On Wednesday, Cooper gave his final public address as governor at Nash County Community College in his hometown of Rocky Mount, where he highlighted his proudest accomplishments as governor and gave a wink and a nod to what might be ahead for him.
Debbie Smith of Alamance County is one of roughly 3 million North Carolinians who suffer the burden of medical debt. She spoke with Cardinal & Pine about her story, the realities of debt, and what she hopes will be done about it.
Research from the Urban Institute and the Private Equity Stakeholder Project found that hospital market concentration, as well as private equity’s expanding role in billing, tracking, and collecting payments for health care, is exacerbating the country’s medical debt problem.
PFAS gets into our water when solvents and firefighting foam are used on military bases, or when companies like Chemours manufacture certain products. We now know this pollution has also made its way into our soils, foods, and even in our air.
Under Harris’ plan, Medicare would cover the cost of in-home health care for seniors enrolled in the program, after a medical provider has determined that they are in need of help performing daily tasks. Harris’ proposal would also provide coverage for vision and hearing benefits under Medicare.
These actions include issuing advisories to prevent debt collectors from targeting families with illegal medical debt collection tactics and cracking down on certain collectors. The new efforts could have a major impact in North Carolina, where as many as three million people are affected by medical debt.
Harris wants to expand the $35 monthly cap on insulin costs and a $2,000 annual cap on out-of-pocket drug costs so that they apply to all Americans, not just seniors on Medicare.
Health officials detected measles in the Mecklenburg County wastewater system this week, a sign the virus could be circulating more widely in North Carolina than the number of confirmed cases suggests.
US health officials under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reduced the number of recommended vaccines for children, including shots for diseases that can be fatal and lead to amputations.
Health insurance costs are set to rise in 2026 for many North Carolinians, after Congress decided not to vote on extending Affordable Care Act insurance tax credits, which were cut in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and expire at the end of the year.
For four years, Nancy Weaver has accessed essential healthcare through the Affordable Care Act. Now she faces an uncertain future as Republicans in Congress are set to allow key subsidies to expire, raising her monthly premium by $1,600 a month.
The governor cited court rulings that blocked some of the cuts, but said the state’s Medicaid fund would still run out of money in the spring if Republicans failed to resolve their 6-month dispute over funding it.
For the third year in a row, the March of Dimes gave the state a D+ for its record of ensuring healthy pregnancies and providing adequate access to prenatal care.