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NC DHHS) Press Release Page

View recent and search all press releases by the NC DHHS.

https://www.ncdhhs.gov/press-releases 

North Carolina Healthcare Association - News Page

NCHA represents North Carolina’s individual and multi-hospital health systems — teaching, rural, small community, suburban, specialty, and continuing care facilities — providing acute care, rehabilitative, behavioral, psychiatric and veterans’ services.

https://www.ncha.org/news/ 

Carolina Forward

Carolina Forward is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit policy organization that advocates for ideas, policies and values to build a stronger North Carolina that works for all its people.

https://carolinaforward.org/legislature/