This story was first published online. NC Health News.
Amid smiles, photos, receptions and families gathering in the Raleigh legislature on Wednesday, lawmakers involved in developing health care policy said they were preparing a list of priorities for the legislative biennial that began this week. rice field.
What’s the top problem on both sides of the aisle? Whether North Carolina joins the majority state and expands its Medicaid program to cover more than half a million low-income workers, he looks like the perennial challenge of the past decade.
Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger (R-Eden), after being elected leader for the seventh time since 2011, emphasized the expansion of Medicaid in his speech, calling it one of the issues Congress “must address.” said.
“I support expanding Medicaid in North Carolina,” he told a packed audience on the Senate floor.
Berger spent ten years opposing the bill. But he changed his stance for 2022He passed the bill in the Senate last year, but it stalled in the House.
“We have to recognize that it’s not a silver bullet,” he continued. “People in North Carolina have some of the highest health care costs in the nation. We need to remove barriers.”
Berger’s 2022 Medicaid Expansion Bill also included provisions to 1) review North Carolina’s rules on hospital competition and 2) give advanced practice nurses more freedom to work independently of physicians.
At a media gathering after the swearing-in ceremony, Berger reiterated his position.
“To get the broad bipartisan support we had for the Medicaid expansion bill we had earlier, we need some steps to address the supply side,” he told reporters. “If we’re going to give 500,000 people, 600,000 people a policy that says they’re entitled to medical bills, we’re going to get more primary care providers, more facilities, more facilities.” Something needs to be done to enable access, they can be treated.”
But old differences could reappear as Congressman and re-elected House Speaker Tim Moore (R-Kings Mountain) discussed a “clean” Medicaid expansion bill that doesn’t include references to nurses or hospitals. there is.
Rep. Donnie Lambeth (R-Winston-Salem) has acknowledged that some of Berger’s concerns need to be addressed before both houses can reach a deal. However, Lambeth has played a key role in the House of Representatives in both Legislative Yuan members and committees addressing medical issues.
“I think we need to reform the certificate of necessity,” he said, referring to the hospital competition law. “So my second bill for him will be the proof of need bill that I’ve been working with the industry on. I think.
“It was like Senate feedback.”
mental health of many
Republicans and Democrats noted the importance of addressing mental health needs statewide.
Lambeth recently attended a forum on mental health best practices alongside nurse Carla Cunningham (D-Charlotte) and pharmacist Wayne Susser (R-Albemarle). said they were interested in implementing
“I think we need more psychologists in schools because I think we need to reach out to these kids and listen to these kids in a more positive way. “We’ve been talking about having more guidance counselors and psychologists in schools, and we’ve done a little bit of that. But I think we need more.”
Lambeth also hopes the legislature will consider funding mental health crisis centers.
“We’ve seen an exponential increase in suicide rates over the past few years, and COVID hasn’t helped.” SOCIAL WORKERS AND FAMILY LAWYERSShe was appointed to the Senate Medical Committee.
“Children sit in hospitals for too long without proper placement,” Bach said. “We have a mental health crisis in the foster care system. Also, every day within the school, mental health professionals actually see children, identify them and address their needs. is needed.
At the last session, Bach introduced legislation to provide mental health provider treatment space in schools, prioritizing children who do not have health insurance or regular care providers.
“My real concern is … everyone is talking about mental health, but we’re just saying the same redundant words over and over again,” says Legislative Health Care. Rep. Donna White (R-Clayton), a nurse who played a key role in shaping it, said: policy. “We are not trying to pinpoint the cause of youth mental health problems.”
long list
Rep. Hugh Blackwell (R-Valdise) said during the swearing-in festivities, he began writing down on a piece of paper a list of priorities he wanted to work on over the next two years. No House committee assignments have been announced, but Blackwell said he expects to be appointed to the Medical Committee again.
Mental health issues were at the top of that list, but I ticked off a number of other topics, such as recording patient information on electronic medical records at state-owned medical facilities.
One of his other concerns was about healthcare staffing.
“For example, Broughton Hospital probably has more than 100 beds in use because it’s not staffed,” says Blackwell.
Last year, Department of Health and Human Services leaders told lawmakers: faced a serious labor shortage Across all sectors, including state hospitals.
Senator Jim Perry (R-Kinston) also has a health worker problem, citing a shortage of child care workers.
“The workforce working at these facilities, the availability of qualified individuals, [of] Affordability—wages just went through the roof,” Perry said. needed someone to take care of the kids so they could go to work.”
Other health care topics that topped lawmakers’ lists include:
- Addressing mental health issues facing foster children, a topic brought up by Bach and Senator Mike Woodard (D-Durham).Woodard said he was worried about how Children in foster care have difficulty accessing medical care If they move from one part of the state to another — Batch tried to address it with a bill she endorsed last year.
- White said he was ready to make another attempt to put his room behind the SAVE Act. More independence to advanced practice nursesLast year, the bill had 75 cosponsors in the House, but it never made it onto the floor for a vote. [sponsors] This time,” said White. “I haven’t met all the freshmen and I don’t know what their views are on a lot of things, but it’s definitely a whole new group to consult. intend to do.”
- Lambeth said he wanted to address some of the issues with getting other health workers into the education pipeline. Whatever we do, we have to do something to address the shortage in some rural areas,” Lambeth added. What they tell me is, ‘We have space, we have qualified applicants, we don’t have instructors, we don’t have enough money.
- Abortion was mentioned by multiple lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Woodard pointed out that Senate Democrats are planning to introduce legislation to codify constitutional protections against abortion. Supreme Court last summer Dobbs decisionThe Republican side has spoken of various possibilities for legislation that could limit the proceedings. “We’ll see what gets passed by the General Assembly and can withstand a possible veto,” Berger said.
Wednesday is just the beginning of a process that will unfold over the coming months and possibly years. Many of the initiatives require state funding, which puts stakeholders at odds with one another, and lawmakers know how frustrating that can be.
“You need money to do everything, so you can never do it all at once,” said Perry. “It’s not about whether something is important, it’s just that we’re short on resources.”
this article first appeared in North Carolina Health News Republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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