North Carolina’s budget for the next two fiscal years, H.B. 259 makes changes to UNC Health and ECU Health policies which received little reporting at the time of the bill’s passage but have since caused a legal crisis at the State Treasury and strong allegations of fiduciary misconduct.
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H.B. 259’s health spending should be taken with a mixture of optimism and caution. Optimism, because the legislature has shown they can be convinced to make bipartisan decisions in the interest of the state, such as Medicaid expansion. Caution, because it took the state losing $5 billion federal dollars a year plus an extra signing bonus to reach that point. Optimism, as the bill makes historic investments in mental health and rural health infrastructure and workforce incentives. Caution, since these investments were made with one-time funding with no clear path to renewal in the context of aggressive tax cuts limiting future revenues.
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“H.B. 259 directly impacts personal finances, access to social services, and the economy and opportunities of the state. But, the budget is also an omnibus bill with broad policy changes in healthcare, education, government operations, environmental regulation, and more that directly impact all North Carolinians. H.B. 259 sets the guardrails for what the state can and cannot do in the next two years. Being informed will help residents understand and expect what is coming.”
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