Today
Earlier today, NC Governor Josh Stein signed HB696 into law! The bill appropriates $319 million to NC Medicaid covering a fiscal shortfall that would have left the program short of funds prior to the end of the current fiscal year (June 30). Both chambers of the General Assembly had approved the bill on Tuesday afternoon.
“We are extremely thankful that the Governor, the NC Senate, and the NC House have come together to find a way to provide funding to sustain the NC Medicaid program as passed in House Bill 696,” said NCAFP President Benjamin “Frankie” Simmons, MD, MHA. “While no bill is perfect, this is a great example of bipartisan efforts leading to a positive solution to a funding need. As the largest specialty society in North Carolina, we are already working with other physician groups and our state’s Medicaid health plans to develop new and innovative strategies for a more effective and fiscally sustainable Medicaid program.” The NCAFP attended today’s signing ceremony at the Governor’s Mansion.
Beyond the $319 million appropriation, the bill includes changes required by the federal H.R. 1, including establishing a funding mechanism to maintain Medicaid expansion. In addition, the bill stipulates that the NCDHHS must prepare cost-saving measures for the legislature to review within six months. The NCAFP has already begun meetings with health plans, other physician groups, and the Department to discuss these potential measures and ensure that any proposed changes would minimize or eliminate any negative impacts on family physicians.
The North Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Inc. (NCAFP) is a nonprofit professional association headquartered in Raleigh which represents over 4,300 family physicians, family medicine residents, and medical students across the state. It is the largest medical specialty association in North Carolina and is a constituent chapter of the American Academy of Family Physicians, based in Leadwood, KS.
