Conference Report – House and Senate Budget

Hb 966 – Budget

Residency Education

This budget provides $4 million in recurring funding for the Southern Regional Area Health Education Center for surgery and family residencies.

This budget provides $1 million in nonrecurring funding for the Eastern Area Health Education Center.

Home and Community Care Block Grant

This budget expands the Home and Community Care Block Grant to add an additional 1,500 in the first fiscal year and an additional 2,735 in the second fiscal year.

Rural Loan Repayment

This bill provides funding for loan repayment incentives to recruit physicians, physician assistants, dentists, nurse practitioners, and certified nurse midwives for rural health recruitment. The bill contains $4.2 million in the first fiscal year and $2.9 million in the second year.

NC Medication Assistance Program

This bill provides $2.9 million in each fiscal year to provide prescription assistance services for indigent and uninsured persons.

NC Telepsychiatry Program

This bill provides $2.1 million each fiscal year for the operation of the NC Telepsychiatry Program. The additional funding will expand the program to an additional 2 counties.

Telemedicine Pilot

This bill appropriates $500,000 for a telemedicine pilot program in Bladen, Columbus, Robeson, and Scotland counties.

Veteran Health Pilot

This bill appropriates $400,000 in the first fiscal year and $350,000 in the second fiscal year to develop a 2 year pilot to provide health care and job training services to veterans in Cumberland county.
Advisory Council on Rare Diseases

This bill appropriates $250,000 in each fiscal year for the Advisory Council on Rare Diseases at UNC School of Medicine.

Pre-K Rate Increase

This bill provides a 2% rate increase to NC Pre-K rates for child care centers.

Reach Out and Read

This bill appropriates $430,000 in the first fiscal  year, and $587,000 in the second fiscal year for pediatricians to provide books to patients.

Innovations Waiver

This bill provides an additional 1,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to access services.

Tribal Option – Managed Care

This bill provides $3 million in recurring funding for DHHS to contract with an Indian Managed Care Entity or Indian Health Provider to offer services to beneficiaries who are members of federally recognized tribes.

Medicaid Transformation

This bill provides $14 million in nonrecurring funding for a contract to support development of Medicaid Transformation program design and documentation.  The bill provides $17.6 million in recurring funding for a Provider Data Management and Credential Verification Organization contract to enable provider data collection. The bill also provides $3.5 million in recurring funding for 30 new positions for Medicaid Transformation.

Traumatic Brain Injury Pilot

This bill provides $300,000 to continue the adult and pediatric traumatic brain injury pilot.

Youth Tobacco Prevention

This bill provides $500,000 in the first fiscal year and $1 million in the second to continue to develop and implement strategies for reducin youth tobacco and e-cigarette use.

Firearm Storage Awareness

This bill provides $90,000 in the first fiscal year and $70,000 in the second to launch a firearm storage awareness initiative.

Extra Session on Access to Health Care

The budget includes a provision to encourage the Governor to convene an extra session to consider health access, insurance, association health plans, Medicaid, and Medicaid expansion.

Bill Movement

This bill passed the House with a vote of 64-49 on June 27, 2019.

This bill passed the Senate with a vote of 33-15 on June 27, 2019.

This bill was vetoed by the Governor on June 28, 2019.

Override Bill Movement

This bill was calendared to be heard in the House on July 8, 2019.

This bill remained on the House calendar.

The house voted to override the Governor’s veto on September 11, 2019 with a vote of 55-15.

This bill will now move to the Senate for a veto override vote.

As of September 12, 2019 the bill resides in the Senate Rules Committee.