Alanna Joyner
The time to protect every North Carolinian came two weeks ago as the North Carolina General Assembly came back for a legislature session. Medicaid expansion and improving unemployment benefits were viable and important measures to be added onto the COVID-19 relief package but neither came to fruition. Blocked by Republican leaders once again, the expanded…
Read MoreA new study released from the Urban Institute has revealed the devastating cost of states not expanding Medicaid, as more than 25 million workers could lose employer-based health insurance due to COVID-19-related unemployment. According to the study, in the states that rejected Medicaid, about 40 percent of the people who lose their jobs and their…
Read MoreCOVID-19 cases are approaching 12,256 in North Carolina; 1.2 million in the nation and 3.7 million worldwide. Instead of increasing testing and treatment; providing adequate protection for healthcare workers; and reducing the spread of the virus that is taking a toll on lives and the economy — Trump chooses to dodge responsibility and deny the…
Read MoreNorth Carolina currently has 49 rural and independent hospitals around the state, but the financial toll caused by the COVID-19 outbreak may strain the remaining hospitals already struggling from decades of funding cuts. As the pandemic continues to sweep across the state, rural hospitals are set to lose more than $145 million per month. The…
Read MoreOn Thursday, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it will not enforce regulations that would limit the amount of small particles in our air. This comes after a new study released by Harvard found that people with COVID-19 who live in regions with high levels of air pollution across the country, are more likely…
Read MoreOn May 2, the North Carolina General Assembly approved a $1.57 million COVID-19 relief package. Votes in both the House and the Senate during the Saturday session were unanimous, marking the legislature’s first response to the pandemic. The $1.57 billion package contains funding for education, health care, small business loans, food banks, medical research, testing…
Read MoreWith more than one million North Carolinians who have lost their jobs in a system where many workers receive health insurance through their employers and over 49 rural hospitals losing millions per month, the need for Medicaid expansion is paramount. Yet, state lawmakers moved forward in passing the coronavirus relief package with very limited and…
Read MoreAccording to a new report, North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis received more than $156,000 from political action committees tied to drug manufacturers in 2019. Sen. Tillis, a chairman of the Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, received more money than any other member of Congress from the PAC, according to a new analysis of KHN’s Pharma Cash…
Read MoreSince March 15, more than 900,000 North Carolinians have lost their jobs, and in a system where many workers receive health insurance through their employers, most of those people have lost their access to health care too. Many now unemployed workers will not be able to qualify for Medicaid due to North Carolina’s lack of…
Read MoreFrom Trump’s suggestion of “injecting” disinfectant into the body to arguing with state governors asking for crucial aid, the long list of the Trump administration’s mismanagement of the health crisis continues as the U.S. climbs to over 960,000 COVID-19 cases. Trump, who called for governors to “liberate” their states by lifting lockdown restriction — despite…
Read More