NCACC Legislative Update: Week of February 4, 2019 | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    The second week of the 2019 long session saw continued bill filing and a handful of legislative committees. While legislators begin introducing bills to address their priorities this session, budget writers in each chamber are putting together their budgets while waiting for Governor Cooper to release his proposed state budget plan for the next two years.

    Although neither chamber took action on the topic this week, the issue of school capital funding continues to percolate in the halls of the General Assembly. As the NCACC reported in last week's legislative brief, the House and Senate have prioritized increased state assistance for school capital funding, but have differing plans on how the state can help counties and local school districts.

    For more information on the debate over funding for school capital needs, please be sure to subscribe and listen to the NCACC's bi-weekly podcast, CountyCast. The next episode of CountyCast will be available on Wednesday, February 13th. NCACC Executive Director Kevin Leonard and Legislative Counsel Adam Pridemore will share a brief history of school capital funding in North Carolina and discuss the House and Senate funding proposals.


    NCDHHS Awards Medicaid Managed Care Contracts

    This week saw a significant development on an issue the NCACC has been following very closely over the last four years as the NC Department of Health and Human Services took a major step toward implementing Medicaid Transformation. On Monday NCDHHS awarded five contracts to managed care entities to take over management of certain Medicaid services across the state.

    As directed by legislation passed in 2015 and 2018, NCDHHS selected four managed care vendors to offer physical and behavioral health coverage statewide and accepted bids for up to 12 regional health care provider-led vendors. The four statewide vendors selected are AmeriHealth Caritas North Carolina, Inc.; Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina; UnitedHealthcare of North Carolina, Inc.; and WellCare of North Carolina, Inc. The department selected one healthcare provider-led vendor offering regional coverage in regions three and five: Carolina Complete Health, Inc.

    The five vendors selected will offer integrated physical and behavioral health coverage for Medicaid beneficiaries that enroll in their plans. By July 2021, the department will finalize contracts for LME/MCOs offering integrated physical and behavioral health coverage for persistently disabled Medicaid beneficiaries under "tailored plans."

    Managed care will go live in regions 2 and 4 for standard plans in November this year. This will cover Alamance, Alleghany, Ashe, Caswell, Chatham, Davidson, Davie, Durham, Forsyth, Franklin, Granville, Guilford, Johnston, Nash, Orange, Person, Randolph, Rockingham, Stokes, Surry, Vance, Wake, Warren, Watauga, Wilkes, Wilson and Yadkin counties. Managed care will then expand statewide in February 2020.

    Current Medicaid beneficiaries will be able to choose to enroll with any vendor serving their regions. The department has contracted with Maximus to help beneficiaries navigate this choice. County departments of social services will continue to perform eligibility determinations for Medicaid applicants.

    As Medicaid Transformation moves from the planning into the implementation phases, the NCACC will continue to work with state healthcare policy leaders to ensure the county voice is heard and that counties will be able to provide critical services to their residents and work to improve community health outcomes in partnership with the state.

    NCACC HHS legislative goal on Medicaid Transformation: Support provision of state resources to ensure county ability to provide essential public health, behavioral health and social services, with specific consideration to the challenges of incarcerated persons, the continued county role in behavioral health governance, and programs addressing substance use disorder, throughout Medicaid transformation.

    Bill Addresses Student Safety at Voting Sites

    House Bill 24, Ensure Student Safety at School Voting Sites, requires local boards of elections to get permission from local boards of education to use schools for voting sites. This permission was not previously required in statute. If the board of education gives permission for the board of election to use the school, the board of education must develop a safety plan to ensure the safety of students while the building is being used as a voting site. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Elections and Ethics Law.

    Former County Commissioners Forming County Caucuses in House and Senate

    Following a tradition each biennium of organizing caucuses to discuss county issues and legislative priorities, the NCACC is working with former county commissioners now serving in the General Assembly to form the county caucuses in the House and Senate.

    Senators Jim Davis (Macon) and Valerie Foushee (Orange), and Representatives Kevin Corbin (Macon) and Becky Carney (Mecklenburg) have agreed to co-chair the Senate and House caucuses respectively. The caucuses are open to former county commissioners and any General Assembly member interested in county issues. The following list of legislators are former county commissioners:

House

Rep. Lisa Barnes
Rep. MaryAnn Black
Rep. William Brisson
Rep. Becky Carney
Rep. Debra Conrad
Rep. Kevin Corbin
Rep. Ted Davis
Rep. Josh Dobson
Rep. Terry Garrison
Rep. Ed Goodwin
Rep. Bobby Hanig
Rep. Chris Humphrey
Rep. Howard Hunter
Rep. Verla Insko
Rep. Steve Jarvis
Rep. Pat McElraft
Rep. Chuck McGrady
Rep. Larry Potts
Rep. Michelle Presnell
Rep. John Sauls
Rep. John Torbett
Rep. Larry Yarborough

Senate

Sen. Carl Ford
Sen. Dan Bishop
Sen. Jim Davis
Sen. Jim Burgin
Sen. Todd Johnson
Sen. Valerie Foushee

    Contact: North Carolina Association of County Commissioners
        353 East Six Forks Road
        Suite 300
        Raleigh, NC 27609