State lawmakers are back in Raleigh this week, but Republicans still haven't reached an agreement on a budget and Medicaid funding.
State health officials say they'll have to make cuts to Medicaid if the legislature doesn't approve additional funding. They plan to reduce reimbursement rates paid to healthcare providers and drop coverage for new weight-loss medications.
Both the House and Senate have released separate bills Monday containing the funding, but they haven't agreed on the details. The Senate wants to pair the Medicaid money with funding for rural healthcare and a new children's hospital in Apex, while the House's bill doesn't include the funds. Both proposals would cut vacant positions at the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
Sen. Lisa Grafstein, D-Wake, urged Republicans from the two chambers to come up with a compromise before the legislature adjourns this week. The Medicaid cuts are scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.
"If we end this week without an agreement, we all know there are catastrophic consequences and no children's hospital," she said. "I would like us to rethink the approach here."
Senate advances Planned Parenthood ban, other spending bills
The Senate is also advancing a bill to ban Planned Parenthood from participating in the Medicaid program. Medicaid already doesn't cover abortion services, but Sen. Amy Galey, R-Alamance, says she doesn't want the nonprofit getting state money for other unrelated healthcare services.
"The reason that I don't think that Planned Parenthood should be providing these services is because I think that they indoctrinate," she said. "I think that they use their money and pass it to support the general operation."
Opponents say the change could make it harder for Medicaid recipients to access healthcare. Paige Johnson of Planned Parenthood South Atlantic said her organization serves patients in nearly all 100 counties, many of which have limited options for healthcare services.
"It is a distraction to call this a defunding bill," Johnson told a Senate committee. "It is about taking healthcare away from the people who need it. North Carolinians who depend on Medicaid will lose access to affordable reproductive health care, including access to birth control, cancer screenings and treatment for STIs."
Several other spending bills advanced in the Senate Monday, but GOP leaders there said there's so far been no commitment from the House to pass them this week. The Senate bills would:
- Provide $65 million for Tropical Storm Chantal and Helene recovery efforts. Most of it would go toward matching federal recovery funding, while UNC would get $1 million for building repairs, and $6 million would fund grants to individuals and families affected by the storms.
- Allocate $35 million to the Centennial Authority, which operates the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, for a redevelopment project on land surrounding the arena (the legislation gives no further details about the project)
- Fund pay raises for state law enforcement and correctional officers, but not other state employees or teachers
- Allocate $750,000 to Raleigh-Durham International Airport to help subsidize its newly announced direct flights to Dublin
- Spend $27 million to renovate the veterans' home in Fayetteville
- Approve $51 million in incentives for a steel manufacturing facility in Hertford County
- Allow N.C. Central University to sell its old chancellor's residence and use the proceeds to buy a new house
- Allocate $10 million to help the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport in New Bern build infrastructure to accommodate an unnamed new tenant
What's next?
While senators aren't planning to stick around after Monday's votes, the House will hold committee meetings and a voting session Tuesday. It's expected to pass a crime bill that both chambers agreed to, as well as several other bills that haven't been released yet.
The legislature's next session after this week is scheduled for Oct. 20.
