• John Locke Update

    Poverty Alleviation: Reforming Welfare and Restoring Dignity

    posted October 25, 2017 by Joseph Coletti
    The term “welfare reform” still conjures up images of Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton in 1996, big Southern politicians with big personalities, big ideas, and big hair. Together, they managed…
  • John Locke Update

    Saving Now for a Better State Budget Tomorrow

    posted September 20, 2017 by Joseph Coletti
    You may have missed the news that North Carolina government had higher revenue and lower spending than budgeted for the third year in a row. When government takes in…
  • John Locke Update

    Making Medicaid Great Again?

    posted July 13, 2017 by Katherine Restrepo
    Next week, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell wants to hold a full vote on his chamber’s revised health reform bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Thanks to…
  • John Locke Update

    Here’s Some ‘Real News’ About The Senate Health Care Bill

    posted June 28, 2017 by Katherine Restrepo
    The Senate’s health reform bill, formally known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), has not been well received by most. Principled Senate Republicans don’t think the bill instills enough…
  • Research Report

    Direct Primary Care

    posted March 22, 2017 by Katherine Restrepo
    An increased use of the innovative health care delivery model called Direct Primary Care could lead to better outcomes for treatment of patients with chronic diseases, and that could mean…
  • John Locke Update

    A Briefing on North Carolina Medicaid Reform

    posted August 2, 2016 by Katherine Restrepo
    North Carolina legislators are waiting for the feds to approve their 1115 waiver to reform Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program that covers low-income parents, children, the elderly, blind, and…
  • Research Report

    State Budget Overview: Teacher compensation and Medicaid drive the 2014-15 budget

    posted August 19, 2014 by Sarah Curry, Dr. Terry Stoops
    For fiscal year 2014-15, North Carolina’s General Fund budget rose 2.2 percent to $21.1 billion. It funded an average teacher salary increase of 7 percent, one of the largest pay raises for North Carolina teachers in a generation, and created a Medicaid contingency fund of $186.4 million.
  • Research Report

    The Mechanics of Medicaid: How Medicaid’s flawed financial design drives program costs

    posted July 29, 2014 by Katherine Restrepo
    Medicaid’s fundamental flaws stem from the way in which it is funded, as both state and federal government share the total bill. If Medicaid’s federal share was transferred to North Carolina as an annual block grant, it would allow lawmakers to exercise more control over the program and create a stronger incentive to sort out system waste and abuse.

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