The John Locke Foundation
has published a new report from Hickory physician Dr. C.L. Gray and former Heritage
Foundation health policy analyst Brian Blase on the need to reform Medicaid at
the state and federal levels. This new report dovetails with another recent paper
on Medicaid reform. Blase and Gray explain that Medicaid’s biggest problem is
the open-ended promise of two dollars in free federal cash for each dollar the
state spends. State officials should be willing to take less federal funding in
exchange for more freedom in our Medicaid program.
Cabarrus County
Voters in Cabarrus County
will have a choice to impose an addition sales tax on themselves to pay for
debt they were not asked to approve. Part of the debt is for two nominally
health-care-related projects — $14 million in economic incentives and
infrastructure subsidies to the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis,
and $13.5 million to build a new facility for the county health department,
called Cabarrus Health Alliance.
The Research Campus is a boondoggle that receives $24.6 million a year from
state taxpayers through public university and community college rent payments,
payments that are earmarked in the state budget.
In recent weeks, the health department has complained about a lack of funding
for environmental
health, even as it has sponsored events
to promote local food. A farmer who attended the local food event offered
one way that government could help, " We need them to get out of the way."
Check JohnLocke.org for full analysis of the tax vote.
Click here for the Health Care Update archive.
